Joseph Levy

Joseph Levy was born to Simon (1857-?) and Ann (Maiden Name unknown, 1860-?), Russian immigrants, on 24 July 1888 in Sea Bright, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Levy was the fourth of at least six children, Russell (1876-?), Isaac (1878-?), Katherine (1885-?), Annie (1889-?), and Bessie (1894-1966). Details surrounding Levy’s early life are unknown, he may have attended college.

In the early 1900s, the family lived at 234 Monroe Street in Manhattan, New York County, New York, where Simon Levy worked as a tailor. By 1905, the family had moved to Sea Bright, New Jersey, in 1910, living on Ocean Avenue. In the 1910s, Levy worked as an automobile salesman.

Levy was drafted into service on 11 November 1917; he was assigned as a Private to Company B, 311^th Infantry Regiment, 78^th Infantry Division. By May of 1918, he was a Supply Sergeant. Levy and Co. B left Brooklyn, New York aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Nestor on 19 May 1918. Sgt Levy received the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star Citation for his actions near Bois de Grande Fontaine, France on 26 September 1918,

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Supply Sergeant Joseph Levy (ASN: 1746080), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company B, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Division, A.E.F., at Bois-de-Grande Fontaine, France, 26 September 1918. With utter disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Levy repeatedly led details through heavy enemy artillery and machine-gun fire, carrying rations to the hungry and exhausted men in the advanced positions. Again and again he carried wounded men under the hottest enemy fire to dressing stations with complete contempt for personal danger. The consistently heroic conduct of Sergeant Levy throughout this combat service served as an example of soldierly conduct to the men of his company.”

“By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), Supply Sergeant Joseph Levy (ASN: 1746080), United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. Supply Sergeant Levy distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with Company B, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in action on 26 September 1918, at Bois de Grande Fontaine, northeast of Vieville-en-Hay, France, in bringing up ration parties through heavy enemy fire.”

The awarding of his DSC was not done until 1923, the reason for the delay of his recommendation and/or presentation of the medal is currently unknown.

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“…Characteristic of Sergeant Levy is an invitation he has extended to his former comrade in arms. It reads: ‘My dear; Our dear old friend, Uncle Sam, has decided to present me with a Distinguished Service Cross on Decoration Day (what for I don’t know). Capt. Colonna and quite a few other Co. B boys have promised to be on hand. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get some of the fellows together. Will you be here. I surely would like to see you. Dinner and —-on me.’ Sergeant Levy was previously cited for ‘Gallantry in action’. A brief resume of Sergeant Levy’s service is contained in the letter written by Capt. Colonna to a Monmouth County official last November; this in an endeavor to secure for his beloved sergeant the Distinguished Service Cross that is now to be presented. The letter reads:

I am taking the liberty of addressing you in behalf of Joseph Levy, a resident of Freehold, who served under me during the late war as Private, Corporal, Supply Sergeant, and Platoon Sergeant in Company ‘B’, 311^th Infantry, 78^th Division. He waived claims to exemption, to which he was entitled on more than one ground; disposed of a business which represented his life’s work at a great loss and reported for duty at Camp Dix with the first draft in September, 1917.

Thruout the period of preparation he worked devotedly and was made successively corporal and supply sergeant. He went to France with the company in May, 1918. Our battalion first went into action during the St. Mihiel drive. On Sept. 24 it was on outpost duty north of Vieville-en-Haye, between Thiaucourt and Pont-a-Mousson. “B” company was furnishing the line of outguards, holding a line of Cossack posts (posts of 3 to 4 men each) in thick woods, with “D” company on the right and over a kilometer from any support, our mission being to hold back the enemy in case of counter attack until the position behind us, won by the Second Division, could be consolidated.

Our kitchens were about three kilometers to the rear, and the nearest first aid station two kilometers. Sergeant Levy was in charge of the ration and supply details. From dusk to dawn he was continually on the go, continually under shell fire, bringing up his details thru the wood and across the open, without the shelter of trenches or dugouts. Most of the men were weakened from dysentery and stupid from loss of sleep. Only the unflagging energy and indomitable spirit of Sergeant Levy kept the details at their all-important tasks.

On the night of the 24^th the division on our right made a raid on the German outposts. They retaliated with heavy shelling on our sector. “B” company was decimated, and “D” company suffered even more severely. We stripped our outguards down as far as we dared to carry the wounded back. Levy pulled in with his last detail just before dawn, bringing back the rations and the bloody stretchers. The men keeled over beside the thermos can and gunny bags went off to sleep in the mud, with the shells whizzing over head and bursting behind.

The captain of Co. “D” came up. His outguards were also stripped down as far as possible. He had seven men severely wounded and nobody to carry them back; his litter detail had just gone with their last load. Could we help them out. My top sergeant and I shook the sleeping detail into semi-consciousness. They cursed; stupid, sick, utterly all in. Nobody who hasn’t carried one end of a litter for a mile thru woods underfire can know how tired they were. The American soldier can run along for considerable mileage on sheer guts, but I don’t think these had another hundred yards in them. I said ‘boys there are some wounded men from D company with nobody to carry them back, I’m not ordering anybody to go. Who’ll volunteer?’ They lay silent for a minute dulled faculties groping for the idea, every nerve shrieking protest at every moving again. Al Fleischmann, the Co. D captain, shook his head, turned away.

Then one of the figures scrambled to his feet. Even in the dark I made out the massive shoulders of Levy. ‘Ah, hell,’ he said, ‘I’ll go.’ He sank to his knees again, dropped on all fours, grunted ground his teeth and climbed painfully to his feet again. ‘Come on boys’ he said. One by one the mud-covered figures followed. They plodded off behind Capt Fleischmann into the darkness- unsung heroes. Of the rest of that trip I heard later; how they set off with their wounded men on the interminable trip; how a shell hit one stretcher, killing the man on it and one bearer; how the other man swore he would go no further until Joe put down his stretcher pulled out his gun and promised to blow the other’s brains out; how at last they reached the first aid station.

Sergeant Levy also went into action with the company on Sept. 26, when we executed a ‘demonstration attack’ against the German lines to cover the Argonne drive which began that day. We advanced about half a kilo, without support, and held a little ridge until evening, when we were surrounded and had to fight our way back to our own lines as best we could. Sergeant Levy went over the top with us; worked like a trojan all day, carrying back wounded and bringing up water an ammunition until we were surrounded; put some of the line sergeants to shame by the way he handled himself during the last hectic half hour, with the enemy shooting twenty bullets to our one, and finally, when we made our getaway he turned up the next morning at the company kitchen with enough new overcoats for all the company- which was only 57 men by that time.

He made one rather serious mistake tho; not knowing the reason for our attack, he was furious at seeing the outfit being shot up and surrounded without any support, and being quite devoid of fear of man or devil, Joe went hopping into the dugout of a very superior officer and unburdened himself of a few remarks on just how the war was being conducted around these parts. I suppose he would have been shot at sunrise for this, but by the time the necessary measures could be taken to that end, Joe was well on his way back to the company, and I suppose they figured our friends, the enemy, would save them the trouble.”

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Sgt Levy and St. Aignan Casual Co. No. 3966 returned to the United States aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship S.S. Patria on 24 April 1919. He was Honorably Discharged on 16 May.

Upon his discharge, Levy lived on East Main Street in Freehold, where he returned to auto sales. Before 1927, Levy married Marie Hurley Sickles (1895-1978), a divorcee. In the mid-and late-1920s, Levy was affiliated with the H.L. Zobel Company, a car dealership, in Freehold. At some point, he owned the Freehold Buick Agency and ran multiple showrooms on behalf of H.L. Zobel Co. In the 1930s-1940s, the couple lived at 19 Brinkerhoff Ave., Freehold.

Levy was active in local affairs, including the American Legion, VFW, Freehold Elks Lodge, Freemasons, Freehold Rotary Club, and Freehold Boro Council.

On 1 February 1950, while aboard the couple’s boat the Marie-Joe, Levy died of a suspected heart attack en route to Bimini, Bahamas. He is buried at Mount Judah Cemetery, Ridgewood, New York.

After his death, the H.L. Zobel Company (a Buick dealership) building at 31 East Main Street in Asbury Park was sold to a department store by his widow and estate managers.