Kirminas Square

in Memory of
T/Sgt. Daniel V. Kirminas
Born: August 12, 1920
Killed in action – Neuss, Germany
March 1, 1945

This memorial stands on the corner of Providence and Aetna streets, by Worcester Academy. Sgt. Kirminas joined the army in November of 1942, and served in the 329th infantry, 83rd Division. He fought in Normandy, and in the Battle of the Bulge; the boots-on-the-ground, which-way-to-Berlin part of the war.

Having survived the Bulge, he was killed in one of a series of comparatively minor clashes as his unit moved east. The 83rd rolled on, taking town after town, capturing Neuss on March 1st. Unfortunately, "comparatively minor" battles still carried real risk.

From Neuss, the 83rd would go on to liberate Langenstein, a subcamp of Buchenwald. When the war in Europe ended, the 329th would be the American unit closest to Berlin. Even before Neuss, Kirminas saw plenty of war. He couldn't be blamed if he approved of letting the Russians do as much of the fighting as possible. But he was Lithuanian, so I can't help wondering whether he wouldn't have prefered to see his buddies keep going east, until they marched beyond Berlin into Moscow...