John Mirando
Army
Middle Island
John Mirando was born in
East New York, Queens on September 16, 1918. He was the son of John and
Jennie (Giordano) Mirando. Before enlisting in the Army he served in
the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from October 1936 through October,
1939 working on projects in Belton, Montana, Idaho and Reno, Nevada. He
enlisted in the Army on December 26, 1939 at Jamaica after briefly
residing in Coram. After enlisting, he was assigned to the 580th
Coastal Artillery unit at Fort Hancock, New Jersey and was transferred
for further training to Camp Polk, Louisiana. On October 9, 1940 his
unit was transferred to Taboguilla Island in Panama. He was transferred
back to the United States arriving at Camp Stewart, Georgia where he was
assigned to the 580th Anti-Aircraft Battery C Battalion.
On December 16, 1943 he
left for Europe aboard the Queen Elizabeth and arrived in Scotland. In
March of 1944 his battalion landed in Le Havre, France and saw action
under the First U.S. Army on the way to Drove, Germany. The C Battalion
was assigned the mission of providing protection for bridges and traffic
defiles in the vicinity of Euskirchen, Germany. The 580th
proceeded to see action crossing the Rhine River from Remagen, across
the Elbe River, South across the Danube River to Munich, and
subsequently to Salzburg, Austria and then Traunstein and Bad Tolz.*
During this time the unit was also attached to both the 9th
U.S. Army and the 3rd U.S. Army, under General Patton. His
unit saw additional action liberating a concentration camp and
investigating Adolph Hitler’s Berlin Bunker. During the war he served
as a mechanic and driver for half-tracks and other military equipment.
John Mirando received the American Defense Service Medal, the American
Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal and was designated an Expert
Marksman with the M-1 rifle. He was discharged from the service on
October 2, 1945 as a Technician 4th Grade at Fort Dix, New
Jersey.
Written by
Tim Mirando
February, 2011