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CAPIZZI, Sicily -- Lewistown native Addison James "Sonny" McCartney joined the Army in Lewistown on June 9, 1942 and was deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations with Battery A, 60th Field Artillery Battalion, 9th Infantry Division. The private and his unit supported the 60th Infantry Regiment using 105mm howitzers to drive the Germans out of North Africa. In the winter of 1942 and spring of 1943, they engaged in combat in the Algeria-French Morocco Campaign and the Battle of Tunisia.
When the Allies succeeded in vanquishing the Nazis in May 1943, attention turned to the liberation of Italy. McCartney gave his life in that campaign. The Allied assault was dubbed Operation Husky. It began in July 1943 with the Battle of Sicily. McCartney was killed in action near Capizzi, Sicily on Aug. 7, 1943 during the invasion. The circumstances surrounding his death are unknown. McCartney's remains were recovered and received temporary burial until they were repatriated to the United States after the war. His final resting place is Lind Memorial Cemetery, Lewistown, PA.
McCartney was born on July 14, 1920 in Lewistown to Addison Lamberson and Adeline B. Hunter McCartney. Both of his parents were natives of the Keystone State. McCartney had two younger siblings, William Russell and Lois Eileen. Their father supported the household as a truck driver for a drayage company and, later, worked for the Fame Fire Engine Company #2. Their mother was a homemaker.
McCartney was raised in Lewistown. He exchanged marriage vows with Margaret G. Jones on June 30,1939 in Lewistown. The couple welcomed the birth of a son named Addison J. IV in Lewistown on Jan. 24, 1940.
McCartney registered for the draft in Lewistown on Feb. 16, 1942. He was employed by the Logan Iron and Steel Company in Burnham.
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Stories Behind the Stars memorials are accessible for free on the internet and via smart phone app at gravesites and cenotaphs. The non-profit organization is dedicated to honoring all 421,000 fallen Americans from World War II, including 31,000 from Pennsylvania. To volunteer or for more information, contact Kathy Harmon at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org or visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org.