December 7, 1920- August 25, 2019 David Edward Milotta was born to Anna and Caspar Milotta who came from Bohemia in the 1880s. He was reared on the small family farm in Mt. Pleasant, Pa. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Hurst High School in 1938. He received an ROTC scholarship and graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1942 with a BA in Forestry. He was the first in his family to graduate from college. Later he earned a MA from George Washington University in 1964. He is preceded in death (June 10, 2010) by Doris Jean Milotta, his wife of over sixty-eight years. Upon graduation from Penn State he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and assigned to the First Infantry Division, 16th Regiment, and fought in North Africa, Sicily, and landed at Omaha Beach 'easy red' on D-Day June 6, 1944. His unit, the First Division suffered half of all the casualties that day. He took to heart the Army motto of "Duty, Honor, Country" and the motto of the First Division "First to Fight." He is a highly decorated combat veteran who earned The Distinguished Cross, A Silver Star, The Bronze Star with V and Oak Leaf Cluster, A Purple Heart, and Combat Infantry Badge. His Distinguished Service Cross award is honored in the Hall Of Heroes at Ft. DeRussey, Waikiki for his heroic personal stand off against German Mark VI Tiger tanks threatening the amphibious landings at Gella, Sicily. A committed Christian all his life, he writes in his letters home during the combat leadership experiences, "After you have been in combat for a time you can estimate your casualties from the intensity of the artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire you receive. After so many minutes of concentrated heavy explosive artillery and mortar fire you figure so many killed and a dozen or more wounded. This past Sunday we received the most intense, accurate, heavy explosive artillery fire we were ever exposed to. I mentally calculated we would lose at least two-dozen men, at a minimum. When the fire lifted, not one man was wounded or killed. It was Easter Sunday." After thirty years of military service he retired at his last duty station in Hawaii and served as the Executive Secretary of the Hawaii Conference Foundation United Church of Christ for over a decade. As well as a combat warrior he was a strong Christian believer and passed that expansive faith to his entire family He is survived by his son Rev. Dr. David S. Milotta of Waialua, Oahu and daughter Gaye A. Tate of Bishop, California, a grandson Rev. David Makana Milotta, a granddaughter Dr. Lorin Shellenberger, and four great grand sons and one great grand daughter. Memorial Services will be held January 11 at Waialua United Church of Christ 67-174 Farrington Hwy. Waialua. Viewing 08:30 Service 09:00. No flowers Light refreshments to follow. Donations to Waialua UCC.
December 7, 1920- August 25, 2019 David Edward Milotta was born to Anna and Caspar Milotta who came from Bohemia in the 1880s. He was reared on the small family farm in Mt. Pleasant, Pa. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Hurst High School in 1938. He received an ROTC scholarship and graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1942 with a BA in Forestry. He was the first in his family to graduate from college. Later he earned a MA from George Washington University in 1964. He is preceded in death (June 10, 2010) by Doris Jean Milotta, his wife of over sixty-eight years. Upon graduation from Penn State he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and assigned to the First Infantry Division, 16th Regiment, and fought in North Africa, Sicily, and landed at Omaha Beach 'easy red' on D-Day June 6, 1944. His unit, the First Division suffered half of all the casualties that day. He took to heart the Army motto of "Duty, Honor, Country" and the motto of the First Division "First to Fight." He is a highly decorated combat veteran who earned The Distinguished Cross, A Silver Star, The Bronze Star with V and Oak Leaf Cluster, A Purple Heart, and Combat Infantry Badge. His Distinguished Service Cross award is honored in the Hall Of Heroes at Ft. DeRussey, Waikiki for his heroic personal stand off against German Mark VI Tiger tanks threatening the amphibious landings at Gella, Sicily. A committed Christian all his life, he writes in his letters home during the combat leadership experiences, "After you have been in combat for a time you can estimate your casualties from the intensity of the artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire you receive. After so many minutes of concentrated heavy explosive artillery and mortar fire you figure so many killed and a dozen or more wounded. This past Sunday we received the most intense, accurate, heavy explosive artillery fire we were ever exposed to. I mentally calculated we would lose at least two-dozen men, at a minimum. When the fire lifted, not one man was wounded or killed. It was Easter Sunday." After thirty years of military service he retired at his last duty station in Hawaii and served as the Executive Secretary of the Hawaii Conference Foundation United Church of Christ for over a decade. As well as a combat warrior he was a strong Christian believer and passed that expansive faith to his entire family He is survived by his son Rev. Dr. David S. Milotta of Waialua, Oahu and daughter Gaye A. Tate of Bishop, California, a grandson Rev. David Makana Milotta, a granddaughter Dr. Lorin Shellenberger, and four great grand sons and one great grand daughter. Memorial Services will be held January 11 at Waialua United Church of Christ 67-174 Farrington Hwy. Waialua. Viewing 08:30 Service 09:00. No flowers Light refreshments to follow. Donations to Waialua UCC.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
