Captain Joseph A. Macaluso

Biography and Wartime Service

Joseph Anthony Macaluso was born on September 23, 1919 in New Orleans, Louisiana to the late Mary Rose Crusta (1894–1957) and Giuseppe Joseph Macaluso (1892–1979). Both of his parents were born in Italy. He graduated from Samuel Jarvis Peters High School in 1937.

He received his Reserve Officer's Commission on May 18, 1942, and graduated from Louisiana State University three months later with a Bachelor of Science degree after majoring in Accounting and Business Administration for four years. He reported to active duty on September 1, 1942 and was assigned the Fort McClellan Infantry Replacement Center in Alabama. He later transfered to the Fort Benning School in March 1943, where he received an officer's basic course. After three months he graduated and returned to Fort McCellan.

Lt. Macaluso joined the 83rd Infantry Division in October 1943 and was assigned to G Company as the Weapons Platoon Leader. He served in five major campaigns, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. The Morning Report of July 6, 1944 lists 2nd Lt. Macaluso Seriously Wounded in Action and transferred to the 96th Evacuation Hospital. Only five days later, on July 11, he returned to duty.

Over the course of the war he was a platoon Executive officer (XO) and later, when Captain Bill Waters moved up in the regiment, he became the Company Commander of G Company, 331st Infantry. This occured on 17 August 1944 while at St. Briac, France. Three months later his bar turned silver and he received his double bars, as a Captain, on February 16, 1945. Joseph A. 'Joe' Macaluso, more commonly known as 'Captain Mac' was well respected and liked by the men that served with him. After hostilities he served in the Army of Occupation in Germany until his discharge in February 1946.

For his service, among other decorations, Captain Macaluso earned the Combat Infantry Badge, the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action in the central Europe campaign, the Bronze Stars Medal with OLC for valor, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with a Silver campaign star for five campaigns, the Purple Heart for wounds received in France, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Croix de Guerre with silver star, and numerous other service awards.

After the war on September 9, 1946, he married his wife, Wilhemena 'Mena' Tonnar, who was a 1st Lieutanant Army nurse with the 110th Evacuation Hospital. They met in Esch, Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge. He served in various command positions with the 377th Infantry Tank Battalion in New Orleans and was called to active duty in 1952 during the Korean conflict. He advanced in rank, completed Command and General Staff courses and was promoted to Colonel, whereupon he assumed command of the 4152nd USAR School at the Camp Leroy Johnson Training Center in New Orleans. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve after 32 years of duty to his country. Joe was also a very active member of the 83rd Division Association, conducting the memorial service at the reunions.

In his civilian life, Joseph 'Joe' Macaluso was the president of Macaluso Construction Company (started by his father) and Macaluso Realty Company. Joe and Mena raised five boys and three girls. Four of them went on to serve in the military themselves. One son was a supply clerk in the Army in the late 1960s, another son served a tour as an intellegence specialist in the Marines (Vietnam and Okinawa) in the early 1970s, and a third son went into the Army Reserves, was activated for Desert Storm and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. His daughter Kathleen (Macaluso) Powers served 11-1/2 years on active duty and retired from the Army Reserves a Lieutenant Colonel. Additionally, one grandson served in the Marines with two tours in Iraq and one granddaughter graduated from West Point and has served two tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan and is still on active duty. In short, there has been a Macaluso serving continuously in the military (on active duty or on reserve status) since 1942. RESPECT!

Joseph A. Macaluso died on July 10, 2003 at East Jefferson Medical Center, after a recurrence of kidney cancer, at the age of 83 and is burried in the Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans, LA. He was 83 and a lifelong resident of New Orleans.

Tony Vacaro once said:
Joe was there ahead of his men in France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany. All the way to the Rhine River I saw Captain Mac arriving among the first troops to the river. He never revealed his emotions. I never saw him scared or running away from the front, though he was wounded various times. His soldiers had faith in him by his very presence, dignity and cool. By the end of the war his troops had become all his friends. After the war he took various trips back to Normandy, Brittany, Luxembourg all the way to beyond Zerbst. He went back because he wanted to see the places where his men were wounded or had lost their life and did not want to forget them.

I met his daughter Kathleen Macaluso Powers and other relatives on several occasions. For the first time at the Reunion of the 83rd Division Association, West Point, New York, 2011.

Gallery

Most of the wartime photos of Joseph 'Joe' Macaluso were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, 2005. Fortunately, a few years ago, Bob Waters, son of Cpt. Bob Waters who was Joe's first company commander in G Company, contacted Joe's daughter Kathleen and, through the next years, has emailed her photos as he finds them in going through his parents' things. His dad had the presence of mind to write information on the backs of these photos.

Thanks to Bob Waters and Kathleen (Macaluso) Powers for sharing these photos about her father

click on the images to enlarge