Post by lsergimelton on Feb 20, 2009 21:39:04 GMT -5
My uncle, Rocco J Sergi, Pvt 422/L passed away on Jan 14, 2009 at 83. He was captured on Dec 16, 1944 and imprisoned at Stalag IX-B until liberated on April 4, 1945.
I'd like to share a beautiful article written about him in the Sarasota, FL newspaper shortly after his death.
‘Positive attitude’ helped former POW survive
Rocco Sergi nearly died of starvation in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II.
The life-and-death conditions he endured as a young Army soldier would shape his life, but didn't fill him with despair or bitterness, even after his 145-pound frame shrank to 62 pounds after four months in captivity.
The retired printer and postal worker and longtime Bradenton resident, who died of heart disease Jan. 14 at 83, "had an extremely positive attitude," said his daughter, Barbara Davis of Tampa.
"He used to say, 'No matter how bad things get, you're still living and there are still many good things in life,'" she said.
His optimism and religious faith helped him overcome hardships in life, she added.
Born in 1925, Sergi grew up during the Great Depression as the middle of seven children to Italian immigrant parents who settled in Indianapolis before starting a family.
Sergi's father, a shoemaker, was awarded a Purple Heart for combat wounds while serving in World War I. All of his brothers served their country in either WWII or the Korean War. One of Sergi's older brothers, Tony, was killed in World War II.
Sergi enlisted in the Army at 18 in late 1943. A year later, his 106th Infantry Division was one of the hardest hit U.S. forces at the Battle of the Bulge. He was among more than 7,000 soldiers captured and jammed into crowded boxcars to be sent to various POW camps throughout Germany.
Sergi and others were forced to walk 25 miles in frigid winter conditions to reach Stalag IX-B outside of Frankfurt.
Many POWs died of malnutrition during their captivity, while others, primarily Jews and suspected Jews, were sent to death camps.
"Fortunately, I survived; many did not," Sergi later wrote of his experience after Allied troops liberated their camp in April 1945.
Sergi later helped establish a POW organization in the Sarasota-Bradenton area and served as its president, his family said.
Returning to Indianapolis after his release, Sergi married and started a family while working as a printer. He worked 18 years at the Indianapolis Star-News.
He moved to Bradenton in 1967 and worked as a printer at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune for several years before taking a job as a postal clerk. He retired in 1987.
He regarded each day of his life as "another bonus day" and always maintained a sense of humor, his daughter said.
In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife of 54 years, LaVerne; another daughter, Julie Naumer of Boulder, Colo.; a son, John, of Bradenton; a sister, Mary Lorenzano of Indianapolis; four brothers: Dominic, Frank, Joe and Mike, all of Indianapolis; and two grandsons.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, January 21 in Bradenton, FL. He was buried with military honors at Sarasota National Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to Gleaners Food Bank; 1102 E 16th St; Indianapolis, IN 46202
May he rest in peace.
His niece, Linda
