My daddy, was Private Frank Joseph Piller. He was in I Company, 3rd Battalion, 363rd Infantry Regiment, 91st Infantry Division of the United States Army. Company Morning Report for 12 July 1944, list him "MIA as of 9 July 44." Company Morning Report for 3 August, 1944 "Piller, Frank J. Pvt. Fr. MIA as of 8 July 44 and dropped from Co rolls as of 19 July 44 to KIA as of 8 July 44." He was inducted into the army August 9, 1943 and took basic infantry training at Camp Adair, Oregon, leaving in March for North Africa and moving into Italy early in July. Among the very few things I have to remember him, is a letter, dated August 12, 1944 from his buddy, Edward McDonnald, I found it in my mother's safe deposit box. He is writing to my mother.

"I wish to offer my sincerest sympathy in union with my humble prayer for your irreplaceable loss. He and I had talked over this problem that in the event our Maker called either of us, we would try to reconcile those we love. His thoughts were always with you and the little girl, he spoke with great pride and love whenever we had discussions about our respective families. He would often give me an insight to one of his letters, just something that gave him joy."

"Frank and I were buddies in North Africa, we slept, ate and shared the hardships of training together. Sometimes it was pretty rough on me but he would pull me along with words of encouragement, it seemed he always wanted me in sight. I liked him because he was kind, thoughtful and considerate, geatest of all a true companion. It is a source of great comfort in this hateful war, to have someone upon whom you can depend on in any eventually, he was such a guy."

Frank J. Piller was born in Buffalo, N.Y. July 4, 1916 and came to Camas, Washington with his mother when four years old. His parents were first generation Hungarian Emigrents who met on Ellis Island. He attended Camas school, graduating in 1935 and attended the University of Washington. On April 14, 1941 he was married to Miss Betty Dickey, Seattle. They had two children, Helen Kathleen just 16 months old when he died and John Joseph born four months later.

He was employed in the Crown Zellerback Paper mill for several years and was working in the engineering department at Kaiser shipyards before entering the service.

My daddy was a civilian, a husband , a father, an engineer and a peace maker who hated war. But He went anyway!

I believe that our loss is the very foundation for our nation's freedom, we now take for granted.