Joseph Lesniewski
| Joseph Lesniewski | |
|---|---|
Joe Lesniewski during World War II.
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| Nickname(s) | "Joe" |
| Born |
August 29, 1920 Erie, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 23, 2012 (aged 91) Erie, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942-1945 |
| Rank |
 Private First Class
|
| Unit |
 Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
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| Battles/wars | |
| Relations | -Joseph (father) -Ciechaka (mother) |
| Other work | Mail carrier |
Joseph A. Lesniewski (29 August 1920 – 23 May 2012) was a soldier with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Lesniewski was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Simon Schatzberger. He was one of 20 contributors to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: untold stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin/Berkley-Caliber.
Lesniewski was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Joseph and Ciechaka Lesniewski. He graduated in 1939 from Erie Technological High School. He was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps and then worked on machinery for General Electric. Joe enlisted and joined the Army Air Forces on 28 October 1942. He tested and was accepted into the Cadet School to become a pilot. In August 1943, Lesniewski volunteered for the Airborne.
Lesniewski completed Airborne Infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Afterward, he was shipped to Northern Ireland. Because he was fluent in Polish, he was sent to work with the Office of Strategic Services. His mission was to jump into Nazi-occupied Warsaw, but the Russians overran the area and the jump was canceled. Joseph was given the option of staying with his unit or being transferred to any other unit. He requested the 101st Airborne. Joseph Lesniewski joined Easy Company in March 1944. As a replacement soldier, Lesniewski initially did not get along with the other men, but one day, when Lesniewski was singing some Western songs he learned back in the States, Warren "Skip" Muck and Alex Penkala went over and joined him. They became good friends, and Lesniewski did not have any problem with the other guys from then on.
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