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Interviewee
Legueri, Angelo
Document Type
Oral History
Date of Interview
9-28-2002
Abstract
Angelo Legueri was born 26 February 1916 in Westerly, Rhode Island. The oldest child of Italian immigrant parents, at age five he moved with his family to the Iron Range town of Nashwauk, Minnesota, where his father had found work in the local iron ore mines. Here Angelo grew up and attended school, graduating from Nashwauk High School in 1934. Following high school Angelo did what many young men did-he went to work as a mineworker. For eight years, from 1935-43, Angelo labored in the mines. Angelo married in 1940 (wife Dorothy Hughes Legueri), and was building a home when in late 1943 he was drafted into military service. In the Army, Angelo was assigned to the 1306th Engineer General Service Regiment and in 1944 shipped out to Europe. From mid-1944 until the end of the war in Europe, Angelo’s unit saw action in France, Belgium, and Germany; duties included bridge building and the clearing of land mines. During this time in Europe his first child was born. After V-E Day (May ’45) Angelo’s unit was sent to the Pacific, saw action in the Philippines, and after V-J Day (Aug ’45) spent several months in Japan building accommodations for US occupation troops. In November 1945 Angelo was rotated back to the US and discharged with the rank of tech sergeant. Back in Nashwauk, Angelo was reunited with his family and returned to his job at the M. A. Hanna mining company; he retired in 1978 with 43 years service. Dorothy and Angelo remained in Nashwauk, where they raised a family of five children. Angelo describes work in the mines on Minnesota’s Iron Range, where he worked until 1943, and then offers detailed insights to his Army service in Europe (1944-45) and the Philippines (1945). Also valuable are his observations about occupation duty in Japan (1945). An interview with Dorothy Legueri is also part of this collection.
Copyright
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of Concordia University Library or Thomas Saylor, Department of History, Concordia University, St. Paul.
Recommended Citation
Saylor, Thomas, "Oral History Project World War II Years, 1941-1946 - Angelo Legueri" (2002). Oral History Project: World War II Years, 1941-1946. 116.
https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/oral-history_ww2/116
PDF Transcript of Interview with Angelo Legueri