John Robert Simonetti was born on May 24, 1918, in New York. He was the son of Mary Simonetti. He served in the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, as a Staff Sergeant during World War II.

On June 16, 1944, SSgt Simonetti was engaged in the Battle of Saint-Germain-d'Elle. Just after throwing a grenade with his rifle at a machine gun nest, he was mortally wounded by the fire of a sniper who was in the church tower or the dairy. John was shot in the throat but his body had not been found, hence his inscription as a missing soldier.

In May 2009 during the digging of a trench at the foot of the village hall, his body was found. On November 10, 2009, his body was identified and on October 24, 2010, his remains were buried at Arlington Military Cemetery, near Washington (USA) with military honors. His name is permanently inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing, Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-Sur-Mer, France.