Warren Leo Norkofski was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on June 2, 1922 to Louis and Irene Norkofski. He attended local schools and entered the United States Army on November 11, 1942. He was assigned to Company A, 106th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, a unit made up largely of men from the state of New York. He joined the unit as they trained in Hawaii in December 1942, preparing for an invasion of the Marshall Islands.
Norkofski took part in the assault on Eniwetok Island in February 1944 and then returned with his unit to Hawaii in April. On June 20 the regiment landed on the island of Saipan and engaged in heavy fighting to gain control of Mount Tapotchau. On July 4, 1944 a Japanese sniper shot Norkofski in the right leg. He was treated briefly at the 38th Field Hospital on Saipan, transferred to the North Sector General Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 6, and sent to O'Reilly General Hospital in Springfield, Missouri at the end of August 1944. His wound caused nerve damage, which required prolonged treatment and rehabilitation.
Following over fifteen months of treatment, he received a discharge with disability on January 23, 1946. Norkofski returned to Oshkosh and found work as a lens grinder for a local optical company. He married Gene Wetterau on June 22, 1946 and the couple had four children. Norkofski became very active in the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Florian-Lampert Post 1908. He was elected post commander for 1955-1956 and subsequently served in several other elected positions. Norkofski passed away in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on January 15, 2001.
