His was a story that was sadly too familiar during World War II – a native son who never returned home.
Emery O. Picotte, a paratrooper with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, was killed in action at the age of 23 during the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945. He is buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Luxembourg, but he has never been forgotten in his hometown of Johnston.
His nephew George Picotte was only 7 when his uncle died, but he wanted to make sure that Emery and his ultimate sacrifice for his country would never be forgotten…