From Worcester to Northern China: The Journey of a Marine
By Caroline D’Ambra
Peter John Zamaites
10/19/1911-12/23/1981
Peter John Zamaites was born on October 19, 1911, in Worcester, Massachusetts, to parents George Zamaitis and Lucy Jankauskas.[1]From 1929 to 1931, Zamaites enlisted in the Marines and served as a Private for the 308th Company of the US Naval Reserve Armory in Worcester, the 307th Company in Los Angeles, California, and Company “L” of the Seventh Reserve Regiment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Returning to civilian life, Peter married Margaret Mary Kacevich and had two daughters: Dorothy Zamaites, born in 1934, and Patricia Zamaites, born in 1939. Zamaites and his family, including his father, lived in Worcester, Massachusetts, where Zamaites worked as a wire drawer for Johnson Steel and Wire. In 1940, Zamaites was drafted into the Army and the Marines for World War II at the age of 29.
During his wartime service in the Marines, Private Peter Zamaites was stationed at the 5th Recruitment Battalion in Parris Island, South Carolina, in 1944, and was promoted to Corporal in 1946. He served in the 1st Marine Division for the 7th Marine Regiment stationed in Camp Pendleton, California, later being deployed to Northern China from September 30th, 1945, to January 5th, 1947, a year after the Battle of Okinawa and the surrender of Japan. The 7th Marine Regiment’s mission was to “disarm the Japanese troops still stationed in that country and to keep the peace in a China torn by Civil War.” 1 The Magnificent Seventh, the nickname given to the 7th Marine Regiment, saw intense fighting during World War II while displaying acts of courage and ferocity, aiding in their motto “Prepare to March” and serving as a reminder of resilience for the Marines in the present day.
During World War II while Peter served in Northern China, his wife Margaret Mary Zamaites made rifles at Telechron Inc., a company in Ashland, Massachusetts, known for making clocks that halted production to help with the war effort. After his service, Zamaites returned to Worcester and obtained his previous job as a wire drawer. Eventually, Zamaites and his family moved to Fort Pierce in St. Lucie, Florida.
Peter John Zamaites passed away due to an extended illness on December 23, 1981, at Fort Pierce in St. Lucie, Florida. His remains were moved to Broomfield, Colorado, shortly after, supposedly with his second daughter, Patricia Leary. Peter was a life member of the VFW 10130 and the Disabled American Veterans. After Zamaites passed away, his wife remarried to Myron Heller and later divorced him after 5 years of marriage. Margaret Mary Zamaites Heller passed away on April 28, 2006, in Zephyrhills, Florida. His oldest daughter, Dorothy Layburn, passed away in 2009.
Footnotes ↓
[1] https://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/Units/7TH-MARINE-REGT/ https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pedigree/portrait/GB5X-7LK https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274758903/peter-j-zamaites https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/east- https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tampabaytimes/name/margaret-heller-obituary?id=10578064.https://www.newspapers.com/image/779229949/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Zamaites https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/G9G4-3DT/margaret-mary-kacevich-1912-2006. https://www.telechron.net/page4.htm https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4KL-XWD https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHN-GQHW-R97M-1?view=index
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