Private Fred C. Pronchick was born in 1913 to Mr. and Mrs. George Pronchick who resided in Spring City, R. D. 1, PA.   Fred was the third born of four children: Nicholas, Mary, Fred and Steve.  His parents immigrated from Poland in 1904.  His parents worked on a farm, his mother passed away early in Fred’s life.

Fred entered the service in June, 1941 and was stationed in San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands before being sent to the Philippines.  When last heard from, he was serving on Prompanga Island with an Engineer‘s Corp, according to his family.1   He was assigned to the 803rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation, U. S. Army Air Forces. His family was notified in July of 1943 that Pvt. Pronchick died from malaria in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines. The message received from the American Red Cross was dated June 30, 1943, but the date of death was unknown. However, the military records list his date of death as October 22, 1942. 

He was buried overseas in the Manila American Cemetery and his location is identified as Plot N Row 1 Grave 24.  This hero was awarded the Silver Star.

 

 

Pvt. Pronchick was survived by his father; a sister, Mary, wife of John Miller, Spring City, and three brothers.  They were Nicholas, who was with the Army at San Antonio, Texas; Joseph in Spring City, and Stephen in Parkerford, PA.