JOSEPH VRTIAK, JR.
greenwich time, november 22, 1943
Joseph Vrtiak, Jr. Reported Missing After Sea Action
Seaman Second Class Joseph Vrtiak, Jr., 21, son of Joseph Vrtiak, of 192 North Water St., East Port Chester, is reported “missing in action” in an announcement made by the Navy Department in Washington today.
The East Port Chester youth is believed to have been lost when the U.S.S. Rowan, on which he was stationed, was sunk off the beach of Salerno, Italy, early in September.
The Navy Department announcement listed Mr. and Mrs. Paul Frolo, of 89 View St., East Port Chester, as the youth’s guardians. Mr. and Mrs. Frolo received a telegram from the Navy Department, reporting the youth missing, three weeks ago. The telegram gave no details. Mr. and Mrs. Frolo said young Vrtiak was home on furlough last July and that they received a letter from him a few days before the reported sinking.
Born in East Port Chester, the youth attended Greenwich schools. He was employed as a steward at the Pickwick Arms Hotel before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in Nov. 1942. He trained in Rhode Island.
Two of the youth’s brothers are in service. Paul Vrtiak is with the Army Air Forces and John Vrtiak is in the U.S. Navy. Another brother, Henry, is a student at Greenwich High School. Miss Paulina Vrtiak, a sister, lives in East Port Chester, and another sister, Mrs. Mary Every, lives in Yonkers.
Seaman Second Class Joseph Vrtiak, Jr., 21, son of Joseph Vrtiak, of 192 North Water St., East Port Chester, is reported “missing in action” in an announcement made by the Navy Department in Washington today.
The East Port Chester youth is believed to have been lost when the U.S.S. Rowan, on which he was stationed, was sunk off the beach of Salerno, Italy, early in September.
The Navy Department announcement listed Mr. and Mrs. Paul Frolo, of 89 View St., East Port Chester, as the youth’s guardians. Mr. and Mrs. Frolo received a telegram from the Navy Department, reporting the youth missing, three weeks ago. The telegram gave no details. Mr. and Mrs. Frolo said young Vrtiak was home on furlough last July and that they received a letter from him a few days before the reported sinking.
Born in East Port Chester, the youth attended Greenwich schools. He was employed as a steward at the Pickwick Arms Hotel before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in Nov. 1942. He trained in Rhode Island.
Two of the youth’s brothers are in service. Paul Vrtiak is with the Army Air Forces and John Vrtiak is in the U.S. Navy. Another brother, Henry, is a student at Greenwich High School. Miss Paulina Vrtiak, a sister, lives in East Port Chester, and another sister, Mrs. Mary Every, lives in Yonkers.
