Military Life
*90th infantry Division, 357th Infantry regiment
Induction
After collecting his draft card on October 11th, 1940, Bencosky took an oath to his country and began training alongside the rest of his regiment of new trainees. They would all start from scratch together and have a stronger bond on the battle field.
*shoulder patch worn by this division and regiment
Placement
While 90th infantry Division had a strong regional identity, it was not unlikely that a soldier from Pennsylvania be assigned to the 357th Infantry regiment. They would have trained in San Antonio, Texas and after, they continued training in Europe.
*Training in San Antonio camp in Texas
Equipment
The soldiers would only carry the basic rifles and machine guns such as the M1 Garand Rifle, browning automatic rifle, browning M2, etc. However, they were frequently accompanied by the 712th Tank battalion and 607th Tank destroyer Battalions.
*712th Tank Battalion
War
The first time the 90th infantry Division, 357th Infantry regiment saw conflict was on D-Day. After making his way up two ranks, reaching private first class and accepting more responsibility, Edward Bencosky was killed in action on July 7, 1944.
*Soldiers on Normandy Beach