PFC Lawrence Lynwood Warble

PFC Lawrence Lynwood (or "Linwood") Warble was born 4 May 1920 in Blacksburg, Virginia. He was the 4th of 7 children born to William Irvin and Idella Marie (Sampson) Warble. His father farmed on his own farm in the Stonewall district of Rockingham County, Virginia in the southeast part of that county which currently includes the towns of Elkton, Grottoes and Massanutten. Younger sister, Hazel Marie Warble, died of pneumonia, age 2 in 1924. The Great Depression may have hurt the family because by 1940 the farm was sold and William had moved to Hummelstown, Pennsylvania probably to find work.

Like many other young men Lawrence found additional income in the National Guard, he as a member of C Company 116th Infantry in nearby Harrisonburg, Virginia. PVT Warble was federalized in February 1941 along with the rest of the 116th and posted in Fort George Meade, Maryland. Unfortunately, Idella died of uterine cancer at the age of 46 on 4 Mar 1941. Certainly able to attend the funeral, Lawrence returned to his unit and trained at Fort Meade, in the Carolina Maneuvers near Fort Bragg, North Carolina and at Camp Blanding, Florida before boarding the Queen Mary and sailing for England in September 1942. Once there he would have participated in all the training that the 116th underwent in preparation for the planned invasion of occupied France. In December 1942 a severe respiratory illness resulted in his hospitalization.  He was again severely ill, this time with pneumonia, in May 1944 but he recovered and returned to his unit. He took part in the D-Day landing and fought with the unit until he suffered a non-combat injury and was hospitalized on 27 Jun 1944. PVT Warble didn't return to the unit until 28 Dec 1944. He was promoted to PFC on Valentine's Day, 1945. He continued to serve as a rifleman in C Company until he was killed in action on 4 Apr 1945.

PFC Warble rests forever in the Netherlands American Cemetery.

3 of Lawrence's brothers also served. S1c Harry Ludwell Warble served aboard the USS Henry R. Kenyon (DE 683) in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. CPL William Herbert Warble also served in the Army during WW2. Youngest brother, SGT Daniel Leon Warble served from 1948 to 1953 including duty in the 24th Infantry in the Republic of Korea where he was captured in June 1950 and interned at the Ch'ang Song POW camp until the truce resulted in his repatriation.