ROBERT BALZARINI - KOREAN WAR
Robert Balzarini, 94
Rockport, MA
Born: 6/9/1931
Born/Raised: Rockport
Rank: Sergeant
Unit: US Marine Corps, 1st Division
Dates of Service: 1950-1953
Robert Balzarini’s father, Martin, a 1st generation immigrant from Italy and his mother Ernestine, who was born in Italy and came to America on a WWI troop ship, owned a butcher shop on Washington Street in Gloucester. Robert really didn’t want to follow his father’s footsteps as a butcher – so much so that he declined an offer to work in the relatively safety (if such a thing existed) as a cook in the Marines.
Instead, the 1949 Rockport HS graduate, opted for a three-year stint in Korea with the Marine’s 1st Division doing small arms and weapons repair. He was awarded the Korean Service Medal with 2 stars, the National Defense Service Medal, the UN Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.
On his return home he went to work for the Bell Atlantic Telephone Company as a lineman and installer. He married Natalie Balzarini, and the couple had three daughters, Kathleen Chung, Judi Hunt and Debra Balzarini. They have one grandchild, Benjamin. The couple were married for 65 years before Natalie’s passing in 2022.
Robert retired in 1986 at the ripe old age of 55 and turned his attention to golf. When the Rockport Golf Club celebrated its 100th anniversary, Robert was its oldest active member. He was active in the Rockport Legion and continues to live in Rockport.