Upstate NY City Honoring Last Local Survivor Of WWII Unit
COHOES, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York community is honoring a World War II Army veteran who's his hometown's last surviving member of a unit that suffered heavy casualties during a bloody Pacific battle.
Wilfred "Spike" Mailloux (MAY'-loo) served in Company B, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Division during the Battle of Saipan in the summer of 1944. The 27th Division was a New York National Guard organization called up during the war. Soldiers in Company B were recruited from the city of Cohoes (koh-HOHZ'), just north of Albany.
Near the end of the fighting on Saipan, the 105th Regiment was hit by a massive Japanese attack. The regiment lost 400 killed and another 500 wounded, including Mailloux. The casualties included scores of other New Yorkers.
On Tuesday afternoon, officials in Cohoes are holding a ceremony to honor the 93-year-old veteran's service.