United States. A Silver & Bronze Star Group To Private Chilstedt, Kia At Moncourt Woods, October 1944

United States. A Silver Star and Bronze Star Medal Group of Seven, to First and Second War Veteran, Private First Class Sven R.F. Chilstedt, Company "A", 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, United States Army, Killed in Action at Moncourt Woods, October 1944: Silver Star (two-piece construction, silver star placed upon a bronze gilt star-shaped base, engraved "SVEN R. CHILSTEDT" on the reverse, measuring 36 mm (w) x 34.5 mm (h), original ribbon with brooch pinback); Bronze Star Medal (in bronze, measuring 36 mm (w) x 35.5 mm (h), engraved "SVEN R. CHILSTEDT" on the reverse, original ribbon with brooch pinback); Purple Heart (two-piece construction, in bronze gilt with purple, red, white and green enamels, engraved "SVEN R. CHILSTEDT" on the reverse, measuring 35 mm (w) x 43.5 mm (h), original ribbon with brooch pinback, intact enamels); American Campaign Medal (in bronze, measuring 32 mm in diameter, original ribbon with brooch pinback); European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (in bronze, measuring 32.2 mm in diameter, two bronze stars on its original ribbon with brooch pinback); World War II Victory Medal (in bronze, measuring 36.5 mm in diameter, original ribbon with brooch pinback); and Army of Occupation Medal, 1 Clasp - GERMANY (in bronze, measuring 31.5 mm in diameter, original ribbon with brooch pinback). Extremely fine. Accompanied by his Bronze Star Medal Award Certificate (inscribed "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TO ALL WHO SHALL SEE THESE PRESENTS, GREETING: / THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AUTHORIZED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER, 24 AUGUST 1962 HAS AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL TO PRIVATE FIRST CLASS SVEN R.F. CHILSTEDT, UNITED STATES ARMY FOR meritorious achievement in ground combat against the armed enemy during World War II in the European African Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. GIVEN UNDER MY HAND IN THE CITY OF WASHINGTON THIS 28th DAY OF May 1991", signed by the Adjutant General, Patricia P. Hickerson and by Secretary of the Army Michael P.W. Stone, with embossed Bronze Star Medal insignia and War Office Seal, printed in black, red. blue, bronze and gold inks, on a thick off-white paper stock, measuring 254 mm (w) x 202 mm (h)); his Purple Heart Award Certificate (inscribed "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TO ALL WHO SHALL SEE THESE PRESENTS, GREETING: / THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART ESTABLISHED BY GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON AT NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, AUGUST 7, 1782 TO PRIVATE FIRST CLASS SVEN R.F. CHILSTEDT, UNITED STATES ARMY FOR WOUNDS RECEIVED IN ACTION EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER 22 OCTOBER 1944 GIVEN UNDER MY HAND IN THE CITY OF WASHINGTON THIS 28th DAY OF May 1991", signed by the Adjutant General, Patricia P. Hickerson and by Secretary of the Army Michael P.W. Stone, with embossed Purple Heart insignia and War Office Seal, printed in black, purple, red, green and gold inks, on a thick off-white paper stock, measuring 254 mm (w) x 202 mm (h)); a Combat Infantryman Badge (in sterling silver with blue enamels, marked "GI" beside a "U" with an arrow through it on the reverse, measuring 76.8 mm (w) x 26 mm (h), dual push pins); a 26th Infantry Division Patch (in ultramarine blue and olive green embroidery, measuring 90 mm (w) x 103 mm (h)); along with copies of his Service Records and assorted research papers.

Footnote: Sven R.F. Chilstedt was born on April 2, 1899 in Sweden. He served as a Private (71 134) with the United States Army during the First World War, enlisting at Boston, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917. He served with the Machine Gun Company, 6th Infantry, Massachusetts National Guard until August 28, 1917. Private Chilstedt arrived overseas on October 4, 1917 and would serve with Company "A", 104th Infantry until February 19, 1919, when he was transferred to the 259th Company, 130th Battalion MPC. On May 3, 1919, he was transferred to the 260th Company, 129th Battalion MPC for five weeks, until June 10, 1919, when he would see another transfer, this time to the 269th Company MPC for another two months. On August 8, 1919, he was posted to the American Commission to negotiate Peace until January 1, 1920, then posted to the Brest Casualty Company 5743 until January 13, 1920. Private Chilstedt was Honorably Discharged on February 2, 1921 at the Discharge Unit 10, Camp Dix, New Jersey. He is credited with the following engagements: Defensive: Champagne-Marne; Offensive: Aisne-Marne; St. Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; and Defensive Sector: Toul-Boucq (Lorraine); Pas Fini (Ile-de-France); Rupt (Lorraine); Troyon (Lorraine). A little over twenty-one years later, Chilstedt was residing in Baltimore, Maryland, employed as a mail carrier and married to Charlotte "Lottie" Griffner Chilstedt, when he enlisted with the United States Army for service during the Second World War, on August 26, 1942 in Baltimore, naming her as his next-of-kin and stating his religion as Protestant. R-071134 Private First Class Chilstadt served with Company "A", 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, United States Army in the European theater. On October 22, 1944, in the United States Third Army's XII Corps area, the 26th Infantry Division was untried in combat as a unit and achieved limited attack, to gain experience and to improve positions east of Arracourt, securing ground west of Moncourt, with the support of troops from the 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion. During this combat, Private First Class Chilstadt was "Killed In Action" in the Moncourt woods in France, on October 22, 1944, at the age of 45. His personal effects gathered after his death entailed a service medal, an insignia, a religious statue with case, prayer books, a hair brush and a toilet article case. Chilstadt was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal with Germany clasp. In a letter to the War Department in Washington, D.C, stamped "received January 8, 1947", his wife, Charlotte Chilstadt, stated that it was her "solemn desire that my husband be buried abroad due to the fact that he never made any wish whatsoever, but I could tell by his actions that if anything tragic did happen to him while overseas he would want to be buried where he fell amongst his comrades, whom he loved so well & since he saw action in both World Wars #1 & #2 and was in France at both times. I myself do not believe in moving the deceased and knowing that he is in a Military Cemetery and the grave is in constant care, I feel that I would want him to rest and not moved." His remains were initially buried in Andilly - Lay St. Remy, then re-interred after July 1948 in Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Departement de la Moselle, Lorraine, France, Plot C Row 13 Grave 30. The Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in France covers 113.5 acres and contains the largest number of graves of American military dead of the Second World War in Europe, a total of 10,489. Their headstones are arranged in nine plots, in a generally elliptical design, extending over the beautiful rolling terrain of eastern Lorraine and culminating in a prominent overlook feature. Most of the dead buried here were killed while driving the German forces from the fortress city of Metz, France, toward the Siegfried Line and the Rhine River. His wife, Charlotte "Lottie" Griffner Chilstedt (born April 18, 1902), died in December 1985, at the age of 83, and is buried Voshell Memorial Gardens in Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland,.