Funeral services for long-time Skokie resident Al Mampre, a decorated United States Army Veteran, will be held on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15, with large honorary processions impacting traffic in the area of Gross Point Road, Skokie Boulevard and Old Orchard Road. The Skokie Police Department will assist with traffic control. Sgt. Mampre was beloved by the community and had a special affinity for members of the Skokie Fire Department, who wrote the following tribute to this brave, kind gentleman.
A Hero in Our Midst
There is much to know about Albert (Al) Mampre who was born May 25, 1922, and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. As an adult, he was a long-time resident of the Village of Skokie. Al Mampre passed away on May 31, 2019, at the age of 97.
Staff Sergeant Al Mampre was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. This particular group was featured in the book Band of Brothers which was a hit miniseries on the HBO network. Sergeant Mampre's life story was highlighted in the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from Band of Brothers.
Originally enlisting as an army infantry soldier he jumped at the opportunity to become a medic when asked. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant and was found himself responsible for all of the medics of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division. It was noted that to the very end, he was proud to serve as a medic serving his fellow soldiers and his country.
Al’s unit jumped into Holland supporting Operation Market Garden. During this WWII engagement, Mampre was twice wounded by sniper fire while aiding a wounded lieutenant. During the Battle of the Bulge, he served with his regiment at Bastogne, Belgium and moved with the regiment all the way to occupying the Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden. He ended the war serving in Marseilles, France.
During his WWII service he earned: the Purple Heart; Purple Heart with bronze oak leaf cluster; Distinguished Member of the 506th Infantry Regiment honor, by Order of the Secretary of the United States Army; European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with 4 bronze stars; European Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Army of Occupation Medal; Legion of Merit from The State of Illinois – 2017. His unit citations include two Presidential Unit Citations; French Croix de guerre with Palm and Fourregere; Belgian Croix de guerre with Palm and Fourregere; Netherlands, Orange Lanyard.
After WWII, Mampre went on to study psychology at the University of Chicago and worked as a psychologist until retiring during the 1970s. The HBO miniseries brought a resurgence of interest in WWII veterans. Al Mampre was sought out for speaking engagements and ultimately to assist various veterans’ organizations raise funds for wounded war veterans.
Albert Mampre will be waked at Donnellan Funeral Home on Friday, June 14, 2019, between 3:00 p.m - 9:00 p.m. Funeral Mass is Saturday, June 15 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. He will be interred at Memorial Park Cemetery, 9900 Gross Point Road, Skokie.
Below is a photo of Al Mampre with Fire Department personnel from Station 18: FirefighterTim O'Malley, Firefighter John Palsir, Sgt. Mampre and Lt. Stan Goolish.
