Home > WWII VETERANS >

Delval, Michael T.

Michael T. Delval U.S. Marine Corps WWII
Michael T. Delval U.S. Marine Corps WWII


 
Alternative Views:


NextRecord
Date of Birth: 6/22/1921
Died On: 7/8/2010
Street Address: 382 Midland Ave
Service Number: unknown
Branch of Service: U.S. Marine Corps - 3Dbn, 6Thmar, 2Dmardiv


Veteran Code: USMC-16


BIOGRAPHY
 
Michael T. Delval

Michael T. DelVal (''Chip'') was born on June 22, 1921, the son of Michael DelVal and Marietta Guiseppe. He had a brother Thomas and two sisters PhylIiss and Anne. In Rye his family lived at 382 Midland Ave and were members of the Church of the Resurrection.

Chip was a Rye High School Graduate, Class of 1940. In high school Chip was an exceptional athlete especially in basketball. He was attending Kent State University when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. See Muster Rolls

Chip was a Pharmacist Mate Second Class. While serving as a Navy Corpsman attached to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, he was wounded in action during the Battle of Saipan and received the Purple Heart.

A Navy Corpsman is part medic, part nurse, part pharmacist, who serves in the Navy and on its ships, but also deploys with Marines. A corpsman’s importance in combat is unrivaled and requires the skill and courage of any marine.

The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June to 9 July 1944 as part of Operation Forager.

The U.S. 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division, and the Army's 27th Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Holland Smith, defeated the 43rd Infantry Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saitō. The loss of Saipan, with the deaths of at least 29,000 troops and heavy civilian casualties, left the Japanese archipelago within the range of United States Army Air Forces B-29 bombers.

After the war, Chip married Nancy Grimaldi on August 26, 1945 and they would have five children. He resumed his education at Kent State in Ohio as a Physical Education Teacher with a minor in Biology and received his Masters from the University of Bridgeport in CT.

Chip taught physical education at Quaker Ridge Elementary School in Scarsdale. He coached basketball and soccer at Samuel J. Preston Junior High School in West Harrison. He started coaching basketball at Woodlands High School in Hartsdale, NY. In his 18 years there, he had 275 wins and 75 losses.

He began coaching at Alexander Hamilton High School in 1982, where he had 233 wins and 111 losses. At the age of 79, he became head coach at Rye High School.

Chip served on the Rye School Board, and was active in the weekly Con Ed Award Winners in Hawthorne, NY. Coach DelVal was the first basketball coach in Westchester County to win over 500 games.

In 1988, his team was undefeated. He was Coach of the Year numerous times, and was a member of the Westchester County Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the New York Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Chip also enjoyed playing tennis, walking, and bicycling.

Michael T. DelVal (''Chip''), a lifelong resident of Rye, died July 8, 2010, he was predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Nancy Grimaldi, who died March 28, 2008.

At the time of his death, Chip was survived by three children, Nancy Alexander of Brunswick, ME (husband is Dr. Mark Alexander, children are Jamie, Drew and Cory), Michael DelVal Jr. of Greenville, NH (wife is Stacy DelVal, daughter Sarah), and John DelVal of Wahpeton, ND (wife is Mary DelVal, children are Dayna, Wesley, and Evan), and one great-grandchild, Quinn DelVal, son of Dayna.

He was predeceased by two children, Judi March of North Berwick, ME and David DelVal of Laguna Nigel, CA.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at the Church of the Resurrection on Tuesday July 13, 2010.

Links to this Veterans History

Share your knowledge of this product. Be the first to write a review »