PVT James Carl Yandell

courtesy of Danny Riley

PVT James Carl Yandell was born 8 Dec 1919 in Crittenden County, Kentucky. He was the oldest of the 4 children of George Wilson and Nancy Adeline (Perryman) Yandell. His father was a miner working in the local fluorspar mines for the Fairview Fluorspar and Lead Mining Company. James' youngest brother, Thomas Nathan Yandell, was born in March 1926 and died of hemophilia just 9 days later. After some time George was able to purchase a home on the Sisco Chapel Road which was valued at $500 in 1940. James also went to work in the fluorpsar mines. 1939 was not a good year in the mines and the pair only worked a total of 36 weeks earning a reported $310 for the family. George died of tuberculosis at the age of 59 in 1941. James was working for Charles Reed of Marion, Kentucky as a driller in the mines.

Just a year later, in September 1942, James was drafted and entered the service and Evansville, Indiana. PVT Yandell was likely in England long before D-Day but was not transferred from the replacement depot to G Company 116th Infantry on 13 Jun 1944. It was during this time that the regiment was struggling to maintain unit strength and combat effectiveness after the losses on 6 Jun 1944 and PVT Yandell was again transferred, this time to F Company on 22 Jun 1944 where he served as a rifleman. Where PVT Yandell actually was is in question because he was recorded as being wounded by artillery fire on 20 Jun and evacuated to hospital from which he was not discharged until August 1944. PVT Yandell was transferred from the replacement depot to the Medical Detachment 116th Infantry on 15 Aug 1944 where he initially served as a duty soldier, likely doing whatever was required in operations. He is shown as serving as a medical aidman when he was again wounded by artillery fire on 16 Oct 1944. Evacuated to a higher level hospital PVT Yandell died of his wounds on 18 Oct 1944 despite treatment.

PVT Yandell was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in the Union Baptist Church Cemetery in Marion, Kentucky.

James other younger brother, Robert Charles Yandell, also served in the U.S. Army during WW2