WW2 Saipan Fallen - Bernard Bova, 27th Infantry Division

Sgt. Bernard Bova was killed in action the day before this photo of his Company K comrades was taken.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49050880
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Marianas/USA-P-Marianas-9.html 

Bernard D. Bova never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on November 27, 1917 in New York. His parents were also both born in New York. His father worked as an oil pumper. Bernard had a younger sister and a younger brother. 

He enlisted in the army on September 22, 1941. He became a sergeant in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. The 27th ID drew its men from the New York National Guard. It was the first unit deployed from the mainland and was in Hawaii by the spring of 1942. It was involved in fighting on Makin Atoll in November 1942, Eniwetok Atoll in February 1944 and Saipan in June 1944. The 27th ID landed on Saipan on D+1, June 16, 1944. 

In the May 1997 issue of World War II Magazine, Francis A. O'Brie described what happened to Sgt Bova's regiment on the day he was killed in action:

In the meantime, on June 23, the rest of the 27th Division had attacked north through what became known as Death Valley. The nightmarish terrain between Mount Tapotchau and what American soldiers had dubbed Purple Heart Ridge featured sheer cliffs and hills. The valley itself was a plateau of open farmland about three quarters of a mile wide. The Japanese had hidden in the caves along the cliffs. Units of the 27th moving through the valley, including the 106th Infantry Regiment, which had just rejoined the division, were subject to intense enemy fire. The soldiers had to advance through wooded areas at the opening of a plateau onto a flat plain where the Japanese held the high ground on both sides.

The enemy had carefully prepared artillery, mortar and machine-gun positions on the cliffs, which controlled the entire area. One observer compared the Americans’ situation to that of the British Light Brigade, which charged the Russians at Balaclava.The 2nd and 4th Marine divisions moved up the coasts of the island with little or no opposition. The 27th Division’s progress through Death Valley was slowed by the difficult terrain as well as the Japanese opposition.

His grave is at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Olean, New York.

Thank you Bernard for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Bernard.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

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