Milford Committee Looks For Family Of 2 Servicemen Killed In WWII

MILFORD, MA — The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee is asking for residents help in finding the surviving family of two servicemen killed in World War II. The Committee wants to honor the families and the servicemen with the Medal of Liberty.

The two men served in the Merchant Marines and were killed when their respective ships were torpedoed by German u-boats. The Committee is looking for the family of Diamantino Moreira Lopes, who served as a Seaman and was killed February 3, 1943 and Walter Franklin Howe, who served as an Oiler and was killed on January 16, 1944.

The committee was recently contacted by Ronald Howland, Major US Air Force (retired), who determined that both Lopes and Howe qualified as veterans per the Merchant Mariners Fairness Act of 1997. Howland works at the Military War Records office in Milford.

Family can include spouses, siblings, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, or cousins.

The Committee not only wants to share the Medal of Liberty with the families but ensure that the men are added to the Wall of Heroes at Milford Town Hall and their names are added to the list of other World War II killed-in-action service members at Draper Memorial Park.

"We will be sincerely grateful to anyone who can help identify the families of these two fallen heroes. It will be our honor to do the work necessary to ensure each family is recognized and presented with a Medal of Liberty as a small gesture of appreciation for their loved one’s service and sacrifice," said Committee founder Vincent Cifizzari.

The Massachusetts Medal of Liberty is an honor awarded in the name of the Governor of Massachusetts as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth to the family of any Massachusetts serviceman or woman killed in action or who died as a result of wounds received in action.

Residents who have information or possible leads on where to find the family members of these servicemen are asked to contact one of the Medal of Liberty Committee members: Vincent Cifizzari (Vinniecif@yahoo.com or 774.287.0004) or Jo-Ann De Maria Morgan (joann.d.morgan@verizon.net or 774.279.1141). Information can also be sent by email to CitizensforMilford@gmail.com.