WESTFIELD – The Westfield Post Office, located at the 8 West Silver Street, will host a renaming ceremony at 10 a.m. on June 22 to dedicate the building to William T. Trant.
Trant served in the US Army from 1943 to 1946. He was the first soldier wounded in the first wave of the Allied assault on Utah Beach in Normandy and was again wounded in one of the worst battles in American History, the Battle of the Bulge, where he was left for dead in a frozen foxhole. Rescued by comrades, he considered the final phase of military service to have the most impact on him when, as a 20-year-old soldier, he walked through the gates of Nordhausen and bore personal witness to the aftermath of one of the most horrific events in history: the slaughter of more than 3,000 men, women and children.
For his service, Corporal Trant was awarded a Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster, a Bronze Arrowhead, Certificate of Merit and an EAME (Europe-Africa-Middle East) campaign ribbon with five bronze battle stars, among other commendations.
Upon his return to civilian life, he worked at the Westfield Post Office and then left briefly to pitch for the Quebec Alouettes in the New York Giants system. He began his 33-year career with the Postal Service in 1948 and rose through the ranks to become Postmaster of Westfield, and was later promoted to Manager of Procurement at the USPS Northeast Regional office. He was a member of the Westfield City Council for 14 years and served briefly as Mayor.
The event will feature remarks from Trant?’s son Timothy, who serves as Legislative Advisor to the Chief of Naval Personnel and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, in Washington, DC; Congressman Richard E. Neal; Mayor Daniel M. Knapik; USPS District Manager David D. Mastroianni Jr.; Westfield Postmaster Mirta LaBoy and others.
A special cancellation will be offered to commemorate the event. General parking will be available in the surrounding businesses, the middle school and Boy & Girls Club parking lots. Only program speakers will be allowed to park inside the Post Office parking lot. The event is free and open to the public.
“This is a very proud day for our family. This dedication of the Westfield Post Office honors a man who was a true patriot, public servant and, according to those who served alongside him in World War II, a genuine hero. My dad loved the Postal Service and, were he here today, he would be humbled by this recognition of his service,” said Trant?’s daughter Sally.
