Lt. Joseph George Tengi was born and educated in Garfied, New Jersey.
Shortly after being graduated from the Garfield High School, he was employed as a teller by Garfield Trust Company. He entered service May 2, 1942. He had been attending evening classes at New York University and would have received a degree in accounting in six months.
Lt. Tengi was commissioned at Camp Davis, N.C., in December, 1942 and was overseas since November 21, 1944. Joseph lived up to the high standards of the Army in the Thirty Sixth Armored Infantry Regiment and in the discharge of his duties as a soldier. He was respected and loved by both the officers and enlisted men. He was a good man and a courageous soldier. Shown is one of countless letters written by Joseph and kept by his sister, Ann, also pictured with her husband David Markson. The first Western Union announced his being wounded in action in January 1945 for which he received the Purple Heart. Like all soldiers and so not to worry his family back home, he made light of his injuries.
Then the next Western Union telegram delivered the crushing news that the Tengi’s beloved son and brother was killed in action on March 25, 1945 in Germany, as he was advancing in lead of his platoon over open ground approaching the town of Bennav, Germany. Hidden within the town’s edge was a Jerry Tank which opened fire immediately killing 2nd Lt. Tengi. The Platoon Sgt. tried to get to him but was also shot in the process. Captain Robert Cook, friend and comrade at the scene documented the chain of events trying to give aide to Lt. Tengi but to no avail and noted, “We took out the tank”! The Tengi family would receive two letters written by Joseph “after” his death. He was 26 years old.
This story has a special place in my heart because Ann and David Markson were my Mother and Father-in-law. I loved them deeply. Ann was the kindest and gentlest of souls. She made it a point to keep all of her future son’s letters written from Vietnam, carefully and lovingly numbering them to keep their sequence. After having lost her brother, Joseph to WWII, she knew the importance of her son’s “LETTERS”.
That son is Jim Markson who has been collaborating with me to publish his wartime letters in the next project, Comes A Soldier’s Whisper VIETNAM & Beyond, Veterans’ Reflections due in September 2014.
“Death ends a life, not a relationship”
~ Jack Lemmon, Actor
We are all connected at Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, where we honor our history and veterans and keep their memories alive one day at a time…
A SOLDIER’S TRIBUTE: youtu.be/EJ1H9N-gIU0
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