Private First Class Joseph J. Puopolo was honored with a heroes square in East Boston on Saturday, Nov 19. This ceremony officially named the corner of Bennington St and Putnam Street Joseph J. Puopolo Square.
Puopolo was born on February 2, 1932 and lived in East Boston Massachusetts. Puopolo was 17 years old when he enlisted in the United States Army. Puopolo had the rank of Private First Class. He died as a prisoner of war in February 1951 while serving in the Korean War.
Puopolo was a member of C Battery, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Artillery, 8th U.S. Army. He was reported missing in action on December 2, 1950, after his unit attempted to withdraw from Kunu-ri, North Korea, on November 30, 1950 following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on. In 1953, four POWs who returned during Operation Big Switch reported Puopolo had been a prisoner of war and died on February 28, 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #5.
Says Commissioner of Veterans Services Robert Santiago, “We are honored to have the opportunity to remember the life of Corporal Puopolo. Having been missing for more than 70 years, we are thankful that he is finally at rest here at home and his service is recognized by the East Boston community and the City he loved and called home.”
Puopolo’s identity was recently confirmed by the Department of Defense on August 23, 2022. He was brought home to his family on October 18th and is resting in peace with his mother Anna Puopolo and younger brother Nicholas Puopolo in Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, MA.