By valiantly fighting his way through Europe and surviving as a prisoner of war, Army Tech. Sgt. Peter Joseph Dalessandro became one of the most highly decorated soldiers of World War II. When he started a career as a state senator afterward, he did so as a Medal of Honor recipient.
Dalessandro was born May 19, 1921, in Watervliet, New York, to Emilio and Maria Dalessandro. He had three brothers and two sisters and was educated in public schools. Little else has been published about his childhood.
When World War II broke out, Dalessandro joined the Army, and it didn't take long for him to get involved in combat overseas. He took part in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily and Normandy, France, before fighting his way across Europe toward Germany.
Dalessandro was part of Company E, 1st Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, during the winter of 1944. Around Christmastime, his unit was ordered to replace another on the Belgian-German border during what became known as the Battle of the Bulge, Germany's last major offensive that surprised exhausted Allied troops in the region.
On Dec. 22, 1944, Dalessandro's platoon was preparing to hold the line at an important road junction on high ground near Kalterherberg, Germany. They had only been there for about two hours when three enemy companies fired an intense round of artillery and mortars in their direction. Soon after, enemy soldiers charged at them in an attack that threatened to overwhelm the platoon's position.
Dalessandro saw his men faltering, so he braved the intense fire and made his way through the group to give them encouragement. Dalessandro then moved to a fully exposed observation post, where he adjusted mortar fire onto the enemy soldiers while firing at them with his rifle. The whole time, he continued to encourage his platoon to push back the attack.
When the enemy launched a second attack later that day, Dalessandro again took control of the situation by rushing to a forward position and calling for mortar fire.
When he ran out of rifle ammunition, Dalessandro crawled 30 yards across exposed ground to grab a light machine gun, which he took back to his position and fired toward the enemy at nearly point-blank range until it jammed. Thankfully, Dalessandro managed to get the gun to fire one more burst, which took out four German soldiers who were about to kill two wounded U.S. soldiers and a medical corpsman in a nearby foxhole.
As the enemy moved in, Dalessandro didn't retreat. Instead, he hurled grenades and called for mortar fire that came closer and closer to his position, all while covering his platoon so they could withdraw. As German soldiers swarmed him, Dalessandro was heard calling for yet another barrage, yelling, "OK, mortars, let me have it right in this position!"
Dalessandro's bravery and fearlessness allowed his fellow soldiers to escape. However, he was captured and held prisoner for about five months until the war ended. He was then sent back to the U.S.
During a White House ceremony Aug. 23, 1945, Dalessandro received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for his courage in Europe. He was one of 28 service members who received the honor that day. Dalessandro had also received three Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star and the French Croix de Guerre, making him one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II.
Soon after returning home, Dalessandro turned to politics. He was elected as a Democrat to the New York state senate in 1946 and served six terms in that capacity until resigning in 1957 to become the secretary to the Senate minority leader, according to a 1997 article in the Massachusetts newspaper the North Adams Transcript.
That same year, Dalessandro married Patricia Farley. The pair had two daughters, Maribeth and Bernadette.
Dalessandro moved to Latham, New York, in 1969, where he remained until he died on Oct. 15, 1997. The World War II veteran is buried in Saratoga Springs National Cemetery in Saratoga Springs, New York.
In 1987, Dalessandro Boulevard in Albany County, New York, was dedicated in his honor.
This article is part of a weekly series called "Medal of Honor Monday," in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military's highest medal for valor.