Harvey Jablonsky
 |
|
| Date of birth | January 10, 1909 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Clayton, Missouri |
| Date of death | April 4, 1989 |
| Place of death | San Antonio, Texas |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | G |
| College | West Point |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal |
Harvey J. "Jabo" Jablonsky (January 10, 1909 – April 4, 1989) was (most notably) an American football player and US Army Veteran. He was a 'highly decorated veteran ' of both World War II and later in his career the Vietnam War. He was also elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978.
Jablonsky was born January 10, 1909, in Missouri, US, to mother Eugenia from England, and father Arthur from Germany. His parents did not have their own home; instead they lived along with Arthur's parents (Jablonsky's grandparents) in their Griesse Ave home in St. Louis County. Missouri. There they lived in a house of three generations. Jablonsky's grandfather August and mother-in-law Alice lived along with Jablonsky's parents Arthur & Eugenia, as well as Arthurs brothers, Jablonsky's uncles). Jablonsky's grandfather August immigrated from Germany in 1880 to the US, where he married his new wife Alice in St Louis, Missouri, in 1885. It is stated on the " Census: 1900, St. Louis, Missouri." that his parents were both born in the US, but it also states about his father Arthur that [It would appear Arthur was a son of August's by a prior marriage.] August's wife Alice was not Jablonsky's true grandmother. Furthermore, the information from the 1910 census shows that Jablonsky (1909) was in fact named after his uncle of the same name (his father's half-brother, who was called simply "Harvey Jablonsky" – minus the "J."), who is documented as living with the family on the 1900 census but not on the 1910 census. It is unclear exactly what happened to Uncle Harvey and why he was named after him.
In 1927 he attended Washington University in St. Louis. In 1929 he was made captain of his team and also awarded the highest honor for college football the College Football All-America Team award. After graduating Washington he enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he continued to play football in the position of guard, from 1931 to 1933, and became Army's captain in 1933. He graduated from the academy in 1934. Jablonsky remained at West Point as assistant coach for nine years. He was also married to his first wife Dorothy Jablonsky during these years, and the 1940 census shows he has had his first children, daughter Jean, born 1937 in Virginia, and son David Jablonsky, born 1939 in Panama.
On May 31, 1943, he was given the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed executive officer of 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment "Jumping Wolves" at Fort Benning, Georgia. He remained an executive officer until November 1943, when the 515th PIR moved to Camp Mackall, North Carolina. On March 7, 1944, the "Jumping Wolves" became a part of the 13th Airborne Division at Camp Mackall. On January 18, 1945 the 515th PIR received orders to move to Camp Shank in New York. On January 25 the 13th Airborne Division received their overseas orders and embarked for Europe. They arrived at Le Havre, France, on February 8, 1945. On the same day, February 8, the men disembarked Le Havre, France, and boarded trains for Camp Lucky Strike near Ste Valery en Caux, France. A few days later the 515th former XO, Colonel Harvey J Jablonsky, (who had already been deployed to France) assumed command once again of the "Jumping Wolves".
...
Wikipedia