Jerome Charles Deneen

Jerome Charles Deneen was born on Oct. 18, 1917, in Black Earth, Wis., to Michael F. Deneen and Mary Agnes Deneen. He was drafted into the Army on Nov. 7, 1941, and received training at Fort Sheridan, Ill., until February 1942. He went on to receive training at Camp Croft, South Carolina, and Fort Custer, Mich. He was assigned to Company E, 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division and spent time deployed to Iceland before they were sent to reinforce the units engaged in the invasion of Normandy. The 5th Infantry Division landed in France in July 1944 and fought its way across the country. On Sept. 8, 1944, his unit attempted a crossing of the Moselle River near Dornot, France, and attacked German positions. PFC Deneen was killed in action in an area of the battlefield known as "Horseshoe Woods." His remains could not be located after the battle, and he was designated as missing in action. In 2001, the MIA Recovery Project "Thanks GIs" located and identified Deneen's remains. His remains were returned to the US, and he is buried at Saint Barnabas Cemetery in Mazomanie, Wis.