SSG Earl Price Talley

 

SSG Earl Price Talley was born in Staunton, Virginia on 31 Oct 1922. He was the 2nd of the 5 children born to Chester Winston and Gladys Ruth (Custer) Talley. His father worked as an attendant at Western State Hospital, a hospital for the insane in Staunton and reported a 1939 income of $638 for that work. The family lived at 330 Drewery and 422 Marquis Street in Staunton. 

Earl joined the local National Guard unit, L Company 116th Infantry. He was with the unit when it was federalized in February 1941 and trained with the unit as it prepared for the amphibious assault that was a planned part of the effort to liberate Nazi occupied France. SSG Talley was with L Company on the day of the assault and made it ashore. Reportedly killed while trying to help another soldier, SSG Talley was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions on that day. The citation read, "For meritorious achievement in military operations against the enemy on June 6, 1944."

SSG Talley was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia. 

Earl's brothers Chester, Kenneth and Glenn all served during the war and their father served in A Company 116th Infantry in WWI.