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Otto May Groeber

T/3 in Signal Co, Special : Radio A

Military occupational specialty: 766 (radio operator, high speed, manual)

ASN#32612890

Born 1911 in NY, Died 1997

County of residence at enlistment: Queens County, NY
Other residence(s): Queens, NYC, NY; Bethpage, NY; East Islip, NY
United States Army, European Theatre of Operations
Occupation before the war: insurance clerks, n.e.c.
Notes: T/4 on Signal Company Special Roster, 20 Oct 1944 but T/3 rank confirmed from gravestone; Certificate of Merit; CG SP TRS, 12th A Gp, 15 Dec 44. Meritorious Service: Radio Operator, France, 14 Jun-29 Jun 44; photo courtesy Lisa Czubiak Klukaszewski
Source: Unit Shipment 10143-D, 23d HQ, from le Havre 23 June 1945; Awards and Decorations;  militaryyearbookproject.org/references/old-mos-codes/wwii-era/army...

Otto Groeber was born on March 26, 1911 in New York City, the older of two sons. HIs father worked as a mail clerk and the family lived in Queens. But by 1930, the family had moved in with his father's parents and his father was no longer working.

Otto Groeber (left) with Carmine Laveglia; photo courtesy David Cantrell

That year, Otto and his younger brother, both high school graduates, were both employed as insurance clerks. Within the next few years, both Otto's father and grandfather died, making the two young men's income even more important to the family.

Otto registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 giving his employer as the London Guarantee and Accident Company on 5th Avenue in New York City. He enlisted on October 30, 1942 and was eventually assigned to the Signal Company Special, serving in Europe with the unit. He was discharged on October 22, 1945 with the rank of T/3.

Otto married Elizabeth Slicklern in the summer of 1946, but nothing else is known of his life or work. He and Elizabeth, and any family they might have had, eventually moved to Long Island, NY, living in Bethpage and later East Islip.

He died on July 7, 1997 and is buried at Calverton National Cemetery on Long Island.

Sources:

1920 census

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/48666632?tid=&pid=&queryId=1a69c17f-e31c-47ce-864b-af85ad638b29&_phsrc=nUC15&_phstart=successSource

1930 census

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/44890408?tid=&pid=&queryId=3a4b9092-960a-4a60-a1fd-1f4c47a78edf&_phsrc=nUC10&_phstart=successSource

1940 census

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/records/11979494?tid=&pid=&queryId=70da0001-a63a-4f22-9110-17ec5620dd2d&_phsrc=nUC11&_phstart=successSource

1940 draft card

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238/records/194217689?tid=&pid=&queryId=639d2184-d075-422c-bacc-e4ea61962b44&_phsrc=nUC13&_phstart=successSource

1942 enlistment record

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8939/records/5567864?tid=&pid=&queryId=2ba67416-67db-4972-9382-ccd76945c2bc&_phsrc=nUC1&_phstart=successSource

1946 marriage record

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61406/records/1141856?tid=&pid=&queryId=67bcd1d4-be94-445f-8f49-9e163469bdc8&_phsrc=vTF9&_phstart=successSource

1993 US Public Records Index

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1788/records/401352931?tid=&pid=&queryId=30f0bc57-4e3d-4bc3-8342-20c37eab19a5&_phsrc=vTF7&_phstart=successSource

1997 Social Security death index

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3693/records/24074789?tid=&pid=&queryId=30c6f35e-846d-4dc3-86cd-344485b6eb3f&_phsrc=nUC3&_phstart=successSource

1997 US Veterans' Gravesites

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8750/records/4468644?tid=&pid=&queryId=9deee862-1cb7-429e-9136-1d6cac2b1a85&_phsrc=nUC6&_phstart=successSource

1997 Find a Grave record

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/727314/otto-m-groeber

1997 VA death record

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2441/records/4313811?tid=&pid=&queryId=85c6f195-b321-492b-b14d-090f2963e0e8&_phsrc=MDd1&_phstart=successSource

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