Private First Class Miguel Laboy-De Jesús

United States Army – World War II

Private First Class (PFC) Miguel Laboy-De Jesús proudly served in the United States Army from April 1945 to April 1946, during the closing months of World War II and the critical postwar transition.

As a Military Policeman (MP), PFC Laboy-De Jesús was tasked with enforcing military laws and regulations, maintaining discipline, and ensuring the safety and security of U.S. personnel. His assignment took him to British Guiana, where he provided law enforcement and protective services for both military members and civilians. His role demanded vigilance, resilience, and composure in an environment shaped by wartime operations and global uncertainty.

Through his service, PFC Laboy-De Jesús contributed to the stability and operational security of U.S. Forces in the American Theater during a pivotal moment in world history. His dedication exemplified the discipline, sacrifice, and sense of duty required of all who wore the uniform during World War II

🎖️ Military Decorations & Awards

• American Theater Service Medal
• World War II Victory Medal
• Overseas Service Bar

The legacy of PFC Laboy-De Jesús reminds us that victory in World War II was not achieved by combat forces alone, but through the combined efforts of every Soldier who served with honor and commitment.

Virginia Arlene (Phelps) Hendee

Virginia “Ginny” Hendee was born on September 10, 1921, in Northampton, Massachusetts, one of four children of Walter and Gertrude Phelps. She attended Northampton High School, graduating at just 16 years old, and then continued her studies at Commercial College, where she refined her clerical and secretarial skills, including shorthand.

After completing her education, Ginny worked for three years at the local gas and electric plant before answering the call to serve her country. Inspired by the presence of WAVES officer candidates training at nearby Smith College—and encouraged by her close friend Irma Loudfoot—Ginny enlisted in the Navy WAVES in May 1943. Her family fully supported her decision, and she and Irma enlisted together.

Ginny attended “boot camp” at Hunter College in New York after acceptance and screening. She was then assigned to Washington, D.C., where she served in the Naval Postal Service. Her duties included screening mail for potential security breaches—an important responsibility in protecting military communications. During her service, she earned promotion to Yeoman First Class.

During her WAVES service, Ginny met her future husband, Howard “Bud” Hendee, who was also assigned to the Postal Service as a photographer. With the conclusion of World War II in 1945, Ginny completed her tour of duty and was honorably discharged and was awarded the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.

We are especially fortunate that Ginny preserved many items from her WAVES service. These artifacts serve as a living window into the past, helping us better understand and appreciate the everyday contributions of Americans who came together during a global crisis. Her story reminds us that the victory in World War II was not achieved by soldiers alone, but through the combined efforts and sacrifices of an entire nation.

Francis Xavier O’Connell

Francis Xavier O’Connell was born on August 9, 1924. He joined the Army in 1943, right after graduating from High School in Cranston, Rhode Island, to fight in World War II. The O’Connell family had four of their six children serving in the U.S. Army simultaneously.

After enlisting, O’Connell trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was then shipped to Casablanca, where he joined Company F in the 179th Infantry, 45th Division. From there, his Division went by ship to Sicily to be part of an amphibious assault landing. O’Connell worked as a forward observer, scouting enemy locations and reporting the targets he found. After Sicily, the 45th Infantry moved into Salerno for another assault. His unit was pulled offline briefly before heading to Anzio for another amphibious assault landing.

The Battle of Anzio was a bitter campaign, with fighting nearly to Rome. After a brief rest period, the unit was shipped to Southern France, where it went ashore at St. Tropez and fought inland to Meximieux. In the heat of the battle, his unit relieved another forward observer group and got too far ahead of the battalion.

They were captured. Despite being a prisoner of war, O’Connell considers himself fortunate. Two-thirds of the regimen were killed, he said, noting there are 1,800 in a regimen. After he was captured, he and the other prisoners were moved in boxcars from Frankfurt, Germany, to Munich. And, while that was happening, he said, our American aircraft would bomb and strafe everywhere the Germans moved. They were taken to a prisoner of war camp in a town called Moosburg, about 40-some-odd miles north of Munich, he said. In the morning, he and other prisoners would be trucked to Munich to fill in bomb craters in the railroads, he said. The Germans would make sure the American prisoners saw the civilian casualties of war. They had their bodies lined up on either side of the street to see them, O’Connell said.

He said he caught a lucky break when he and a group of men were chosen to go to a work camp at Vilshofen, a small town in northern Germany, near the port town of Passau. O’Connell and the other POWs worked in a forest, cutting down trees. The prisoners slept on straw-lined mattresses in a barn, and there wasn’t much to eat. They ate boiled cabbage and potato dumplings. They ate just two meals a day. They knew the Americans were coming.

The 16th Armored Division liberated them. After being freed, O’Connell and the other soldiers walked to Bremerhaven, over 520 miles away, where they were processed at a tent city before catching a ship back to the United States. At the time, O’Connell weighed 80 pounds. He was sent to a country club converted to a medical facility to recuperate. It was three months before the Army would allow his family to see him. Reuniting with his mother is a moment that O’Connell will never forget. You won’t believe how happy it was, he said. She almost fell over when I put my arms around her.

Francis Xavier O’Connell earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Brown University, reenlisted in the United States Army in 1949, and served in an Intelligence Division at numerous duty stations in the United States and Germany, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, and Brazil. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1984 and continued to serve in the United States Army Reserve until 1989. Throughout 42 years of service to the United States, Francis Xavier O’Connell received numerous honors, including the Bronze Star, The Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Legion of Merit, as well as the Legion of Honor from the French government recently during a July 14, 2024 ceremony in St. Petersburg, FL.

Francis Xavier O’Connell retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 from the United States Army and currently resides at the Ardie E. Copas VA Veterans Nursing Home in Tradition, Port St. Lucie, FL.

Ruth Green

Ruth Green was born on April 25, 1925. She is a Navy Veteran who served at the Naval Air Station in Miami, Florida. She was part of Squadron AW/S 80. In 1945, Squadron AW/S 80, an organized reserve squadron, was active in Miami, Florida. During this time, they likely focused on maintaining their readiness and conducting training exercises as part of the US Army Air Forces Organized Reserve. Specifically, they may have been preparing for potential mobilization and deployment during continued or escalating conflicts.

Leon Randolf Hepburn 1923-2024

Mr. Leon Hepburn was born in Key West, Florida, on March 29, 1923. He entered the U.S. Army on July 10, 1943, and separated from the U.S. Army with the rank of Corporal on June 18, 1945, with an Honorable Discharge. Mr. Hepburn was assigned to the U.S. Army 849th Engineering Aviation Battalion. He was trained as a General Clerk and was qualified as a Marksman with his M1 Garand rifle. Mr. Hepburn spent ten months and nineteen days in the continental U.S. serving in the Pentagon and two years, four months, and sixteen days in foreign service under the great leadership of General Joseph Stilwell. Mr. Hepburn served in the Burma campaign (1944-1945). The Burma campaign resulted in Allied victory and the end of Japanese occupation, the disbandment of the Indian National Army, and Burma's return to British control. Mr. Hepburn received the following awards and citations: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Good Conduct Medal. Mr. Hepburn received a monthly pay of $6.50 as an allotment. Mr. Hepburn was honored by the St. Lucie County Commissioners with a proclamation passed and duly adopted on March 21, 2023, and was presented to Mr. Hepburn by Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky at the Saint Simon the Cyrenian Episcopal Church in Fort Pierce, FL, with all his beautiful and amazing family present. May the Lord continue blessing our local hero, Corporal Leon Hepburn, and his beautiful family for decades to come.

Obituary

Leon Randolf Hepburn passed on June 1, 2024, at the age of 101. He was born on March 29, 1923, to George and Esther Hepburn in Key West, Florida, the sixth of seven children from this union. His parents, he later learned, came to this country at the turn of the century from the Bahamas Islands. His father was self-employed as a small boat builder and fisherman.

During his childhood, he displayed a great desire for economic independence and a willingness to assist the family, since those days were during the depression.

At the age of seven, he became a Custodian of the Parochial School to assist his family. In so doing, he could pay for his and his brother’s Elementary School Education.

Around the age of twelve, he was at the home of Ernest Hemingway, where he and his mother worked. Mrs. Hemingway was having a tea party with her friends and asked Leon to sing. Lo and behold, he was so shocked that the only song he could think of was a lullaby, “My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean.”

From the age of 16 through the age of 18, he became the Sexton, Head Altar Boy, Assistant Organist, and Organizer of the Junior Choir. He was recognized and acclaimed for his musical talents, especially his singing.

He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School, Key West, Florida, in 1941. He became connected with various choral groups and bands, especially playing and singing with the Late Great Fats Navarro (American Jazz Trumpet). His parents and his Church desired that he become a priest or continue in music. However, his future desires were still undefined, and neither was his desire.

In July of 1942, he went to New York intending to attend Columbia University. Still, the Army disrupted those plans, and by October 1942, he was enlisted in the United States Army.

After entering the Army, he was assigned to the 849th Engineer Aviation Battalion, which took him to India and the Jungles of Burma as a Draftsman. This association drew his attention to the engineering field, for which he had a natural adaptation. During his tour of duty overseas, he dipped back into his musical experience. He formed and conducted a choir of 200 voices broadcasting over the air on Sundays throughout the Armed Forces.

After three years in the United States Armed Forces, he returned home to civilian life. He organized a choir broadcast on the radio in Key West, Florida.

He met Anna Belle Lee, the love of his life, and they got married in 1971. After they both retired in Philadelphia, they moved back to Fort Pierce, Florida, where they joined St. Simon Cyrenian Episcopal Church. She preceded him in death in January 2008, and all of his six Siblings.

Leon Leaves to mourn his devoted Nieces: Annette K. Williams (John), Elfreda H. Smalls, Sylvia Knowles, Gwendolyn K. Nance (Clifford), Shirley K. Brown (Daniel), Charlene H. Ballance (Ricky), Esther E. Whyms, and Gloria Messer. Nephews: John L. Lord (Recia), John B. Knowles (Kaye), Lee Evans (Francine), Arnie Hepburn (Sheila), Leonard Eugene Hepburn (Annette), and Phillip Hepburn. A devoted caretaker and grandniece, Tangela L. Palmer, a host of grand and great-grandnieces, nephews, cousins, family members, and friends.

Mr. William Kansier

Mr. William Kansier was born on 11/20/1921 in Michigan. He entered the U.S. Coast Guard on 5/14/1942 at the age of 21. Petty Officer First Class Kansier was attached to the USS Aquarius (AKA-16), an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship in the service of the U.S. Navy. SK1 Kansier was a storekeeper but was assigned to the 20mm guns. While onboard this ship, SK1 Kansier received seven battle stars and was present at the invasions of Guam, Peleliu, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, and Okinawa. Mr. Kansier was commended for his exceptional performance of duty in the Battle of Peleliu in 1944 and the Battle of Luzon in the Philippines Islands in 1945. Petty Officer First Class Kansier was awarded multiple awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Occupation Service Medal, China Service Medal, and Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal with two bronze stars. Mr. Kansier married Ms. Gloria Kansier shortly after leaving the Coast Guard and was married for 75 years until her passing on September 2, 2021.

Richard Rossi 

Richard Rossi was born on June 1, 1924, in Lorain, Ohio. He was 17 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked and enlisted in the US Army on May 10, 1943, with his best friend, Robert Bailey. After basic training, he completed Radio School and became a radio operator.

Richard deployed to the European front and was assigned to the 1301^st Engineer General Service Regiment, which was part of Patton’s 3^rd Army. They departed for France, landing on Utah Beach in early July 1944. As a radio operator, his job consisted of a two-man team in the field. He typed Morse Code while the other generated voltage to transmit the message. He was later detailed to the 3^rd Army HQ in Nancy, France, on an errand, when he learned of their need for a saxophone player. Richard auditioned and was transferred to the 3^rd Special Services Company, where he was a member of an orchestra playing Jamboree shows for service members.  It was there that he learned that his friend, Robert Bailey, had been killed in action on July 8, 1944. Richard continued spending time in Germany. Belgium and Czechoslovakia, performing for the troops and boosting the morale of the men fighting. He experienced bombings and strafings by the Germans as he made his way through Europe.

After the end of the war, he returned home to New York Harbor on Christmas Day and was honorably discharged on December 29, 1945.