John J. Schianca

United States army air corps 1942-1945

World War II

Staff Sergeant

Purple Heart

Distinguished Flying Cross

Air Medal

John Schianca was born on January 3rd, 1915, in the French Town neighborhood of Thompsonville. He was a lifelong resident of Enfield, along with his wife Stella and his children Geraldine and Mark.

John served in the Army Air Corps during WWII as a tail gunner in a B24. His plane was shot down over Czechoslovakia on July 7, 1944, during the Slovak national uprising and he was taken prisoner by the Germans. He and only two other crew members survived the crash. Before being sent to a POW camp, he was hospitalized for his injuries (broken leg & shrapnel) at a Catholic hospital run by nuns. Through the help of the partisans, he and others were later able to escape from prison and were hidden as civilians in their journey to freedom. This was a dangerous endeavor for all parties. Following his honorable discharge, he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Though honored as a war hero, he always said that the true heroes were the ones that never made it home. John worked his entire life on behalf of veterans as an employee of the Veterans Administration in Hartford. He also volunteered many hours to assist the widows of veterans in securing their husband’s service-related injury or chronic disease benefits. He himself suffered from severe PTSD after the war and was hospitalized for several months for amnesia.

He was also a lifelong parishioner of St. Patrick’s church where he served as a member of the parish council as well as a Eucharistic Minister, lectern and usher, and was a member of the PTA at St. Joseph school. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus council #50 where he served as Grand Knight. John passed away on February 7, 2012, at the age of 97.