WWII veteran to get Bronze Star Medal 75 years later
A World War II veteran living in Rancho Palos Verdes will soon receive a formal celebration for an award he earned for valiant military service more than 75 years ago.
Former Pfc. Ubaldo J. Ciniero, 95, received the Bronze Star Medal for his actions during World War II, but he was never appropriately presented with any ceremony or certificate, according to the California National Guard. That is until today, when Ciniero will finally get his long overdue ceremony at his home.
The Bronze Star Medal is the fourth-highest award a service member can receive for a heroic and meritorious deed performed in armed conflict. The medal
symbolizes sacrifice, bravery and honor in the service of one’s country. Other recipients of the award include the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, the late Philadelphia Mayor Joseph S. Clark Jr. and
President Biden’s eldest son, Beau.
The adjutant general of the California National Guard, Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, will award Ciniero the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in active ground combat during WWII.
Ciniero was assigned to the U.S. Army’s 7th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division, nicknamed the “Iron Snake.”
His division landed in France in January 1945 to take part in combat operations that would lead them through the Netherlands, crossing the Rhine River and advancing to the Harz Mountains in northern Germany, the National Guard said in an announcement.
His division was recognized as a liberating unit by the U.S. Army’s Center of Military History and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1995 for the liberation of Halberstadt-Zwieberge 1 and 2, two subcamps of the Buchenwald concentration camp, from April 12-17, 1945. More than 5,000 inmates were incarcerated in those two subcamps, where they were forced to hollow out massive tunnels and build underground factories for production of military aircraft, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum,
After finishing his service, Ciniero sailed back to the United States on Sept. 5, 1945, aboard the Queen Mary from South Hampton, England. The legendary Queen Mary now calls Long Beach home.
Ciniero wasn’t immediately available for comment.