PFC John Barkley Pearcy

courtesy of Anne Cady

PFC John Barkley Pearcy was born 27 Jun 1916 in Amsterdam, Virginia. He was the only son and oldest of the 2 children born to Cabell Ory and Susan Catherine (Rader) Pearcy. His father farmed and worked as a carpenter. In 1940 the extended family was living with John's maternal grandmother. In 1940, John was driving a truck for H. H. Hancock. He reported a 1939 income of only $180.

John was drafted in May 1941. Due to policies in effect at the time he was likely very quickly assigned to C Company 116th Infantry and may have been with the unit when it traveled to England aboard the Queen Mary in September 1942. Once in England he would have been in training with his unit for the amphibious assault on occupied France. That attack took place at Omaha Beach on 6 Jun 1944 and PFC Pearcy took part in that attack. He continued to fight with C Company until he was killed in action on 16 Jun 1944.

PFC Pearcy was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

John's father served in both WWI and WWII. Great-grandfather, William Rowland Rader, served as a PVT in C Company 2nd Virginia Cavalry (CSA) in the Civil War.