PFC Willis Raymond Capen

PFC Willis Raymond Capen was born 28 Apr 1922 in Sacramento County to Willis Merritt and Leta Luella (Caples) Capen. The senior Willis was a truck driver.  In 1940 young Willis was keeping attendance and had earned $40 for all of 1939.  By the time he was drafted in October 1942 he had completed 2 years of college and was apparently working as a driver as well. 

After his training Willis was shipped overseas.  We don't yet know what he was doing earlier but he was assigned to E Company 116th Infantry on 22 Jul 1944. 

A quick note here, many times soldiers who were wounded and hospitalized would be moved from the hospital to the replacement depot and go to fill the first personnel request regardless of unit.  A soldier who had gone to hospital multiple times could conceivably go to a new unit each time.  We are only looking at the 116th's morning reports to see what/when/where/why soldiers were being processed.  We don't have a means to follow a soldier through multiple units unless they are all in the 116th. 

PFC Capen was seriously wounded on 30 Jul 1944 and evacuated to hospital.  He died of his wounds on 3 Aug 1944.  In 1948 his body was returned to the U.S. and he is now buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.