Donald A. Bombardier US Army Sgt. E-4

29th Infantry Division, 115th regiment, Co. B

Donald Arthur Bombardier was born on 6 Oct 1919 in Worcester, MA, the son of Arthur Moses Bombardier, a barber, and Lucy Belhumeur Bombardier. In the 1920 census they had just their son Donald plus 2 stepchildren living with them at 57 Salem Street. In 1930 we find the family at 60 Walnut Street, Burlington, VT with another child, a daughter named Thelma, age 7. In the 1940 census they are at the same house in Burlington. Arthur is still a barber and Donald is a Carpenter on a N.Y.C. Project. He graduated from Cathedral High school in 1939. Donald’s draft card on 16 Oct 1940 has his address at 87 Spring St. Burlington, VT age 21 and his mother working at Empire Laundry, basically about 200 yards from where I lived at that time at age 2 months. He is 5 ft 11 inches and 154 lbs with brown eyes and brown hair and a light brown complexion. Donald’s father Arthur Moise Bombardier died on 22 Feb 1944 of cerebral thrombosis, just 5 months before Donald was killed in action. He was a veteran of WWI.

When living at 87 Spring St. Donald enlisted in the US Army as a private on 13 May 1942 at Rutland, VT and his service number was 31114749 and he was 68 inches tall and weighed 150 lbs.

He went overseas in October of 1942. Donald was wounded on D-Day 6 Jun 1944 and again on 18 Jul 1944 at St. LO, France and died of wounds on 27 Jul 1944 in England. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart Medals. He fought with the 29th Infantry Division from D-Day to St. Lo.

Donald’s obituary on 17 Jul 1948, when his body was returned home, mentioned his death at St. Lo, France in 1944.

Application for Headstone at the Mount Calvary Annex cemetery in Burlington, VT for Sgt Bombardier on 29 Jul 1948 by his mother living at 81 Walnut St. His unit was Co. B 29th Infantry Division, 115th regiment.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Donald A Bombardier