Caruso, Angelo J.
Army Private 1st class

Angelo J. Caruso from New York, Oswego county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Friday, June 16, 1944
Death details: On May 17, 1944, U.S. and Chinese troops began the siege of Myitkyina, Burma. The town, which was occupied by the Japanese, possessed a strategically vital airstrip that would allow supplies and aerial support to reach troops fighting in difficult jungle terrain of the China-Burma-India Theater. While Chinese units comprised the majority of the ground combat troops, the U.S. Army’s 5307th Composite Unit, also known as Merrill’s Marauders, was also active in the fighting. The Japanese were able to defend the town until August 3, 1944, when their remaining men were ordered to withdraw. Hard fighting, difficult terrain, and the outbreak of disease led to significant casualties among the Chinese and American units that fought to take control of the town. Private First Class Angelo J. Caruso, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with the Headquarters Company, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). He was killed in action on June 16, 1944, as his unit attacked Japanese positions near Namkwi, Burma, four miles from Myitkyina. The sudden ferocity of the Japanese assault made it impossible for U.S. troops to recover their dead and wounded. After U.S. forces gained control of the area they searched for the remains of the fallen soldiers but did not recover PFC Caruso. Searches after the close of war were unsuccessful. Today, Private First Class Caruso is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency