PFC Leroy No Neck

courtesy of Stephen Ranum

PFC Leroy No Neck was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota on 2 Jul 1925. He was the oldest son of 2 to survive infancy of the family of Guy and Bessie (Little Killer) No Neck. 2 brothers had died before the age of 2 before he was born and a sister would die, also before the age of 2, in 1932. Leroy is noted as being 7/8 "blood" Oglala Sioux. His father was full-blood and his mother 3/4 Oglala. His parents' income was noted on the census as "ration Indian" as they depended on the government for the bulk of their subsistence. Guy No Neck died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1931. Bessie re-married but would die of a uterine hemorrhage, probably related to childbirth, in 1942. Before entering the Army, Leroy would work doing odd jobs.

Leroy was drafted, probably late in 1942 or early in 1943. We do not know what assignment(s) he had immediately after completing his basic training but on 17 Jul 1944 he was transferred from the replacement depot to A Company 116th Infantry and was a PVT at that time. He was wounded and evacuated to hospital and died of his wound(s) there on 27 Aug 1944.

PFC No Neck was repatriated in 1949 and re-interred in the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota.