Thomas "Tom" Athanasios T. Zissos

Era: World War II

Military Branch: Navy

Thomas "Tom" Anathasios Zissos served during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He joined the U.S. Navy in June 1943 and was honorably discharged on March 6, 1946.

He attained the rank of Sergeant First Class. He served with the 5th and 3rd Fleets as a Plank Owner on the destroyer USS Brush (DD-745). He participated in the Leyte operation; the Luzon-Formosa-China coast-Nansei Shoto strikes; the invasion of Iwo Jima and supporting 5th Fleet raids; the Okinawa operation, including the bombardment of Minami Daito Shima; the invasion of Kyushu; the raid on the island of Hokkaido; and an anti-shipping sweep of Tokyo Bay.

He was born on April 10, 1925, in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Theodore and Elizabeth Zissos. He graduated from Duluth Central High School.

A resident of Cloquet, Minnesota, he died on Tuesday, February 12, 2008, in Cloquet, Minnesota.

Mr.Zissos was decorated with the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in a Japanese Kamikaze attack.

Source: Duluth News Tribune, February 15, 2008, and a handwritten summary from Mr. Zissos.

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