06/06/2026
The Norwalk Veterans Memorial Committee honors the following seven heroes from Norwalk who lost their lives in the D-Day operations in June 1944 in France:
Army Private Earl Thomas Wilson, 2 Wilbur Street, South Norwalk. Assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, Private Wilson was killed on June 6, 1944. He was his parents’ only child and is buried in St. John’s Cemetery.
Army Second Lieutenant Donald Bryant Wason, 53 Wall Street, likely in an apartment of what is now Norwalk Luggage. 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He was killed on June 7, 1944. Lieutenant Wason’s courageous actions and extraordinary heroism that day earned him, at the cost of his life, the U.S. Army's second-highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. He is buried in Long Island National Cemetery.
Army Private Prospero Nicholas D’Avanzo, 27 Cross Street. One of 13 children, 9 of them boys. He joined the Marines in November 1942 but transferred to the Army Medical Corps. he was assigned to the medical detachment of the 8th Infantry Regiment. He was a litter bearer on Utah Beach when he was killed instantly by shell fire on June 9, 1944. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. His brother, Sylvio, was an Army paratrooper with the 11th Airborne Division who was killed on February 8, 1945, in Luzon, Philippines, and he is buried in Manila American Cemetery.
Navy Seaman Second Class John George Kurtzman, 20 Oak Street, South Norwalk. He was killed in action on June 12, 1944. He was assigned to the destroyer, the USS Nelson. The ship was struck by a torpedo, and Seaman Kurtzman was one of 24 sailors killed in that incident. He is buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery in England. He was married, with one son, also John, who is an artist in Norwalk and has a store on Taylor Avenue.
Army Air Force First Lieutenant Warren Everett Semple, 12 France Street. He was a swimming and diving champion in the YMCA of Connecticut before the service. He was killed in action on June 15, 1944, when his P-38 crashed in Orange, France. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters, making him Norwalk’s most highly decorated pilot. He is buried in the Rhone American Cemetery in France.
Army Private Gerald Campetella, 17 Kossuth Street, South Norwalk. He was killed in action on June 18, 1944. He is buried in Normandy American Cemetery.
Army Air Force First Lieutenant Donald Campbell Stevens, 196 East Avenue. Lieutenant Stevens was killed in action on June 22, 1944, when his P-38 crashed in flames during a strafing mission near South Cherbourg, France. his body was never recovered. He is listed on the tablets of the missing at Normandy American Cemetery.
Remember. 🇺🇸
