PFC Bert Shegan

courtesy of Rob and Debi Felten

PFC Bert Shegan was born 8 Oct 1906 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of the 6 children born to Joseph and Andja (Yunovich) Shegan. Both parents were natives of Yugoslavia. His father had immigrated in 1902. By 1930 Joseph was working as an inspector in a pipe mill and Bert was driving for a grocery store. One sister was working as a packer for a Crown Chocolate Company and a brother was also working as a driver for a grocery. Bert married Daisy Belle Nolder before 1940 and also began working in a steel mill. The couple was living at 649 Monongahela Avenue in Glassport, Pennsylvania which they rented for $29 a month. Daisy was also working at a mill and together the couple reported a 1939 income of $1500. Bert registered for the draft in October 1940.

Bert was drafted in August 1943. After his basic military training he was sent to the European theater, probably in July 1944. PFC Shegan was transferred from the replacement depot to G Company 116th Infantry on 11 Aug 1944. He then fought with the unit in the effort to liberate Brest and as the unit pushed into Germany in the vicinity of Aachen, Germany. He was killed in action on 17 Oct 1944.

PFC Shegan was repatriated and re-interred in the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.

Bert's brothers also served their community and country. Michael Milan Shegan was a policeman in McKeesport for many years. David Joseph Shegan served as a CPL in 652nd Engineer Battalion during WW2. Rudy Joseph Shegan served as a CPL in the United States Marine Corps during the war.

PVT Charles F. Carroll

PVT Charles F. Carroll enlisted from Maryland.  Assigned to D Company 116th Infantry from the replacement depot on 22 Jun 1944, Charles was first wounded on 1 Jul 1944 and evacuated to hospital.  He returned to the unit from the replacement depot on 15 Aug 1944.  PVT Carroll was killed in action on 17 Oct 1944.  He was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.

PVT Carroll is buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery.  He was survived by his wife Florence.

PFC Earnest Leon Stafford

PFC Earnest Leon Stafford was born in Blount County, Alabama on 18 Sep 1917 to John Thomas and Della Katherine (Murphee) Stafford on a farm near Oneonta.  Second born of 7 children, he was working as a farm laborer in 1940.  Drafted in March 1943, Earnest was assigned to E Company 116th Infantry on 9 Aug 1944.  PFC Stafford was killed in action on 16 Oct 1944.  He is buried in Antioch Methodist Cemetery in Oneonta, Alabama.

PVT Clifford Gail Pillers

PVT Clifford Gail Pillers was born 17 Jun 1923 in Callao, Missouri. He was the 2nd of the 3 children born to Elbert Lee and Ruth A. (Morris) Pillers. His family farmed in Macon County in Missouri. Clifford graduated from high school in 1940 and continued farming.

Clifford was drafted in November 1943. Inducted at Fort Leavenworth, PVT Pillers had his basic military training at Camp Fannin, Texas. In May 1944 he had a 10-day furlough before he shipped out for England. Clifford was in England in July 1944. From there he was sent to the replacement depot and on 27 Jul 1944 was transferred to Headquarters 2nd Battalion 116th Infantry to served as a field lineman. PVT Pillers was wounded near Vires on 7 Aug 1944 and evacuated to hospital. He was transferred from the replacement depot back to the unit on 6 Sep 1944. Initially reported as missing in action, it was later confirmed that PVT Pillers had been killed in action near Aachen, Germany on 16 Oct 1944.

PVT Pillers was initially buried in the Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium but was repatriated in 1947 aboard the USAT Joseph V. Connolly and re-interred in Locust Grove Cemetery in Callao, Missouri.

T5 Robert Richard Bart

T5 Robert Richard Bart was born 15 Jun 1918 in Peoria, Illinois to Valentine William Joseph and Antoinette F. (Korman) Bart.  His father worked in a paper mill.  Although the 1940 census doesn't show any employment for Robert, on 12 Oct 1940 he married Violet Wilhelmenia Janssen.  They would have one son. 

When Robert was drafted in December 1942, the record indicates that he was working as a meat cutter.  After his military training as a truck driver he was sent overseas and on 3 Sep 1944 assigned from the replacement depot to Headquarters Company 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry.  T5 Bart was killed in action on 16 Oct 1944.

Returned to the U.S. in 1947. T5 Bart was buried in Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Peoria, Illinois. Violet married Joseph P. Bart, one of Robert's older brothers, on 2 Nov 1946 in Peoria. Son, Robert William Bart, was on the All Army Rifle team during his service. A grandson survives.

PFC John Thomas Owens

PFC John Thomas Owens was born 4 Aug 1907 in Troy, New York. He was the first of 8 children born to James Joseph and Mary J. (Burke) Owens. The family moved to Hamilton, Ohio less than a year later. His father worked as a machinist. John would follow suit and also become a machinist working at Columbia Tool and Machine Company.

John was drafted in March 1943. His father was struck by a driver in a hit and run incident and killed in September 1943. John was sent overseas in May 1944 and reportedly served with 48th Armored Division, one of the "phantom" divisions created to deceive the enemy about troop strength and disposition. PFC Owens was transferred from the replacement depot to G Company 116th Infantry on 13 Aug 1944. PFC Owens died on 16 Oct 1944.

There is some question as to the manner of PFC Owens' death. It was reported at the time and his family was told that he was killed in action but that entry in the unit's morning report indicates that he committed suicide by hanging himself. Sadly, suicide among veterans is not uncommon now and likely was not as uncommon then as we would like to believe. 

PFC Owens was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

PFC Curtis Leo Tatum

PFC Curtis Leo Tatum was born 21 Mar 1923 in Cumberland County, North Carolina probably in Cedar  Creek. He was the 4th of 6 children born to Robert Leo and Cora Jane (Jackson) Tatum. Robert was a mechanic in a garage in Cross Creek, North Carolina. We think that Robert died in 1929. Cora didn't remarry and the older sons worked to support the family.

Curtis was in his senior year in high school when he was drafted in December 1943. After his basic military training he was sent to the England in June 1944 and from there to the replacement depot from which he was transferred to B Company 116th Infantry on 17 Jul 1944. He was transferred from B to A Company 116th Infantry on 23 Jul 1944. PVT Tatum was promoted to PFC on 11 Aug 1944. A Company was near Aachen, Germany on 13 Oct 1944 when PFC Tatum was struck in the back by fragments from an artillery shell. Evacuated to hospital he underwent surgery but succumbed to his wound(s) on 16 Oct 1944. 

PFC Tatum was repatriated and re-interred in the Cedar Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Great-grandfather, Allen M. Jackson, served as a PVT in I Battery 2nd North Carolina Artillery (CSA) in the Civil War.

PFC Junior Benson Hamrick

PFC Junior Benson Hamrick was born 8 Jun 1924 in Webster Springs, West Virginia to Lorenzo Benson and Ora Ann (Pritt) Hamrick.  His father was a coal miner. Junior was able to complete 3-years of high school.

Junior was drafted in January 1944. After completing his military training he was sent to the European theater and transferred from the replacement depot to E Company 116th Infantry on 9 Aug 1944. He fought with the unit in the campaign to take Brest and was still with the unit when he was killed in action at Aachen, Germany on 16 Oct 1944.

PFC Hamrick is buried in Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery.

His brother, SSG Victor L. Hamrick, was a waist gunner on B-17 "Short Snorter III" (#42-5337), 401st Bomber Squadron, 91st Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force and was lost when his plane was shot down on a mission to Schweinfurt, Germany. He is remembered on the wall of the missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery.

TSGT Leo James Nash

courtesy of Skip Farrow

TSGT Leo James Nash was born 7 Sep 1923 in Lena, Illinois. He was the only known child of Rachel Fey "Rae" Mead. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, Richard Henry and Estella Octavia (Adams) Mead. His grandfather worked at various jobs including laborer on a stock farm and  a cabinet maker.

Leo was working for Kraft Cheese Company when he was drafted in July 1942. After basic training he was sent to England and assigned to A Company 116th Infantry. He trained with the unit for the amphibious assault on occupied France which would take place on the Normandy beach at Vierville-sur-mer on 6 Jun 1944. PFC Nash survived the landing and fought with the unit in the bocage. He was promoted to SSG on 20 Jun 1944, having likely had numerous opportunities to display his leadership skills and knowledge in his greatly depleted unit. SSG Nash was serving as a squad leader when he was wounded on 30 Jul 1944 and evacuated to hospital. He was apparently returned to the unit on 2 Aug 1944 and promoted to TSGT on 13 Sep 1944. TSGT Nash was wounded by a land mine on 8 Oct 1944 and evacuated to hospital eventually being evacuated to Cambridge, England where he suffered gangrene and died of his wound(s) on 16 Oct 1944.

TSGT Nash rests forever in the Cambridge American Cemetery.

Grandfather, Richard Henry Mead, served as a PVT in E Company 2nd Wisconsin Infantry in the Spanish-American War. Great-grandfather, Ephraim P. Mead, served as a PVT in H Company 14th Wisconsin Infantry (USA) in the Civil War.

SGT William Harold Altham

SGT William Harold Altham was born 13 Jan 1917 in Sharon, Pennsylvania to William Henry and Anna (Golden) Altham. His father was a janitor for many years.  Before the war, William himself was a mill worker. 

William was drafted in May 1942.  He married Virginia Euna Bottoms 26 Jun 1943 in Anniston, Alabama. Assigned to E Company 116th Infantry from the replacement depot on 22 Jun 1944 he was wounded on 18 Jul 1944 and evacuated to hospital. William and Virginia had a son born on 23 July 1944. William returned to E Company on 15 Sep 1944.  He was killed in action on 16 Oct 1944. 

SGT Altham is buried in Crestwood Memorial Cemetery in East Gadsden, Alabama. Virginia did not remarry until 1958. William's brother, Ralph Allen Altham, also served (1942-1945).  

PFC Stephen Samuel Baggar

PFC Stephen Samuel Baggar was born 24 Sep 1919 in Jersey City, New Jersey to Nicholas and Sofie (Gambilo) Baggar.  His father worked for a railroad for many years and his mother died in 1940. Stephen graduated from Dickinson High School in Jersey City in June 1936. Both parents were natives of what is now Poland. As an oiler for the railroad, Nicholas had a 1939 income of $1560 and owned home on 364 York Avenue in Jersey City which was valued at $1500 (although valued at $22,000 in 1930). Also in 1940, Stephen was shown on the census as a "new worker" who had a 1939 income of $48.

Drafted in October 1942, Stephen had completed high school.  On 13 Jul 1944 he was transferred from the replacement depot to E Company 116th Infantry.  He was killed in action on 16 Oct 1944.

Brothers John and William Baggars also served during the war. 

PVT WIlliam Henry Glasgow

PVT William Henry Glasgow was born 16 Jul 1914 in Halifax County, Virginia to William Berryman and Lessie Oleaner (Anderson) Glasgow.  His father was a farmer. 

William was a member of the National Guard unit in Farmville, Virginia when the unit was federalized in February 1941.  Assigned to Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion 116th Infantry, he was apparently wounded on 13 Jun 1944 and went to hospital.  He was returned to the unit on 29 Aug 1944.  In the fluid actions as the unit advanced on Germany, he was first noted as MIA and then as killed in action on 16 Oct 1944. 

He is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery. 

PVT Willard Edgar Kuehner

courtesy of Patty

PVT Willard Edgar Kuehner was born 26 Jul 1914 in Columbus, Ohio to Edgar and Mabel V. (Reinkens) Kuehner.  His father worked variously as a coal dealer and an accountant. Willard was able to attend college and he married Genevieve Marie Herrick in 1940. Also in 1940, he was working as a bookkeeper for Ohio National Bank in Columbus and reported a 1939 income of $1250.

Willard was drafted in October 1943.  Sent to Europe after basic training, he was transferred from the replacement depot to Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion 116th Infantry on 4 Sep 1944 where he was to serve as a message center clerk. PVT Kuehner was killed in action on 16 Oct 1944. 

PVT Kuehner is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. Genevieve re-married in 1946, they apparently had no children.

The following is the last letter from Willard before he was killed:

Censor's Stamp - Lt. PL Jones

To: Mrs. Willard E. Kuehner, 1427 Parsons Ave. #5, Columbus 7, Ohio

From: Pvt. W. E. Kuehner 35296314, Hdq Co 2 Bn 116 Inf APO 29 c/o PM New York N.Y.

Oct 11 1944

My Darling,

We just finished a couple of very bad days, being wet and cold and having no place to sleep except a hole in the ground. I'll tell you, Honey, its no fun and if I couldn't have you back there waiting for me I don't think I would dig so deep. It all seems so useless to have to spend the best years of your life living like this. It has been so long since I had a bath that I stink. One bright light to all this is I am getting your mail. Those pictures sure looked natural & I like that perky hat & purse. I enjoyed reading Bill's letter. He has had a lot of the same experiences I am having I guess but at least he has a truck to sleep in. The last two nights I've slept sitting up in the hole expecting water to come in any time. Tonight should be better as we have a new place. I am sorry you are being bothered by the neighbors. I know just the type. I think the best thing to do is to have nothing to do with them at all. This is one of Mom's Vmail. Normally we have plenty but it came in handy this time. Honey you are right about taking it where it should go & the name you couldn't get was Uncle Charlie Reinkens. Honey your letters are a real booster. Your description of us going to a football game sure made me homesick. We had so much fun. I have been in Belgium & Holland and the countries both are nice looking. In Holland we stayed in an orchard and had some of the best apples and it was there I talked to those little kids. There seems to be one Jerry plane come over every night about dark and the fellows call him "Bed Check Charlie". Honey you tell Mabel I witnessed the whole show that her husband was in and I mean we were really glad to see them coming. Honey I suppose I am leaving a lot of questions unanswered but the time that elapses from when I get the letters till when I have a chance to write makes it hard. As you say when I get back a lot of things will be much clearer. The weather has been the worse (sic) thing against us so far this time. I am glad I don't drive a truck. You know me in mud.

All my love,

Willard

PFC John Calvin Sullivan

PFC John Calvin Sullivan was born 16 May 1924 in Union County, Georgia. He was the 3rd of 8 children born to Richard Barney and his 2nd wife, Florida Bellzoria (Hood) Sullivan. John had 5 older half-siblings of his father and Richard's 1st wife, Florida's older sister, Miranda, who had died of tuberculosis in 1919. Richard supported his family by farming in Union County, Georgia near Choestoe. When John registered for the draft in 1942 he was working for his half-brother, Oscar, in Colorado

John was drafted in October 1943 and began his military service at Fort McPherson, Georgia. After his basic military training he was sent to the European theater. PVT Sullivan was transferred from the replacement depot to B Company 116th Infantry on 11 Aug 1944. He fought with the unit in the liberation of Brest and on 20 Sep 1944 he was promoted to PFC. PFC Sullivan was shot in the body near Aachen, Germany on 13 Oct 1944. Evacuated to hospital he underwent a splenectomy but died of his wound(s) on 16 Oct 1944.

PFC Sullivan was repatriated and re-interred in the Union Baptist Cemetery in Choestoe, Georgia.

Older brother, Francis Marion Sullivan, served as a CPL in the U.S. Army during WW2.

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PVT Stacey Woodrow Smith

courtesy of Des Philippet

PVT Stacey Woodrow Smith was born 21 Feb 1915 in Shawmut, Horton township, Elk County, Pennsylvania. He was the 5th of the 9 children born to William Edwin and Catherine Nora Jane "Jennie" (Starr) Smith. His father worked as a foreman in tile manufacture, as a coal miner, and in a clay plant. By 1940, Stacey was working in a steel mill for the Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation which then and now produces specialty steels. In May of that same year he married Isabelle Marion Stobert. The couple lived at 622 3rd Avenue in Tarentum, Pennsylvania a small duplex which still serves as a home today. The couple's first daughter would be born in January 1942 and the second in July 1943.

Stacey was drafted in January 1944. Sent to the European theater after completing his basic military training he was then transferred from the replacement depot to E Company 116th Infantry on 9 Aug 1944. Just a few days later, on 14 Oct 1944, PVT Smith was wounded in the vicinity of Aachen, Germany and evacuated to a hospital. He died of his wound(s) on 15 Oct 1944.

PVT Smith is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery.

Stacey's younger brother, Dale R. Smith, was an aviation cadet when he received word of his Stacey's death. Older brother, Kenneth Edwin Smith, served in the Army during both WW2 and Korea attaining the rank of MAJ. Father, William Edwin Smith, served as a PVT in B Company 10th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Spanish-American War.

PFC Joe Anton Pelc

PFC Joe Anton Pelc was born 29 Nov 1918 in Chesterfield county, Virginia. He was the youngest of the 5 children born to Anton Frank and Sena (Stech) Pelc. His parents were natives of what is now Ukraine. His father farmed on a place along North Road near Dale, Virginia. His mother died of cancer at age 36 in 1927. His father re-married 2 years later. Joe would work with his father on the farm for several years.

After Joe was drafted he was sent to England and assigned to B Company 116th Infantry. He trained with the unit for the amphibious landing that was part of the invasion of occupied Europe. PFC Pelc was apparently wounded on 20 Jun 1944 and evacuated to hospital. He returned to the unit via the replacement depot on 15 Aug 1944. PFC Pelc was killed in action near Aachen, Germany on 15 Oct 1944.

PFC Pelc is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery.

PFC Benjamin Theodore Oslewski

courtesy of Des Philippet

PFC Benjamin Theodore Oslewski was born 23 Sep 1925 in Detroit, Michigan. He was the 4th of 5 children born to John George and Anastasia (Duziak) Oslewski. Both parents were natives of Poland. His father supported the family by working in an auto plant. Anastasia died in 1935. His father would remarry in 1936 but divorce Anna Talek Lasek Oslewski in 1941 on the grounds of cruelty.

Benjamin was probably drafted in 1943 and after his basic combat training was sent to the European theater. PVT Oslewski was transferred from the replacement depot to A Company 116th Infantry on 17 Jul 1944. He was promoted to PFC on 11 Aug 1944. PFC Oslewski was evacuated as a non-battle injury to hospital on 4 Sep 1944. He was returned to the unit from the replacement depot on 30 Sep 1944. Initially reported as missing in action, PFC Oslewski was killed in action on 15 Oct 1944.

PFC Oslewski rests forever in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery.

The family was visited by another tragedy almost exactly 6-years later when, on 31 Oct 1950, Benjamin's older brother John Edward Oslewski stabbed and killed their father in an argument about money.

PVT Robert S Ellery

PVT Robert S. Ellery was born 28 May 1914 in Oregon.  He was drafted in October 1942 while living in California.  He might have been working as a foundryman.

On 10 Oct 1944 he was transferred from the replacement depot to B Company 116th Infantry. PVT Ellery was killed in action on 15 Oct 1944.

He is buried in  Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. 

SGT William Lewis Rucker

SGT William Lewis Rucker was born 29 Aug 1916 in Botetourt County, Virginia. He was the 3rd of the 4 children born to Frank Milton Rucker and his first wife, Dola Jane (Myers) Rucker. His father farmed for others. His mother died from the influenza in January 1919. His father married her younger sister, Lula Bell Myers in late 1920. The couple would have 6 children. Many family members moved to Forsyth County in North Carolina. William married Nancy Ann Merritt in November 1939. The couple lived on Winston Salem Road in Lewisville, North Carolina and William worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

William was drafted in November 1942 and went first to Camp Croft, South Carolina. After completing basic training PVT Rucker was sent to England and assigned to G Company 116th Infantry. He trained with the unit for the planned amphibious assault that was to be part of the effort to liberate occupied France. PFC Rucker was wounded on D-Day, 6 Jun 1944 and evacuated to hospital. He didn't return to the unit until  29 Jul 1944 as the unit approached Vire. He fought in the liberation of Vire and at Brest. It was at Brest that he was promoted to SGT on 17 Sep 1944. He was killed in action in the fighting at Aachen, Germany on 15 Oct 1944.

SGT Rucker was repatriated in 1951 and re-interred in the Forsyth Memorial Park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

His half-brothers also served. Russell Owen Rucker, served in the U.S. Army 1943-1945. Henry Jackson Rucker and James Milton Rucker both served as CPLs in the U.S. Army in Korea.

1LT Roland Arthur Remick

1LT Roland Arthur Remick was born 9 May 1915 in Bristol, New Hampshire. He was the oldest of the 3 children born to Edwin Sherman and Alice Corinne (Bailey) Remick. His father worked as a carpenter. Roland completed high school and went on to attend the University of New Hampshire graduating in 1940.

Roland was working as a salesman when drafted in January 1942. As a college graduate he was an obvious candidate for officer candidate training after which he was commissioned as a 2LT. While stationed at Camp Howse he married Miss Alvin Flay Pierson of Dallas, Texas on 26 Dec 1942. Serving in various units he was eventually sent to the European theater. Alvin gave birth to a son, James Roland Remick, in Alexandria, Louisiana on 24 Mar 1944. It is possible that 1LT Remick was stationed at Camp Robinson or Polk at that time. On 12 Aug 1944 1LT Remick was transferred from the replacement depot to E Company 116th Infantry to serve as a platoon leader. Roland was killed in action on 15 Oct 1944 in the vicinity of Aachen, Germany.

1LT Remick is buried in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. There is a cenotaph memorializing him in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, New Hampshire.

PFC Donald D. Sawyer

PFC Donald D. Sawyer was born 11 Jun 1925 in Biddeford, Maine. He was the only child of Lester M. and Mary A. (Ham) Sawyer. His father supported the family by farming along Boom Road near Saco, Maine.

Donald enlisted in the army in June 1943. PFC Sawyer was sent to England and assigned to D Company 116th Infantry probably in early 1944. He would not have had much time in training for the amphibious landing in which he took part on D-Day, 6 Jun 1944. He was wounded on 23 Jun 1944 and evacuated to hospital. He returned to the unit directly from the hospital on 6 Sep 1944. He fought with the unit in the liberation of Brest and then in the attack on Aachen, Germany. PFC Sawyer was killed in action there on 15 Oct 1944.

PFC Sawyer was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Biddeford, Maine.

PFC John Michael Higgins Jr.

PFC John Michael Higgins Jr. was born in Manhattan, New York on 1 Aug 1922. He was the oldest of the two children born to John and Ellen (Shaunessy) Higgins, both of whom immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland. In 1935 the family was living in an apartment at 2342 Ryer Avenue in the Bronx. His father supported the family working as a "tollman" for the subway system earning about $1400 a year. They were still at the same address in 1942 and young John was working for Ethel Corporation in the Chrysler Building.

After being drafted and completing his five months of training, John was sent to the European theater, England, and was assigned to H Company 116th Infantry prior to the D-Day landing on 6 Jun 1944.  Fighting with the unit through France and into Germany, he was killed in action near Aachen on 15 Oct 1944.

PFC Higgins was repatriated and re-interred in the Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, New York. 

PVT Henry Filllmore Merrill

PVT Henry Fillmore Merrill was born 21 Aug 1915 in Pocomoke, Maryland.  He was the 4th of 5 children born to Edward Marvin and Jesse Lee (Callahan) Merrill. His father was a builder and contractor. His grandfather operated a clothing store in Pocomoke. Henry married about 1939 to Hilda Louise Morris. The couple would later have a daughter. Henry worked as a clerk for  American Stores Company and reported a 1939 income of $720. He would work for I. H. Merrill in Pocomoke before he was drafted.

Henry registered for the draft in 1940 but wasn't drafted until January 1944. After training he was sent to the European theater of operations. On 13 Aug 1944 PVT Merrill was transferred from the replacement depot to G Company 116th Infantry. He was killed in action on 14 Oct 1944.

PVT Merrill was repatriated in 1947 and re-interred in Parksley Cemetery in Parksley, Virginia where he will rest forever next to his wife, Louise, who never remarried.

His brothers, Homer and Edward both served during the war and Homer was wounded in Europe.

SGT William Joseph Giroux

SGT William Joseph Giroux Was born 15 Aug 1914 in Chicago, Illinois to William Joseph and Mary C. (Grogan) Giroux.  His father died in 1923. In 1940, William was working as a clerk for a railroad and reported a 1939 income of $1600.

William entered the army in November 1942.  After training as a radio operator, William was sent to England and assigned to Headquarters Company 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry on 14 Jul 1944.  He was immediately reassigned that same day to Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 116th Infantry. He was a SSG at that time.  On 18 Aug 1944 he was reduced in rank to PVT and then promoted that same day to T4.  On 17 Sep 1944 William was promoted to SGT.  SGT Giroux was killed in action on 14 Oct 1944.

SGT Giroux was repatriated in 1947 and buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois.

PVT George Truett Smalley

PVT George Truett Smalley was born 26 Jul 1915 in Bailey County, Texas. Called Buck by his family, he was the 2nd child and only son of George Andrew and Ama Belle (Collins) Smalley. His father farmed for others and clerked at harvest time. His father later enlisted in the Navy, prior to WWI, and served for several years. It was during this time that Buck's parents became estranged and his mother moved with her 2 children to Floydada, Texas. Ama wanted a good life and a good education for her children and despite the difficulties of single-parentage and the Great Depression she managed, clerking and with the hard work of both children doing small jobs, to put both children through college. Buck attended West Texas State University for 2 years and then 2 years at the University of Texas in Austin where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in business administration. So, each child helped the other through their education. George married Martha June White on 9 Jan 1943. The couple would have a son by the end of the year. Buck worked as a salesman for John Deere Implement Company, Wilson Packing Company, and J. M. Radford Wholesale Grocery Company. Buck moved his family to Clovis, New Mexico where his sister was living with her family and their mother.

Buck was drafted in October 1943. After his basic military training he was sent to the European theater. PVT Smalley was transferred from the replacement depot to B Company 116th Infantry to serve as a rifleman. PVT Smalley was killed in action near Aachen, Germany on 14 Oct 1944.

PVT Smalley was repatriated and re-interred in the Floydada Cemetery in Floydada, Texas.

As mentioned, Buck's father served as Chief Yeoman for 4 years in the U.S. Navy. Great-grandfather, George Washington Smalley served as a PVT in D Company 5th Tennessee Infantry (USA) in the Civil War. Great-grandfather John Berry Collins served in B Company 42nd Georgia Infantry (CSA) in the Civil War.