VINCENT J. SPERANZA

Vince was born March 23, 1925 to Frank and Frances Speranza in the "Hell's Kitchen" neighborhood of Manhattan, New York.  He grew up on Statten Island in a large and extended Italian family during the Great Depression.

After graduating high school, he was drafted into the United States Army on October 25, 1943 and officially entered the service on November 15, 1943.  He was sent to Camp Upton in New York where he stayed until he was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia totrain with the 87th Infantry Division.  He volunteered for the Parachute Infantry and was sent back to Fort Benning for further training.  Then, he was sent overseas with Company H, 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from Camp Shanks on board the Queen Mary.  

His unit arrived in France and he would later fight in the "Battle of the Bulge," December 1944.  He engaged in his first firefight against German forces in freezing temperatures.  That year, was the coldest winter in decades. 

Vincent was a machine gunner during the historic battle, earning him the nickname "Curse and Traverse" Speranza.  The "Battle of the Bulge" resulted in the highest number of American casualties of any operation during WWII.

His awards include:

Fourragere

Combat Infantryman Badge

Parachutist Badge

2 Bronze Star Medals

2 Purple Hearts

Army Good Conduct Medal

American Campaign Medal

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 2 Stars

World War II Victory Medal

French Croix de Guerrre

Legion of Honour

Presidential Unit Citation with Oak leaf cluster

Vince returned home and married Iva Leftwich in 1948.   They would go on to have two daughters and a son.   Iva passed away on March 6, 2017.  Speranza taught U.S. history in the New York City schools for over twenty years until he retired in Auburn, Illinois.

Vincent traveled all around the world sharing his war stories in hopes of reminding citizens of the value of freedom and the importance of leadership under adversity.  In May 2021, Speranza led the Honor Ride, a cross-country tribute to all service members.  Speranza "Passed the Torch" to the next generation of veterans at the Wall on Terror in Marseilles, Illinois - the Run for The Wall and Rolling To Remember organizers continued the ride to the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC.

The "Pass the Torch" project is sponsored by Praesidus, the creators of "The Battle of the Bulge" commemorative watch honoring Vincent J. Speranza's service.

To learn more about Speranza's memories of the war, you can read them in his book called NUTS! available on Amazon:  

https://www.amazon.com/Airborne-Division-Machine-Gunner-Bastogne/dp/1941165516

Speranza is also highlighted in the documentary LIBERTAS (Normandy Jump 2019)

FREE on Amazon Prime:   https://www.amazon.com/Libertas-Anniversary-D-Day-Tom-Rice/dp/B07YQ9S75D