F.Y.I. Those of you who know/knew Mark "Snowman" Brollini (Past member of The DAMNED in AH and Ex staff in AW), this is to info you that his father past away Saturday (9/13/03). Below is a write up about his father and Mark's information for anyone wishing to contact him.
"Alfred R. Brollini
Known as Fred from a small age, his story is as many were in the early 1940s. Born to Vananzio and Theresa Brollini in Cleveland Ohio April 19, 1924, Fred went to Columbus, Ohio to the Armed Forces Induction Center. After graduating Thomas Edison High School, he like many young men received his draft notice and traveled from Columbus, Ohio to Macon, Georgia and then to Boot Camp at Camp Wheeler. After several weeks it was off to Boston where he took a Commercial Cruise Liner to Liverpool, England and celebrated Christmas 1943 aboard the ship at the age of 19. From there he was stationed outside Winchester at the Town of Bourghmuth. For months his unit did nothing but train on the LSTs to prepare them for the invasion of Europe. On D-Day June 6th 1944, Fred was assigned to M Company 60th Infantry Regiment 9th Infantry Division. His unit was in holding and scheduled to go onto Normandy D+3.
“We hit the beaches, I believe it was in the afternoon and took light fire, then moved inland in a short time we were in hedge groves. One of my first experiences was when our platoon leader was hit by an anti-tank weapon and cut him in half. No-one noticed but I got caught up in the action and ran off for about an hour and cried my eyes out, from then on I could deal with things a little bit better.” recalls Fred. As a radio operator with the forward observer, Fred was constantly behind enemy lines.
One incident recalls Lt. Gronseth Platoon leader and later Company Commander of M Company, “Ill always be grateful to Brollini for saving my life.” One day on patrol we were walking through what I believed to be dead German soldiers. I had stepped over many, but Brollini didn’t believe that they where all dead. I had stepped over one soldier as he started to get his rifle locked on me, Brollini shot him.
There was another incident where if it had not been for Brollini, one entire company may have had multiple casualties. It was early in the morning; the snow had covered over the foxholes. Brollini was coming off patrol and laying wire to a forward position. He encountered a company size German movement on the other side of the hill near the bivouacked company, most fast asleep. He then got into a position between the Germans and the sleeping Americans and started to fire. He held the Germans off long enough to allow time for the men to ready themselves into a combat position. If had not been for Fred, there would have been many casualties.
Fred had fought in 5 major campaigns across Europe to end the war with Germany. Those were Normandy, Northern France, the Ardennes, Rhineland and then Central Europe with participation in the Battle of the Bulge and the Bridge at Remagen. During this time Fred received the following medals:
Presidential Unit Citation, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Belgium Croix de Guerre, 2 Bronze Stars for Bravery, 2 Purple Hearts, American Campaign Medal, Europe/African/Middle Eastern Service ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Army Occupation Medal, Combat Infantry Badge
Fred’s resolve didn’t just end with the military, in 1962 he was written up in the Popular Science magazine. He was called an Unsung Hero when, with disregard for his own life, he went up into a Cherry Picker when a missile misfired which could have exploded at anytime. He unplugged it just seconds before it exploded, saving the Rocket and the lives of the men on the ground at NASA.
Alfred R Brollini, will now be doing God’s bidding. He joins his mother and father, 2 brothers and his sister, along with is soul mate and loving wife, Virginia.
He is survived by 21 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren
God Speed Dad
Your loving children: Van Ray, Cathy, Mark, Dawne, Renee, Jenell, Denise, and Laurel"
Mark Brollini
229 SE 7th Street
Cape Coral, Fl
33990
239-574-8640
Thank you for reading and taking the time to show you care.
Alan "Glint" Rembold
