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Bernard "Ben" Anthony Virginia
Jeremy Anderson2021-02-24T19:29:50-06:00
- Name: Bernard "Ben" Anthony Virginia
- Location of Birth: Marble, Minnesota
- Date of Birth: October 24, 1922
- Date of Death: March 5, 1999
- Parents: Bernard Virginia, Sr. & Lena (Bonani) Virginia
- High School and Class: 1940 Greenway High School, Coleraine, Minnesota
- College: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota - degree in engineering and business
- Highest Rank:
- Branch: Army
- Other Branch:
- Date Sworn In:
- Place Sworn In:
- Date of Discharge:
- Place of Discharge:
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- Military Awards:
- Military Highlights:
WW II Draft Registration Cards – 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947
State: Minnesota
Name: Bernard Anthony Virginia
Race: White
Age: 19
Birth Date: October 24, 1922
Birth Place: Marble, Minnesota, USA
Residence Place: Nashwauk, Itasca, Minnesota, USA
Registration Date: June 30, 1942
Employer: Lerch Bros Inc., Calumet, Minnesota
Weight: 175
Height: 5-11
Complexion: Dark
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Next of Kin: Ben Virginia, Marble, Minnesota
Ben served in the Army Air Corps in the Philippine Islands as a radio dispatcher during World War II.
- Wars Involved:
World War II
- MIA / POW:
- Civilian Life:
Ben Virginia worked for General Motors, traveling out of New York and Chicago until taking a position with GMAC in Bettendorf, Iowa. In 1960 he left GMAC and purchased the Show Boat Inn in Rock Island, Illinois, renaming it Ben's Show Boat Inn. In 1968 he expanded and remodeled the facility as Ben's Gourmet House and was chef of his own kitchen. He loved cooking, traveling, artwork, and designing restaurants, both local and in Fort Lauderdale.
Ben died in Moline, Illinois and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Coleraine, Minnesota (Block 151). He is survived by a brother, Anthony "Tony" Virginia, and a longtime friend, Gigi Hutt.
- Tribal Affiliation(s):
