PVT William Franklin Ford

PVT William F Ford

The following is a transcription from his obituary that was clipped from a newspaper and contained in a hand written genealogy compiled by his wife, Florine. There is no date or mention of the newspaper.

Pvt. William F. Ford Dies While German Prisoner

Eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Clee Ford. Reported Missing Since June 27, Dies July 20 Red Cross Reports Pvt. William F. Ford, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Clee Ford, died as a result of wound July 20 according to word received from the Germans through the Red Cross.

The message was delivered to his wife in Wichita, August 17. A telegram from the War Department July 29 had reported Pvt. Ford missing in action since June 27.

Mr. and Mrs. Clee Ford went to Wichita to be with their daughter-in-law as soon as word was received. They brought her to the Hillsboro hospital Sunday where she remains suffering from nervous shock.

Pvt. Ford, who was born August 24, 1914, on a farm east of Lincolnville, moved with this parents when four years of age to a farm west of Aulne where the family made its home until 1934. They now lived miles northeast of Marion. Pvt. Ford attended the New Hope school and Marion High School for one year. After that he worked on the city delivery wagon, for several years at the Home Oil Station and for a time as a driver for Abe Reh’s Trucking Service. For a time prior to his enlistment he was with the Security Oil Company in Wichita.

He was married August 15, 1937 to Florine Rains of Fairfield, Iowa, at his parent’s home. They have no children.

On October 13, 1943, he was inducted into military service and entered training in the infantry at Camp Wolters, Texas. In March of this year he went overseas to be first in Ireland, then transferred to England. Mrs. Ford received a letter dated June 21 saying he was in France. Another written June 25 was the last received from him.

Pvt. Ford was a member of the Bethel Methodist church of Wichita.

Survivors include his wife, his parents, six brothers and sisters, Delphas and Jerome of Marion, Mrs. Boyd Linnens and Miss Fern Ford of Lincolnville, Elizabeth Ann of the home, and Pvt. Leslie Ford of Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Blankley and Mrs. Martha Ford are his grandparents.

PVT Ford was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  According to the morning report he was wounded, captured and died on 27 Jun 1944.   He rests forever in the Brittany American Cemetery.

PVT Roswell Verl Johnson

PVT Roswell Verl Johnson was born 22 Oct 1916 in Grant County, Arkansas. He was the youngest of 6 children of John Hurlston and Alice Lora (Davis) Johnson. His mother died in August 1918 of pulmonary tuberculosis and it seems that Roswell and his remaining siblings were raised by their father alone on the farm he owned along Highway 35 in what was then Darysaw Township, Arkansas. By 1940, Roswell had apparently taken over the farm work from his father who died sometime after October in 1940. However, to support them Roswell had taken a job with the Works Progress Administration in Sheridan, Arkansas. 

It is unclear when Roswell was drafted but he was sent to the European theater and transferred from the replacement depot to D Company 116th Infantry on 7 Jul 1944 to serve as a machinegunner. He then fought with that unit until killed in action on 20 Jul 1944. 

PVT Johnson was repatriated and re-interred in the Pine Ridge Cemetery in Ain, Arkansas.

PVT Jesse James Bledsoe

PVT Jesse James Bledsoe was born 3 Jun 1922 in Rogersville, Tennessee to Mack D and Liza (Deskins) Bledsoe. His father farmed.  In 1940, Jesse was at the State Training and Agriculture School for Boys. 

Jesse was drafted in June 1941.  Assigned to Headquarters 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry from the replacement depot on 19 Jun 1944, PVT Bledsoe was probably serving as a runner/messenger for his battalion.  Wounded on 19 Jul 1944 and evacuated to the hospital, he died of his wounds on 20 Jul 1944.

PVT Bledsoe is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. 

SSG Andrew Kostechak

SSG Andrew Kostechak was born 15 Dec 1920 in Cairnbrook, Pennsylvania the fourth of ten children born to John and Susan (Havarilla) Kostechak. His father was a coal miner and by 1940, so was Andrew.

Andrew was still working as a miner when he was drafted in August 1942. He was sent to England and assigned to K Company 116th Infantry. He trained with that unit for the amphibious assault that was to take place at the French beach code-named "Omaha".  He did make that assault with that unit and, surviving, he was promoted from PFC to SSG on 20 Jun 1944.  SSG Kostechak was wounded on 25 Jun 1944 and evacuated to hospital.  He was likely in hospital in England when he died of his wound(s) on 20 Jul 1944.

SSG Andrew Kostechak was repatriated and now rests forever with his family in Saint John the Baptist Cemetery in Central City, Pennsylvania.

Andrew's older brother, Michael, served as a TSGT in the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. Michael was killed 19 Aug 1944. The brothers are buried side-by-side.

Youngest brother, Robert, served in the Army from 1953 to 1955.

PFC Howard E. Lee

PFC Howard E. Lee was born 31 Oct 1916 in East Prairie, Missouri the second of six children of Willie Wesley and Dovia (Brooks) Lee.  His father was a carpenter and worked as a farm hand. Howard was also working as a farm hand.  On 16 Dec 1939 he married Vivian Asalee Henson.

Howard entered the service in Jan 1943.  He and Asalee would have a son in June 1943.  After completing basic training, PVT Lee was sent to Europe and on 4 Jul 1944 was transferred from the replacement depot to G Company 116th Infantry.  PFC Lee was wounded on 18 Jul 1944, evacuated to hospital and died of his wound(s) on 19 Jul 1944.

PFC Lee was repatriated and is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in East Prairie, Missouri. Asalee would re-marry in 1945.

PVT Walter Koliga

PVT Walter Koliga was born 26 Jan 1910 in Breslau, Pennsylvania one of six children of Frank and Fanny (Maciako) Koliga.  Both of his parents were natives of Poland.  Three of his siblings would die of pulmonary tuberculosis before they were 32 years old. Frank worked in a steel mill but by 1930 was dependent on his sons including Walter who, in their turn, worked in the steel mill.  However, the family owned their home which was valued a $6000 in 1930. By 1940, Walter was still living at home supporting his parents but was now working in a coal mine. The family home was now valued at $1000.

Walter married Leona Katilus on 13 May 1940.  They would have one daughter. Frank died 1 Mar 1942 of an apparent heart attack.

Walter was drafted in April 1943. He was again working in a mill at that time. After his initial training he was sent to England and assigned to B Company 116th Infantry. He trained with that unit for and participated in the amphibious assault that took place on 6 Jun 1944.  PVT Koliga fought with that unit through to Saint Lo and was killed in action on 19 Jul 1944. 

PVT Koliga is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery.  His brother, Michael, served in the U.S. Army (G Company 31st Infantry) from 1932-1934 and died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1943. His youngest brother, Alexander James Koliga attained the rank of TSGT, serving in the Army from 1940 to 1945. Leona apparently never re-married and died in 1986.  Their daughter married and had a child. 

PVT Harlie Winslow Knox

PVT Harlie Winslow Knox was born 15 Oct 1912 in Shapleigh, Maine to Raymond Burton and Delina (Grassi) Knox.  The family farmed and Raymond worked in a bed factory.  On 26 Aug 1935, Harlie married Sarah Jane Marston.  Harlie was working in a shoe factory.

Harlie was still working in the shoe/boot manufacturing business when he was drafted in October 1943. After his training he was sent to Europe and on 25 Jun 1944 was transferred from the replacement depot to L Company 116th Infantry.  PVT Knox was wounded on 19 Jul 1944 and evacuated but died of his wound(s) that same day. 

PVT Knox was repatriated and interred in the Notre Dame Cemetery in Springvale, Maine. Brother, Ralph Leon Knox, served from 1942 to 1945. Harlie and Sarah had no children. 

PVT Claude Fant Lee

courtesy of J. Whitley

PVT Claude Fant Lee was born 4 Nov 1915 in Norwood, North Carolina the second of four children (two boys, two girls) born to Fant Moore and Beulah Jane (Gallimore) Lee. His father worked in a cotton mill. In 1931 his father was in an automobile accident which damaged his spine making him an invalid, and he died 8 Oct 1931 at age 42. In 1940 Claude his mother and and younger brother were all working as spinners in a cotton mill (probably Norwood Manufacturing Company) in Norwood, North Carolina.  Their combined reported income for 1939 was $1306 and from that they paid $4 a month in rent.

Claude was married by October 1943 when he was drafted.  After basic training he was sent to Europe and transferred from the replacement depot to H Company 116th Infantry on 19 Jun 1944.  Claude fought with H Company for a month before being killed in action on 19 Jul 1944.

PFC Lee was repatriated and re-interred with family in the Norwood Cemetery in Norwood, North Carolina.

Grandfather, George T. Lee was a PVT in A Troop, 4th North Carolina Cavalry during the Civil War.

PFC Frederick Joseph Graf

PFC Frederick Joseph Graf was born 28 Oct 1922 in Kenilworth, New Jersey.  His parents were John Frederick and Mary (Wolf) Graf.

We know that he enlisted (was not drafted) in April 1941 originally to enter the Army Air Corps.  At some point in time before D-Day he was assigned to L Company 116th Infantry and was among those who landed on 6 June.  On 19 Jun 1944 he was killed in action.

PFC Graf is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. 

PFC Fernand Joseph Raymond

courtesy of Frogman

PFC Fernand Joseph Raymond was born 17 Jul 1917 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the 6th of the 10 children born to Arthur Peter and Alice C. (Biri) Raymond. The Raymond family had been in the New Orleans area since before the War of 1812. His father worked for decades operating a pawn shop which became a finance office making loans. In 1940 Fernand was working as a sales clerk. His family was fairly well-to-do as his father reported a 1939 income of $3600 and declared the family home, at 2510 Dumaine in New Orleans, as valued at $6000. In October 1941 Fernand married Marie Louise Heider. The couple would have a daughter in December 1942.

Fernand was probably drafted in late 1942 or early 1943. After his basic military training he was sent to England and assigned to L Company 116th Infantry. He trained for and was with the unit in the amphibious assault on Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy on 6 Jun 1944. PVT Raymond was promoted to PFC on 20 Jun 1944. He fought with the unit until killed in action on 19 Jul 1944.

PFC Raymond rests forever in the Normandy American Cemetery.

Great, great-grandfather, Charles Raymond fought under GEN Andrew Jackson in defense of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Great-grandfather Charles Paul Pierre Raymond was a PVT in B Company 23rd Louisiana Infantry in the Civil War.

PVT Joe Cephas Joyce

PVT Joe Cephas Joyce was born 29 Sep 1919 in Stokes County, North Carolina to Jess Clyde and Maggie (Gunter) Joyce.  The family farmed including tobacco.  On 28 Nov 1941, Joe married Naomi Elizabeth Hopper. 

Joe was working as a weaver in a textile factory when he was drafted in November 1943.  After his basic training he was sent to Europe and on 17 Jul 1944 was transferred from the replacement depot to A Company 116th Infantry.  PVT Joyce was killed in action on 19 Jul 1944.

PVT Joyce is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. Naomi re-married after the war. 

PVT Leonard Wesley Shackleford

courtesy of AudieAnnie

PVT Leonard Wesley Shackleford was born 10 May 1918 in Essex County, Virginia. He was the youngest of the 10 children born to John William Shackleford and his 2nd wife, Sallie Ellen Rowe. Leonard also had 5 older half-siblings. His father was a farmer but he died in 1925 of cancer. Leonard ended up living with his sister, Ella and her husband, and apparently worked with his brother-in-law as a carpenter. He then moved to Richmond and was working for Andrew Packard in 1940.

Leonard had moved to Gloucester County, New Jersey when he was drafted in June 1942. We are not certain where Leonard was sent after completing his basic military training. He was transferred from the replacement depot to C Company 116th Infantry on 28 Jun 1944. PVT Shackleford then fought with C Company until killed in action on 19 Jul 1944.

PVT Shackleford rests forever in the Normandy American Cemetery.

2LT James Watson Elder

2LT James Watson Elder, b. 23 Feb 1916 - d. 19 Jul 1944. Son of Harry and Margaret (Woods) Elder of New Castle, PA. He attended New Castle HS and Washington Jefferson College. In 1941 he married Evelyn Jewell Raney also of New Castle and they had one daughter born in 1943 who still lives. 2LT Elder was assigned to A Company 116th Infantry on 18 July 1944. He is buried in Oak Park Cemetery, New Castle, PA.

1LT Marshall John Weidlich

1LT Marshall John Weidlich was born 16 Aug 1919 in Sappington, Missouri. He was the youngest of the 9 children born to Edward and Cora A. (Weber) Weidlich. His paternal ancestors had come to the U.S. from Bayern, Germany in the 1850s and settled in the area of Saint Louis, Missouri. His father farmed rented land to support the family but died in 1932, probably of a heart attack or stroke, at the age of 59. Marshall was 13 years old but despite the probable economic pressures and likely with help from his older brothers he was able to complete high school. His mother was apparently unable to cope with the loss of her husband and in 1936 she hung herself in the basement of their home where she was discovered by one of her sons, perhaps by Marshall. By 1940 he was working as an assistant manager for F. W. Woolworth at 7501 South Broadway in Saint Louis, Missouri. Clearly capable he reported a 1939 income of $1042 having worked all 52 weeks and this during the depression. Marshall was lodging with the family of Nicholas Hoffmeister at 7527 South Broadway before moving to 1101 Rockman Place in Rock Hill, Missouri.

Marshall was drafted in June 1941. He had apparently been commissioned by 1943 when he was at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. 2LT Weidlich married Miss Jane Marie Scheidegger there on 24 Jul 1943. Jane's sister Eleanor Catherine Scheidegger and LT Donald P. Dix were witnesses in the Catholic ceremony. We know that 1LT Weidlich probably arrived in the European theater, that is England, in March 1944. He was transferred from the replacement depot to I Company 116th Infantry on 18 Jun 1944 to serve as a Platoon Leader but was soon called upon to serve as the company's Executive Officer as noted in the morning report of 2 Jul 1944. 1LT Weidlich was wounded in action on 13 Jul 1944 near Saint-Lo, France. Evacuated to hospital, he died of his wound(s) on 19 Jul 1944.

1LT Weidlich was awarded the Bronze Star reportedly for carrying out a special assignment in enemy territory after landing in France on D-Day. 

1LT Weidlich rests forever in the Normandy American Cemetery.

2LT Gerald Thomas Regan

2LT Gerald Thomas Regan was born 2 Apr 1920 in Elma, Iowa. He was the 2nd of the three children born to John Gerald and Eva Josephine (Irvin) Regan. The family farmed near Howard, Iowa. the family home was valued at $1200 in 1940.

Gerald was drafted in November 1942. He attended officer candidate training at Fort Benning, Georgia and was commissioned as a 2LT on 12 Jul 1943. 2LT Regan married Mary Irene Carroll on 17 Jul 1943 while home on leave. Gerald was stationed at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana before he departed for Europe on 13 May 1944. 2LT Regan was transferred from the replacement depot to B Company 116th Infantry on 6 Jul 1944 to serve as a Platoon Leader. Reported as missing in action on 19 Jul 1944 it was later determined that 2LT Regan had been killed in action, reportedly by a "sniper's bullet", i.e. a single gunshot, on 19 Jul 1944.

A son, Daniel Gerald Regan, was born on 18 Oct 1944. 2LT Regan was repatriated aboard the Lawrence Victory in 1948 and re-interred in the Calvary Cemetery in Elma, Iowa.

PFC Alfred Vincent Ransom

courtesy of Davwingman

PFC Alfred Vincent Ransom was born 11 Nov 1911 in Grant county, Kentucky. He was the oldest of the 2 children and only son of Alvador P. and Ella Mae (Spellman) Ransom. His father worked at various jobs including as a bartender, tobacconist, farm hand and day laborer. The family moved to California in the mid-1920s where Alvador had been working in San Francisco and Tulare county since 1919. Alvador died in 1937. Alfred had only been able to complete 1 year of high school.
Alfred went to work as farm labor reporting a 1939 income of $400 and his mother brought in $100 from an unknown source. The family was paying $12 a month rent for the home at 408 J Street in Porterville, California. Fortunately, Alfred's sister and her husband lived with them increasing the household income by $1200.

Alfred was drafted in March 1941. PFC Ransom was transferred from the replacement depot to B Company 116th Infantry on 5 Jul 1944. He was immediately transferred to C Company as the battalion cross-leveled to adjust for combat losses. He was wounded on 6 Jul 1944 and evacuated to hospital. Initially thought to be slightly wounded, PFC Ransom died of his wound(s) on 19 Jul 1944.

PFC Ransom was repatriated and re-interred in Home of Peace Cemetery in Porterville, California.

PVT Robert Carey Smick

PVT Robert Carey Smick was born in Baltimore, Maryland on 20 Nov 1923. He was the 3rd of 4 children and only son of Edwin Charles and Anna Marie (Baker) Smick. His father was a butcher. By 1935 the family had moved to Newport News, Virginia. Then Edwin became ill for quite a long time and the family was supported by Robert's older sister Betty who worked as a saleslady and apparently a very successful one because she reported a 1939 income of $1600. The family lived at 243 38th Street in Newport News, now the site of a parking lot and Robert attended Saint Vincent's Catholic School. Edwin died in May 1940. Robert went to work for the Newport News Shipping and Dry Dock Company which was just a couple of blocks away from the family home.

Robert was drafted in November 1943. After his basic military training he was sent to the European theater. PVT Smick was transferred from the replacement depot to B Company 116th Infantry on 5 Jul 1944. PVT Smick was wounded in the fight to liberate Saint-Lo, France on 15 Jul 1944 and evacuated to hospital. He died of his wound(s) on 19 Jul 1944.

PVT Smick rests forever in the Normandy American Cemetery.

Robert's father served as a cook in F Company 313th Infantry in France in WWI. He is buried in the Hampton National Cemetery in Hampton, Virginia. His oldest sister, Sister Maria Smick, was a member of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth for 63 years.

PFC Stephen Albert Kalata

PFC Stephen Albert Kalata was born 20 Aug 1918 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania to John and Mary Kalata.  His parents were natives of Czechoslovakia.  His father was a coal miner.  His father died in an apparent mine accident in 1934. In 1940, Stephen was working in road construction and reported a 1939 income of $500. 

Stephen gave his occupation as being a machinist on his marriage license. He married Margaret Janesko on 13 Aug 1942.  They would have a son on 3 Jun 1943.

Stephen was drafted in June 1943.  After his training as a infantryman he was sent to England and assigned to K Company 116th Infantry prior to the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach in which he apparently took part.  On 1 Jul 1944 Stephen was promoted to PFC.  PFC Kalata was killed in action on 18 Jul 1944.

PFC Kalata was repatriated in 1948.  He was buried in the Visitation Parish Cemetery in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Brother, Joseph John Kalata also served in the Army during the war as a CPL in the 706 Anti-Aircraft Machinegun Battery. Margaret did re-marry after the war.  Their son became a successful dentist. 

PVT Horace Vito Florio

courtesy of Bessie Savery

PVT Horace Vito Florio was born 6 Jul 1926 in West Warwick, Rhode Island to John and Anna Marie (De Palma) Florio. "Mary" was his father's second wife and Horace had 8 half-siblings.  Both of his parents were Italian immigrants. His father and several half-brothers worked at a cotton mill.

Horace had only one year of high school when he was drafted in September 1943.  Horace was transferred from the replacement depot to L Company 116th Infantry on 15 Jul 1944.  He was killed in action just 4 days later on 18 Jul 1944.

PVT Florio is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery.

PFC Wilbur Charles Silbaugh

PFC Wilbur Charles Silbaugh was born 13 Aug 1918 in Somerfield, Pennsylvania. He was the 2nd of 7 children and oldest of the 3 sons of Albert and Bessie Marie (Artice) Silbaugh. His father worked as a fireman for many years. By 1935 the family had moved from Henry Clay, Pennsylvania to Selbysport, Maryland. There they owned a home valued at $1200. Albert was still working as a fireman earning a reported 1939 income of $500 and Wilbur was working in the lumber for Oliver B. Frazee and earning a reported 1939 income of $300.

Wilbur was drafted in May 1941. He was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland and was likely assigned to A Company 116th Infantry at that time. He would then have trained with the unit at Fort Meade, in the vicinity of Fort Bragg during the Carolina maneuvers and at Camp Blanding, Florida before boarding the Queen Mary for the trip to England in September 1942. In England the unit trained for the amphibious landing that was planned to be a part of the liberation of occupied Europe. PFC Silbaugh took part in that landing and was apparently one of the few in A Company that was not injured or wounded on 6 Jun 1944. PFC Silbaugh continued to fight with the unit until killed in action on 18 Jul 1944 near Saint-Lo, France.

PFC Silbaugh rests forever in the Normandy American Cemetery.

PFC Teresio C. Garrone

PFC Teresio C. Garrone was born 20 jan 1923 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts the only child of Giovanni Batiste and Luigina (Pia) Garrone. His mother had 2 daughters by her first husband. All of his immediate family members were natives of Italy.  His father was a moulder in an "electric factory" and reported a 1939 income of $1160. 

Teresio was working as a messenger when he was drafted in March 1943.  After his initial training, Teresio was sent to Europe.  He was transferred from the replacement depot to C Company 116th Infantry on 6 Jul 1944 and killed in action 12 days later on 18 Jul 1944. 

PFC Garrone was repatriated and is buried in Saint Josephs Cemetery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

PFC Roy Edward Buck

PFC Roy Edward Buck was born 24 Apr 1920 in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania to Hubert Kenneth and Leah I. (McBride) Buck.  There were 2 boys and 6 girls born to this couple.  In 1940, Hubert was working for the WPA but in 1920 he worked in a car shop. 

Roy was drafted in February 1942.  At about that same time, on 19 Feb 1942, he married Mildred A. Splain.  It appears that he was assigned to K Company 116th Infantry prior to D-Day and participated in the landing on Omaha Beach with that unit.  PFC Buck was killed in action on 18 Jul 1944.

After the war PFC Buck was brought back to the U.S. and is buried in New Rosemont Cemetery in Espy, Pennsylvania. 

Only brother, Harold Kenneth Buck, also served during the war.  Mildred remarried in Jan 1946. 

2LT Samuel Greene Licklider Jr.

2LT Samuel Greene Licklider Jr. was born 21 Aug 1913 in Belle, Missouri to Samuel Greene and Agnes A. (Allison) Licklider. His father was a cashier in a bank. Young Samuel, "Sammy", attended the University of Missouri graduating in 1937. In the midst of his college education he taught school in the local public schools. In 1940 he was working as a "secretary" for the Social Security administration reporting a 1939 income of $1200. He married a local school teacher, Lyda Frances Halstead, on 1 Jun 1940. He resigned from the SSA to attend law school and was a Junior there in November 1942.

"Sammy" entered the Army in December 1942. He took basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas and then attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia from which he graduated on 14 Jul 1943.  He then served at Camp Croft, South Carolina and Camp Butner, North Carolina and finally Camp Pickett, Virginia before being ordered to go overseas.  He was sent to England and assigned to the Casualty Officers Replacement Depot and thence to A Company 116th Infantry on 4 Jul 1944.  His son had been born on 17 Jun 1944. 2LT Licklider was a platoon leader of the machine gun platoon and fought with the unit until killed in action on 18 Jul 1944 (although the family believed he was more likely killed sometime between 4 and 6 July).  2LT Licklider had been shot in the lower stomach and was immediately treated but died before he could be evacuated.

2LT Licklider was repatriated in 1948 and now rests forever with family members in Liberty Cemetery in Belle, Missouri. Lyda would remarry in 1949 and she passed away in 1999.  Their son is still living. 

Grandfather, James Columbus Licklider, had served as a CPL in the H Company 10th Missouri Infantry (CSA).

PFC Raymond Calvin Sprogell

PFC Raymond Calvin Sprogell was born 13 Jul 1922 in Gloucester, New Jersey. He was the only child of Raymond Wesley and Myrtle Louisa (Higginbotham) Sprogell. His father was an electrician. The family lived at 64 Manor Avenue in Oaklyn, New Jersey and young Raymond graduated from Collingswood High School. After graduating, Raymond went to work for the Utility Electric Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Raymond was drafted in December 1942. After his basic military training he was sent to England in May 1943. We don't know where he was assigned after arriving in England. PFC Sprogell was transferred from the replacement depot to C Company 116th Infantry on 28 Jun 1944. He fought with the unit as a rifleman until killed in action on 18 Jun 1944.

PFC Sprogell was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in New Saint Mary's Cemetery in Bellmawr, New Jersey.

PVT Harvey McKenzie

courtesy of Jason Cockfield

PVT Harvey McKenzie was born 26 Mar 1915 in Lee County, South Carolina. He was the first born of 9 children of Isaac Ollie and Ada C. (Boyet) McKenzie. The family farmed but sometime after 1920, Isaac began work for the city of Camden, South Carolina. Harvey married Janie Edna Tant in April 1935. By 1940 Harvey was working as a fireman at a saw mill reporting a 1939 income of $520.

Harvey was drafted in September 1943. After his basic training PVT McKenzie was sent to the European theater. He was first transferred to B Company 116th Infantry from the replacement depot on 13 Jun 1944. However, he was only with that unit for a couple of days before he was again transferred, this time to A Company 116th Infantry on 15 Jun 1944 in order to help make up for that unit's severe losses on 6 Jun 1944. We then discover a bit of confusion as the morning report indicates that he was promoted to SGT on 9 Jul 1944 but is still noted as a PVT in subsequent entries. Newspaper reports indicate that his rank was SGT or even SSG. However, Harvey was wounded on 13 Jul 1944 and evacuated to hospital but died of his wound(s) on 18 Jul 1944. Military records give his rank as PVT.

PVT McKenzie was repatriated and re-interred in the Quaker Cemetery in Camden, South Carolina.

Maternal grandfather, William Washington Boyet, served as PVT in K Company 50th Georgia Infantry (CSA). Harvey's brothers also served. Robert and Hosea served in the Army, also in the European theater. Coley served as an EM3 on the USS Thorn in the South Pacific and Isaac served as a MM3 in the Navy in California.