James George Stecz was a World War II veteran, who enlisted on August 21,1942 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. until November 26th, 1946. Stecz was a Private First Class in the 21st Marines of the 3rd Marine Division and was 20 years old when he enlisted.
The 21st Marine Regiment (21st Marines) was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Activated for service in World War II, they fought in the battles of Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima. They fell under the 3rd Marine Division and were deactivated after the end of the war on December 20, 1945.
Stecz was Wounded In Action during the war and is listed on the World War II combat casualties records. The nature of his injuries is not noted.
At the time of enlistment, Stecz was 20 years old and living in Sloatsburg, in Rockland County, NY. He worked at Allied Products in Suffern.
James was born on April 18th, 1922 to Elizabeth Seaman and Nicholas Stecz. Both Elizabeth and Nicholas were natives of Austria. Nicholas worked as a laborer and was 66 years old at the time of the marriage. Elizabeth was 22. Nicholas was a widower and this was his second marriage.
In 1940, James was 18 years old and lived in Ramapo, New York, with his mother, 4 brothers, and 2 sisters (Nicholas, Marian, Joseph, Arthur, Robert, Regina).
On June 20th, 1940 James served as Best Man at his brother Nicholas’s wedding to Agnes Lindstrom in Tuxedo, NY.
It is unknown what happened to James in the decades after the war.
He died on February 13, 1984 at the Whitehouse Hotel on the Bowery.