Edmund was the son of Peter and Mary Generali. He was born on 14 February 1923 in Westerly, Rhode Island. He was the first born of the Generali family. He had four brothers, Mario, Orlando, Louis and Albert, one sister Yolanda (me).

The family moved to Waterbury, Connecticut when Edmund was a young child. He was a very bright student and excelled in school. He graduated from Maloney Grammar School class of 1938.

He went to Leavenworth High School and graduated from there class of 1941. He was very outgoing, popular and he had many friends. He loved to read classical literature such as Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, Nathaniel Hawthorn, Edgar Allen Poe, etc. Other than his pastime of reading he loved dancing and the music of his time. He taught me (his sister) my first dance lesson. Being the oldest of the siblings he was looked up to by all of us. Our parents were very proud of him and his achievements in his short life.

My brother Edmund played a banjo during his high school years. He played in a band at many concerts in various halls in Waterbury. The band was led by Mr. Barbieri who taught Edmund how to play the banjo at his music store. Edmund loved to entertain us (his family) at home many times . I remember our favorite songs, Oh Susanna, don't you cry for me and Red river valley among our favorites. He was very gifted.

At age 18, after graduating from high school he began working at Apothecary Hall Company, a chemical company. He soon became knowledgeable of his work and he was made a prodigy of the company, teaching him the higher levels of being a chemist. He had high ideals there and he was very respected by his co-workers and his bosses.

Eddie began dating steadily a beautiful girl, Jane. They were madly in love and became engaged before he entered the service at age 20. They planned their bright future together with many dreams and promises which none of them were realized which ended very tragic for both of them and all of us.

He was inducted in the army in March of 1943 from New Haven, Connecticut. He trained at Camp Polk, Louisiana and Fort Meade, Maryland. He had a brief furlough and he saw all of his family for the last time. It was a very sad time for all of us especially my mother who doted on her first born son.

Just like all the other divisions of the US Army, the 3rd Armored Division was trained extensively, starting in 1941 in Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. After that the division was moved to a different location several times. In June 1941 the Spearhead division moved to Camp Polk, Louisiana, before a boiling training in the Mojave Desert in California. In the spring of 1943 the 3rd Armored Division was yet again on the move, this time to Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, before going to the last training camp for them in United States, Camp Kilmer on 26 and 27 Augustus 1943.

Early on 4 September 1943, the units moved out of Kilmer and boarded trains for New York harbor. On the pier, a few hours later, the long lines of soldiers waited patiently. Each man carried the bulk of his equipment in a barracks bag and each had his helmet numbered with white chalk. The line moved slowly, each GI waiting until his last name was called, answered with his first, and then struggled up the gangplank into the ship. By that time Edmund was still training for active duty in Europe, but at least he knew where his division was sent.

Edmund went overseas in June of 1944. He landed in England and continued onto France, Belgium and finally Germany where he saw battle in the toughest winter of all. In spite of his situation, he was very high spirited and wrote articles for the Stars and Stripes and the New York Sun.

Edmund wrote of his armored division action in battle and the capture of the German Colonel Von Aulock in the Battle of Mons. His last Christmas card to home was on 7 December 1944, four days before he died. He told of his divisions, battles of St. Leo, Mons and Soissons in which he participated.

Early December 1944, in the last stages of the push to the Roer, a little river which was troublesome because its levels could be so efficiently controlled, Combat Command "Reserve," led by Colonel Robert H. Howze, Jr., jumped off on 10 December 1944. Once again the combination of mud and mines and anti-tank guns nearly spelled ruin for attacking units. The enemy continued to defend with fanatical determination and, although Division Artillery paved the way with concentrated barrages, the German exacted a heavy price for every yard of ground he yielded.

Two task forces, one led by Lt. Colonel Matthew W. Kane, and the other by Lt. Colonel Sam Hogan, supported by a battalion of the attached 60th Infantry, continued to advance. Kane's force took Echtz after a sharp battle, and Task Force Hogan drove into Geich and Obergeich. The combat command then went on to clear Hoven, on the banks of the Roer, slugging out a close decision over tanks, anti-tank guns and the ever-present infantry.

It's most probable that Edmund was wounded during these fights and on 11 December 1944 died of his wounds. Only a couple of days later our beloved Edmund was resting in foreign soil in the largest temporary American Military cemetery of Europe, in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, thousands of miles away from his family and his fiancee Jane.

When the telegram of his death came it was very devastating to all of us, especially his parents who never got over his death. Our lives changed dramatically. A short time after his death, we received a letter from a young girl named Suzanne Lejeune, Dison Belgium. She had told us how she adopted my brother's grave. She put flowers and took good care of his grave. She sent pictures of his grave to my mother and it made my mother eternally grateful and happy. They wrote to each other for years, Suzanne in French and my mother in English. When my mother passed on, I started to write to Suzanne and she kept correspondence with me up to a few years ago. We are very grateful to Suzanne for her kindness.

Meanwhile in our City of Waterbury, Edmund was mourned and grieved by all of his family, his fiancée Jane, his friends and his co-workers. Our church was filled to capacity of all who loved him. To this day he is not forgotten. He is remembered with all the other service men that died for their country so that others could be free.

My brother Edmund has a Veteran's Post named after him and it is called the Favale-Generali Post #8 in Waterbury, Connecticut. It is named for my brother and two Favale brothers who died in action. They hold special ceremonies for all veterans and especially for all those who died for their country. They have many members and are well received in Connecticut. In the year 2000, they visited my brother's grave and decorated it for Memorial Day. They presented the framed picture to me and my brother Albert at a special ceremony. We were proud to receive it. Many people have touched our lives during a difficult time.

These days my brother Edmund rests in the beautiful American Military Cemetery at Henri-Chapelle ... He is remembered and honored by his entire family. He is honored by every visitor of the American Cemetery at Henri-Chapelle and by every visitor of this website.

"This is in loving memory to our loving son and brother Private First Class Edmund Generali. He is our hero and we still love him and miss him even after all these years."

This was written in loving memory of Edmund by his sister Yolanda Cicchiello.