Westminster's Urho Sakkinen was one of 3 brothers to serve in WWII

WESTMINSTER — In stark contrast to fellow Westminster World War II casualty Wendell A. Nye, who was an only child, Urho Sakkinen was the tenth child in a farming family with 15 children.

Born in Bridgeton, Maine, the Sakkinen’s moved to Westminster in 1919 when Urho was only 4 years old, and lived at 39 Bacon St. where his father Charles owned a dairy farm.

While theirs was a large family, it endured more than its share of sadness with the infant deaths of a daughter at birth in 1921 and another that was stillborn three years later. Another sister, Irene, died in 1928 at the age of 22.

Tragedy continued to beset the family as their mother Annie died in June 1938 at the age of 58. Then, four years later, their father, Charles, died in 1942 at the age of 69.

More: Westminster's Edmund O. Nelson was killed in France by a German sniper

Mark Landry, the veteran’s graves officer as well as a member of the town’s Veteran’s Committee for the Westminster Historical Society, provided a good deal of information to help complete this as well as each of the columns in this series. He is an invaluable resource and we are indebted to him.

This is the continuation of the series Remembering Local World War II Heroes.

Pfc. Urho Sakkinen (1914-1944)

Urho E. Sakkinen was born in Bridgeton, Maine, on Dec. 4, 1914, the 10th of 15 children to Finnish-born Charles and Annie (Kinnunen) Sakkinen. His family moved from Maine to Westminster in 1919 and operated a dairy farm in town.

Perhaps as a way to provide an added income to the growing family, Urho took a job working for the town at the age of 16, doing road work.

With his elder brothers John and William serving during World War II, Urho was quick to join them, entering the service on Nov. 7, 1942, six months after his father’s death.

Urho’s unit was stationed at Camp Blanding, near Gainesville, Florida, where he spent seven months training before moving to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. He was later transferred Camp Forrest in Nashville, Tennessee.

More: Military was the destiny of Westminster's Douglas Hicks, who died in World War II

Prior to going overseas, Sakkinen obtained a furlough to visit his family for Christmas in 1943. Sadly, his brother John, who had been a member of the U.S. Army’s Medical Department before being honorably discharged, had died earlier that month of a brief illness at the age of 45.

Urho would join Company H, 2nd Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment of the 30th “Old Hickory” U. S. Division as a private.

On Feb. 12, 1944, the regiment left port in Boston aboard the SS Argentina and sailed the Atlantic Ocean bound for Glasgow, Scotland, which it reached in 12 days.

More: Westminster's William F. Gilliland perished stateside during WWII

During the time of the D-Day attack in June 1944, the 120th Infantry Regiment was ordered to move to a marshalling area 10 miles north of Southampton. From June 9-13, the men were carried across the English Channel aboard various American and British troop transports.

The 120th began an attack on the Germans that featured hand-to-hand combat. As Germans tossed hand grenades toward the U.S. soldiers, they would be picked up and hurled back at the enemy.

By early July, the regiment held the bank of the Vire Canal. Once an attack began on July 7, the 117th Infantry Regiment on the left flank failed to take the high ground east of St. Jean de Daye. As a result, the 2nd Battalion, of which Private Sakkinen was a member, was placed under the command of the 117th.

Wounded in battle

It was during a renewed the attack on the Germans on July 9, that Private Sakkinen was wounded in battle.

Word reached his sister Linda Luoma on Aug. 11 by a telegram from the War Department that her brother had been seriously wounded, but no further details were provided.

It was later learned that Sakkinen died of his wounds three days later in France on July 12, 1944. He was 29 years old.

It turned out he was one of three local soldiers to be killed in France that week, including Joseph R. LaFrenier of South Ashburnham, who died on July 10, and Walter P. Norskey of Baldwinville, who died on July 13.

Sakkinen was survived by six brothers, Peter, Howard, Eli, Herman, William and Waino, and three sisters, Linda Luoma, Mary Kultti and Sally Kamila.

A service was held in the Westminster American Legion on Aug. 27, 1944, while his body was later brought to town for burial in 1948 and he was laid to rest in Woodside Cemetery in Westminster.

Urho Sakkinen Square is at the corner of North Common and Overlook roads in Westminster, not far from where his family's dairy farm once operated on Bacon Street.

(Comments and suggestions for Remembering Local World War II Heroes can be sent to Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com or by writing Mike Richard, 92 Boardley Rd. Sandwich, MA 02563)

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Pvt. Urho Sakkinen, part of the 120th Infantry Regiment died in France