John Gabriel Tabellario was born 26 Feb 1924 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was the eldest of 2 sons to Carlo and Mary Tabellario. Both parents were born in Italy. Carlo immigrated to the US in 1912 and Mary immigrated in 1914. By 1930, the family was living in Methuen, Essex County, Massachusetts.

John is listed in the 1942 Searles High School yearbook in Methuen on page 49. He is noted as “hard working boy with an aim in life. He is the Armorer of the Cadet Corps, and whenever the guns go out of the school, John is with them. We are sure no guns will be broken while John is around.” His motto was “Hard work is the keynote of success.”

Per the draft registration dated 30 Jun 1942, John was 5-foot 7-inches tall, weighed about 140 pounds, had brown eyes, brown hair and a ruddy complexion. His mother was the contact person and they were living at 45 Lowell St in Methuen, Essex County, Massachusetts. John was employed by his father in a tailor shop.

John was drafted into the Army. On 27 May 1943, he registered for service in Boston, Massachusetts. He served in served in the Engineer Battalion.

US Army combat engineers were at the spearhead of fighting in all theaters during WWII and repeatedly proved to be vital components to Allied victory on all fronts. The operations conducted by the combat engineers included breaching obstacles, destroying enemy strongpoints, constructing roads and bridges, laying minefields, constructing fortifications for defending troops, or blowing bridges to stop enemy attacks.

John was killed in action on 11 Nov 1944 in France. His remains were returned to the states. On 11 Apr 1950, he was reburied in Arlington National Cemetery (section 34, grave 4300). Three engineers share this burial plot –

1. Pvt Clifford Howard Brizee

2. Pvt Lester W Killion

3. Cpl John G Tabellario

Cpl John Gabriel Tabellario, we thank you for your dedication, service and sacrifice for our country. You are not forgotten.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://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 smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

If you have any details, photos, or corrections for this story, please email me by clicking on the words “Added by:” at the bottom of this story.

Kathy Harmon- Contributing Author, Stories Behind the Stars

SBTS/MA/Essex

Sources –

CPL John G Tabellario (unknown-1944) - Find a Grave Memorial

Fold3 - Tabellario, John G in U.S. WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954

Page 15 WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualty List - Fold3

Fold3 - John G Tabellario in WWII Army Enlistment Records

U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 - Ancestry.com

1940 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com

1930 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com - U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016

U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 - Ancestry.com