[left] Application for a head stone for 1/Lt Nick C.
Emanuel to be erected in King David Cemetery, Putnam Valley (Putnam
county), New York. [right] Jewish Welfare Board authentication of death
record.
1st Lt Emanuel was killed accidentally on 14 March 1945
during a parachuting accident in Reims France.
Born in Germany, Nick immigrated to New York with his
parents. His father, Eugen [later Eugene] a chemical engineer had
fled German persecution arriving in the U.S. on 14 November 1935.
Nick arrived in the U.S. three years later aboard the
SS Berengaria on 8 December 1936 with his mother and brother. Nick
appears on the manifest as 'Cola", age 12 and his brother's name was
entered as Werner", age 15. Both of the youths adopted different
names later. 'Werner" became "Donald" and "Cola" became "Nick
Cola".
Nick enlisted in the Army on 26 June 1943 while still
not a U.S.
citizen.
Despite that status and having just a high school education, he was
commissioned shortly after his enlistment. He had, however, begun
the process of applying for citizenship as evidenced by this index card
from the U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes.
His father, Eugene, was admitted as a citizen on 14
December 1943.
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