Leonard Aaron Simkowitz
T/4 in Signal Co, Special : Radio A
Military occupational specialty: 740 (radio operator, intermediate speed)
ASN#32342180
Born 1920 in NY, Died 2004
County of residence at enlistment: New York County, NY
Other residence(s): Jamaica, NY
United States Army, European Theatre of Operations
Occupation before the war: unskilled occupations in electroplating, galvanizing, and related processes
Leonard Simkowitz was born on June 15, 1920 in Brooklyn, NY; he was the youngest of six children. His father, a shirtmaker, had been born near the border between Germany and Austria, and his mother in Moscow, Russia.
He registered for the draft on July 1, 1941; at the time he was working at Kason Hardware. His draft card shows that he changed his name around this time to Leonard Simms. (He continued to use the name “Simkowitz” for legal documents through at least his 1950 marriage.)
He enlisted on May 23, 1942, stating that he had two years of high school. His occupation was categorized as "unskilled occupation in electroplating, galvanizing, and related processes." He was assigned to the Signal Company Special of the Ghost Army, and served in the European theatre during the war.
He was discharged from the Army with the rank of T/4 and returned to New York. On August 22, 1950 married Muriel Bader. They would go on to have two sons: Howard and Mitchell; the family lived in Jamaica, NY.
Sometime in the 1990s, Leonard and Muriel retired to Florida. He died on January 22, 2004 and is buried at Star of David Cemetery in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Sources:
1920 census (just prior to his birth)
1930 census
1941 draft card
1942 enlistment record
1950 marriage license index
1950-1993 US public records index
1997 US phone and address directories
2004 Social Security applications and claims index
2004 Social Security death index
2004 Find a Grave record
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136305168/leonard-simms
2004 death notice in The Miami Herald (FL)