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| Walter Zeeb High School Yearbook |
A casual mention in a World War II letter led me to the
story of an unsung hero from America’s “Greatest Generation.” Walter Zeeb came
to the United States as a child from Germany in 1928. He enlisted in the Army in
1943 and was killed in action in Italy in 1944 at age 22, less than a year
after becoming a U.S. citizen.
I learned of Walter Zeeb through a letter I found on eBay
that was written from North Africa in 1943 by Private Frederick C. Warren to
his friend Pearl Naylor in his hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey. There’s
nothing remarkable in the letter; it’s just chit chat about their time together
before the war. Among other things, he wrote about how they used to roller
skate at a local rink.
In the letter, Private Warren wrote, “Walt Zeeb has not
written to me in quite a while now, but I understand he was featured in the
national skating revue. Boy, what a break!”
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| Gladys Till High School Yearbook |
When I find a letter like this, I usually try to return it
to the family of the man who wrote it, but I struck out on finding Private
Warren’s family, so I decided to check out “Walt Zeeb.”
My research found
that Walter Zeeb was a roller-skating instructor at the Morris and Essex Rollerdrome in Springfield, New Jersey before
going into the Army, and the “national skating revue” was some type of big
showcase for skaters. I then learned that he died a hero in Italy on June 4,
1944. Sergeant Zeeb’s Silver Star citation says he single-handedly manned an exposed machine gun nest after the
gunner had been killed and fired on the enemy to protect other men in his unit
despite coming under heavy fire. A War Department news release about his Silver Star award says, "He was wounded, but he maintained his gun position until he was killed by sniper fire later the same day.
A news article in the West
Essex Tribune June 24, 1944 said flags were flown at half-staff for a day
to honor him in his hometown of Livingston, New Jersey. The article also
reported that news of his death came on the first anniversary of his marriage
to the former Gladys Till of East Orange. Records indicate he enlisted in the Army in March 1943 and married Gladys in June, probably just before he shipped out for Europe.
Immigration records show that Walter’s parents, Ludwig and
Ernestine Zeeb, came to the United States from Germany in 1928 with their six
children, the youngest of whom was seven-year-old Walter. He joined the Army in
March 1943 and almost immediately filed a petition for citizenship. He became a
U.S. citizen on June 19, 1943, and less than a year later was killed in action.
Two of Walter’s brothers also served in the Army during WWII, and both came
back alive.
Walter and his wife, Gladys, both
attended West Orange High
School.
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| Walter Zeeb's profile from the 1940 West Orange High School yearbook. |
In his profile in his senior yearbook, his “weakness” is listed as
“Gladys.” They did not have children from their brief marriage. Gladys
remarried in 1950 and honeymooned in Bermuda. She died in Florida in 1999 at the age of 79.
Sergeant Walter Zeeb is buried
at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Italy, and his name is inscribed on a
WWII memorial in Livingston, New Jersey.
I doubt those of us who didn’t
live through World War II can fully appreciate how it impacted the lives of
almost everyone in America. Here’s Walter, a handsome young man who came to
America, got an education, met a pretty young girl and married her. He likely
had a fun life being a skating instructor. Then he was thrown into war and died
in a foreign country. Gladys married her high school sweetheart, lived with her
parents while he went overseas, learned of his death on their first anniversary,
and never had the closure of his remains being returned to the United States
for burial. The day these two young people were married they probably thought
they’d have a long, happy life together. Instead, he died in the service of his
adopted country, and she had to find the strength to go on with her life,
Greatest Generation, indeed.
