Charles J. Cicha

Charles John Cicha was born in Prairie Center, Walsh County, North Dakota on November 1, 1920, to John and Josephine Cicha. He entered the United States Army on December 12, 1942, at Fort Snelling, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Private First Class Cicha served in the European African Middle Eastern Theater and was killed in action on April 14, 1945, in Italy. He is buried at Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Via Cassia, Florence, Citta Metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana, Italy, Plot C, Row 10, Grave 27 and he received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star awards.

From Find a Grave: Private First Class Charles John Cicha of Conway, North Dakota, served with the 14th Infantry Battalion, 1st Armored Division, in Italy during World War II. Born in 1920 to Czechoslovakian immigrant parents, he grew up on a family farm and worked alongside his father before entering the U.S. Army in December 1942. After training at several Army camps, he was sent overseas in 1944 to join the U.S. Fifth Army's grueling campaign through the Italian mountains. He was killed in action on April 14, 1945, during the Allies' final offensive in northern Italy. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal—one of the nation's highest awards for bravery or meritorious service in combat—and the Purple Heart. While the specific citation for his Bronze Star has not been located, the decoration itself confirms that Pfc. Cicha acted heroically or with exceptional merit in the face of enemy fire. He is buried with honor at the Florence American Cemetery in Italy, where his white marble cross stands among thousands of fallen comrades. (Richard Rife, Stories Behind the Stars Contributor)

Sources: Ancestry/Find a Grave