Leon Hepburn

Mr. Leon Hepburn was born on March 29, 1923, in Key West, Florida. He entered the U.S. Army on July 10, 1943, and he separated from the U.S. Army with the rank of Corporal on June 18, 1945, with an Honorable Discharge. Mr. Hepburn was assigned to the U.S. Army 849th Engineering Aviation Battalion. He was trained as a General Clerk and was qualified a Marksman with his M1 Garand rifle. Mr. Hepburn spent ten months and nineteen days in the continental U.S. serving in the Pentagon and two years four months and sixteen days in foreign service under the great leadership of General Joseph Stilwell. Mr. Hepburn served in the Burma campaign (1944-1945). The Burma campaign resulted in Allied victory and the end of Japanese occupation, the disbandment of the Indian National Army and Burma returned to British control. Mr. Hepburn received the following awards and citations: Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal and Good Conduct Medal. Mr. Hepburn received a monthly pay of $6.50 in the form of an allotment. Mr. Hepburn was honored by the St. Lucie County Commissioners with a proclamation passed and duly adopted on March 21, 2023, and was presented to Mr. Hepburn by Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky at the Saint Simon the Cyrenian Episcopal Church in Fort Pierce, FL with all his beautiful and amazing family present. May the Lord continue blessing our local hero, Corporal Leon Hepburn and his beautiful family for decades to come.

Mr. William Kansier

Mr. William Kansier was born 11/20/1921 in Michigan.  He entered the U.S. Coast Guard on 5/14/1942 at the age of 21.  Petty Officer First Class Kansier was attached to the USS Aquarius (AKA-16), which was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship in the service of the U.S. Navy.  SK1 Kansier was a storekeeper but was assigned to the 20mm guns. During his time onboard this ship, SK1 Kansier received, 7 battle stars and was present at the invasions of Guam, Peleliu, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf and Okinawa.  Mr. Kansier was commended for his exceptional performance of duty in the Battle of Peleliu in 1944 and the Battle of Luzon in the Philippine Islands in 1945. Petty Officer First Class Kansier was awarded multiple awards to include:  the National Defense Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Occupation Service Medal, China Service Medal, and Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal with two bronze stars.  Mr. Kansier married Ms. Gloria Kansier shortly after leaving the Coast Guard and was married for 75 years until her passing on September 2, 2021.  

Richard Rossi 

Richard Rossi was born on June 1, 1924 in Lorain, Ohio.  He was 17 years ofd when Pearl Harbor was attacked and enlisted in the US Army on May 10, 1943 with his best friend Robert Bailey.  After basic training, he completed Radio School and became a radio operator.

Richard deployed to the European front and was assigned to the 1301^st Engineer General Service Regiment which was part of Patton’s 3^rd Army.  They departed for France landing on Utah Beach in early July, 1944.  As a radio operator, his job consisted of a two-man team in the field.  He typed Morse Code while the other generated voltage to transmit the message.  He was later detailed to the 3^rd Army HQ in Nancy, France on an errand, when he learned of their need for a saxophone player.  Richard auditioned and was transferred to the 3^rd Special Services Company where he was a member of an orchestra playing Jamboree shows for service members.  It was there that he learned that his friend, Robert Bailey had been killed in action on July 8, 1944.  Richard continued on spending time in Germany. Belgium and Czechoslovakia, performing for the troops and boosting morale of the men fighting.  He experienced bombings and strafings by the Germans as he made his way through Europe.

After the end of the war, he returned home to New York Harbor on Christmas Day and was honorably discharged on December 29, 1945.