I often spend 15 hours or more researching each profile prior to publication. Some have a development period of just a few days, while others have sat in various stages of completion for more than a year. I often work on a piece until I hit a wall, and then shift gears while I wait for a solution. As this project approaches the five-year mark, I have decided to present some work in its incomplete, unpolished state. As an article is finished, I will publish a full-length article and remove it from this page.
The reasons each story is on hold varies. In many cases, I am waiting for my next visit to the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, to obtain unit records which contextualize the servicemember’s experiences, or photos to better illustrate the piece. In other cases, I am waiting to obtain morning reports or personnel files that may shed light on a servicemember’s career. In a few cases, I’m stumped by a mystery and fear publishing inaccurate information.
One of the motivations in presenting these briefs is the hopes that family members of the fallen—or somebody with information about the man or his unit—may stumble across them and provide assistance in getting them across the finish line. Bibliographies and acknowledgments have been omitted until final publication.
Ship’s Cook 3rd Class Joseph H. Keith (1913–1943)
Early Life & Family
Joseph Harding Keith was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 26, 1913. He was the son of Carl R. Keith (a metal polisher, 1878–1955?) and Mabel Keith (née Bischoff or similar, 1883–1961). His parents divorced around 1919. He was Catholic.
When his father registered for the draft on September 12, 1918, he was living at 1575 McClellan Avenue in Detroit and working as a metal polisher for the Studebaker Corporation. Carl and Joseph Keith were recorded on the census as roomers, possibly at the same address. At some point, however, Keith rejoined his mother.
Keith’s mother’s obituary stated that she moved to Norfolk, Virginia, around 1922 and at some point. On September 24, 1926, she remarried to Arthur Lewis Dildine (1884–1945).
By April 1930, Keith was living with his mother and stepfather at 219 24th Street in Norfolk. Keith was working as an office messenger, while his mother was working as a seamstress and his father as a cook in a hotel.
By early 1935, Keith, then 22, was in a relationship with a 16-year-old girl, Myrtle Adele Dunnavant (1918–1987), a native of Norfolk. On August 12, 1935, about two months after she turned 17, the couple married in South Mills, North Carolina. Later that year, she gave birth to their only child, Jesse Arthur Keith (1935–1996). Myrtle Keith later told the Navy:
He deserted me and his child in 1937 and his whereabouts were unknown. If Joseph Harding Keith secured a divorce at any other place than Virginia, I received no notice of the proceeding, and he has at all times known my address, and not having received any notice, any decree he might have received, would have been fraudulent.
Although he moved just a few miles west of Norfolk, there is no indication he ever saw his young wife and son again. In April 1940, Keith was recorded on the census as a 27-year-old living at 420 Jackson Street in Suffolk, Virginia, and working as a truck driver for a common carrier. He was living with a 22-year-old waitress, Mary T. Keith. When he registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, Keith was living at 320 North Main Street in Suffolk with Mary Elizabeth Keith. Although she was described as his wife in both records, it is unclear if the couple married or whether they provided deceptive information to cover for their cohabitation. Of course, if Myrtle Keith’s statement was accurate, Joseph Keith could not have legally remarried without divorcing his first wife.
On July 15, 1942, the Suffolk News-Herald reported that Keith was one 27 men “ordered to Richmond Friday[, July 17,] for their final examination preliminary to entrance in the U.S. Army, it was announced today by the city draft board. For unknown reasons, he was not drafted at that time. His Navy personnel file does not include the 1942 medical exam. A later exam mentioned that Keith had “internal defects.” It documented a history of gonorrhea in 1938 and that his right pupil had an irregular shape and responded sluggishly to light, though his uncorrected vision in both eyes was 20/20.
An undated alteration to Keith’s draft card stated that he was no longer living in Suffolk but only gave his address as care of the Watkins Produce Company in Thomasville, Georgia. That new address was also crossed out and a new address written in, care of L. K. [Leo Kyle] Krone, Houston, Delaware. By the summer of 1942, he was working as a canner.
During World War II, if a man moved outside the jurisdiction of a local draft board, their draft card was not transferred. However, if someone moved too far away, it was possible to comply with an order from one board by going to another local board. Thus, when the Suffolk board directed Keith to be examined again around October 1942, he was able to have it done under the auspices of Local Board No. 2, Kent County, in Harrington, Delaware.
On October 28, 1942, after receiving the report from Harrington, the draft board in Suffolk classified Keith as eligible for military service. However, according to his Navy personnel file, Keith had surgery to repair a hernia on November 13, 1942.
If he wasn’t already a polygamist, Keith became one on July 9, 1942, when he married 17-year-old Catherine Rosa Krone (later Rotenberry, 1924–2010) at the Avenue Methodist Parsonage in Milford, Delaware. Their marriage certificate was deceptive on several accounts. Joseph Keith claimed that this was his first marriage, while Catherine Krone was described as a 20-year-old housekeeper.
In addition to his work history as a truck driver, Keith told the Navy he had experience as an automobile mechanic.
Military Career
After he was drafted, Keith requested naval service, making him a “selective volunteer.” He was inducted into the U.S. Naval Reserve in Camden, New Jersey, on March 20, 1943. He was placed on inactive duty for the next week. On March 27, 1943, Apprentice Seaman Keith reported to the U.S. Naval Training Station, Bainbridge, Maryland, for boot camp.
In filling out his induction paperwork, Keith listed his legal next of kin as a separated wife, Myrtle Keith. He denied having any children and listed his emergency contact as Agnes Krone of Houston, Delaware, who he described as a friend. However, on April 7, 1943, when he applied “for the family allowance authorized by Servicemen’s Dependents Allowance Act of 1942,” he claimed his only dependent was a wife, Catherine Rosa Keith of Houston. Around the same time, he applied for National Service Life Insurance, with the $10,000 policy split between Catherine Keith and Agnes Krone.
Apprentice Seaman Keith was hospitalized at Bainbridge during May 10–25, 1943. On June 8, 1943, after completing eight weeks of boot camp, Keith was promoted to ship’s cook 3rd class. He was retained at Bainbridge instead of being transferred to another base or vessel.
Early on the morning of Saturday, July 24, 1943, Ship’s Cook 3rd Class Keith was riding in a car with Seaman Gladyn Lundquist (1922–1974). The two men were on liberty from Bainbridge. It appears Keith was on the way to visit Catherine Keith, then living at 924 Wright Street in Wilmington. After crossing over the St. Georges Bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, they continued north on DuPont Highway (U.S. Route 13). Ahead of them, on the darkened roadway, a truck had stopped and by the time Lundquist spotted it, he had no time to avoid the crash. Given his extensive injuries, Keith was almost certainly killed instantly. He was transported to Wilmington Hospital where he was pronounced dead around 0530 hours.
On August 13, 1943, Journal-Every Evening reported the results of an inquest held the previous evening: “Negligence of a truck driver and his helper in failing to place flares properly around their parked truck contributed to the death of Seaman [sic] Joseph Harding Keith[.]” The jury cleared Lundquist of any wrongdoing.
It was only after his death that the Navy discovered the discrepancy in which Keith had listed two different wives. Both women provided evidence of their marriages, but in the absence of any evidence of a lawful divorce, the Navy determined that Myrtle Keith was Keith’s next of kin. She was awarded a death gratuity of $468 amounting to six months of his pay. She and her son were also awarded a dependent identification card entitling them to care at naval medical facilities. It is unclear who the life insurance policy was paid out to.
Private Paul O. Miller (1916–1943)
Early Life & Family
Paul Otto Miller was born at 615 Concord Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 26, 1916. He was the eldest child of Paul William Miller (né Müller, 1889–1979) and Rebecca M. Miller (née Rebecca Morgan Mammele, 1898–1959). His father, who various records recorded as a clerk, salesman, machinist, mechanic, and merchant, was born in Germany but he had immigrated to the United States as a young child and grown up in Wilmington. Miller had four younger sisters and two younger brothers, one of whom died very young.
The Miller family was living in Marshallton, west of Wilmington, on February 20, 1919, when Miller’s younger sister, Elizabeth, was born. The Miller family was recorded on the census on January 17, 1920, living on Lincoln Highway in Representative District 7. At that time, Lincoln Highway was apparently contiguous with Capitol Trail, now Old Capitol Trail, suggesting that the family lived north of Newport, such as the Cranston Heights area, a little to the east of Marshallton.
The family was living in Centerville, Delaware, by the time Miller’s next sibling, William, was born on March 24, 1925. The family was listed as living in Hockessin when Miller’s next sibling, Frederick Mammele Miller, was born on October 19, 1927, but in Centerville when the infant died of hydrocephalus on November 21, 1927. The Millers were living at 200 West 26th Street in Wilmington by August 11, 1929, when Miller’s sister Alma was born. They were recorded there on the next census on April 17, 1930. The elder Paul Miller was recorded as a radio store proprietor.
Miller married Elizabeth Smith in Wilmington, Delaware, on May 2, 1941.
Military Career
After he was drafted, Miller was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camden, New Jersey, on October 22, 1942. According to a statement by his brother, De Witt Miller, Private Miller went on active duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on November 5, 1942, and began basic training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on November 11, 1942. He added that Private Miller left Camp Wheeler on February 23, 1943, and was briefly at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, during February 25–28, 1943. Miller’s brother stated that Private Miller shipped out from the New York Port of Embarkation on February 28, 1943, arriving in Casablanca, Morocco, on March 14, 1943. Beyond the fact that his brother had moved to Oran, Algeria, he was unaware of any subsequent movements
After arriving in North Africa, Private Miller was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division Training Battalion. On May 7, 1943, he was transferred to and joined Company “A,” 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. At the time, the Tunisian campaign was winding down. That same day, Allied forces captured the major ports of Tunis and Bizerte, cutting off over 200,000 Axis troops in North Africa from resupply and forcing their surrender. Those ports also proved to be a critical jumping off point to continue the Allied offensive in the Mediterranean by invading Sicily.
Before World War II the 1st Infantry Division had been composed of men from the Regular Army. After two campaigns, however, transfers and casualties meant that a significant portion of the unit was made up of men who had volunteered or been drafted in the preceding three years, like Private Miller. As of October 31, 1942, just prior to entering combat, about 64% of Company “A” enlisted men were Regular Army. By the end of May 1943, only about 45% of Company “A” enlisted men were holdovers from the prewar Regular Army.
During the Sicilian campaign, Private Miller was struck in the neck by shell fragments and killed. Private Miller’s wife was notified of his death on August 14, 1943. Even so, as Miller’s mother-in-law wrote to the Adjutant General’s Office on October 9, 1943, that her daughter still held out hope because none of his personnel belongings or dog tags had arrived, explaining: “My daughter, by not receiving these things, is under the impression he is still alive, wounded, or a prisoner. The suspense of all this uncertainty is making her a nervous wreck and is impairing her health.” In fact, dog tags were used to mark the body and grave and not returned to the family, and return of belongings from overseas was often a drawn out process.
Private Miller was initially buried in Gela, Sicily, and later moved to Monte Soprano, Italy. In 1948, Miller’s widow requested that his body be buried in a permanent cemetery overseas. Postwar, the American military cemeteries in Italy were consolidated into two permanent cemeteries, near Florence and Rome. Miller’s body was disinterred and reburied at Nettuno, now known as the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.
Miller’s widow remarried on January 29, 1949.
Private James J. Giletti (1906–1945)
Early Life & Family
James Joseph Giletti was born Vincenzo Giletti in Wilmington, Delaware, on December 18, 1906. He was the son of John Giletti (c. 1871–1949) and Sabina Giletti (née Colalillo or similar, 1881–1920), Italian immigrants. His father was a stonemason. He had at least five sisters.
A document listing “Infant Baptisms at Italian Mission,” West Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, listed Giletti and one of his younger sisters being baptized on July 16, 1909.
In April 1910, the family was recorded living at 1814 West 7th Street.
The family was at 1916 West 8th Street in January 1920 when recorded on the census. Giletti was recorded as Vicent. It appears that his mother died of complications from childbirth that same year.
In April 1940, Giletti was recorded as Vincent Giletti living with his father and older sister at 406 North Union Street.
When Giletti registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, he was unemployed and living with his father at 406 North Union Street. The registrar described him as standing five feet, 5½ inches tall and weighing 145 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes and a mole on his left cheek. He worked as a roofer before entering the service.
Although he was already 35 years old, Giletti was examined at the direction of Local Board No. 3, Wilmington, and found to be suitable for military service.
Though he served under the name James Joseph Giletti, and it is the most common spelling in other records, his headstone gives his name as James Joseph Gilletti. However, his mother’s headstone uses the spelling Giletti. Another variant seen in some directories is James J. Gillette.
Military Career
After he was drafted, Giletti was inducted into the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on May 12, 1942. That same day, he went on active duty and was attached unassigned to Company “D,” 1229th Reception Center there. On or about May 16, 1942, Private Giletti left Fort Dix to begin his training. On May 26, 1942, Giletti was assigned to Company “C,” 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, at Camp Blanding, Florida. He was placed on special duty with the 36th Division Reception Center, presumably for basic training. On July 8, 1942, he went on detached service with the 36th Division Rear Detachment, Camp Blanding, Florida.
On August 22, 1942, he transferred to Medical Detachment, 142nd Infantry.
The Wilmington Morning News reported on November 21, 1942: “Announcement has been made by Mr. Frank Colonna of the engagement of his daughter, Miss Frances Clonna, to Mr. James Giletti, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Giletti.”
Giletti’s personnel file was among those lost in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire, but a few documents pertaining to his service survived, including morning reports, a surgical record from June 14, 1944, his last pay voucher, and a set of special orders pertaining to his transport to a Veterans Administration facility and discharge from the U.S. Army. A June 1944 morning report recorded his military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) code as 657. In the context of a regimental medical detachment, 657s were litter bearers.
On September 2, 1943, Private Giletti and 22 other enlisted personnel from the regimental medical attachment were attached for duty and rations to Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment. Although members of the regimental medical detachments worked closely with them, as Medical Department personnel they could not be organic to any infantry unit, only attached. Based on this morning report, Private Giletti most likely served as a litter bearer evacuating 1st Battalion casualties for at least five months.
On March 10, 1944, he went to a rest camp, returning to duty on March 14. On May 10, 1944, Giletti and 33 other medical personnel attached to 1st Battalion were detached from that battalion.
Giletti was severely injured in a jeep accident around 2330 hours on June 10, 1944. He was rushed to the 1st Battalion Aid Station in about 10 minutes. From there, he transferred by Company “B,” 111th Medical Battalion to the care of the 52nd Medical Battalion (?). He arrived at the 38th Evacuation Hospital before 0900 on June 11. His case was handled by Neurosurgical Team No. 1 (N.S. 1) led by Major Charles Edward Dowman (1910–1987) and Captain Warren W. Greene (probably 1912–2003) from the 2nd Auxiliary Surgical Group on detached service at the 38th Evac. The neurosurgical teams consisted of a neurosurgeon, an assistant neurosurgeon, a nurse anesthetist, a surgical nurse, and two technicians, though it appears the team may have been without the nurse anesthetist at the time.
His physicians later wrote:
Seen first on 11 June at which time patient was still groggy from [anesthetic] but was moving his legs slightly, particularly flexio[n] of knees. KJ [knee jerk] & AJ [ankle jerk] were slightly hyperactive, with positive plantar response.
Although his condition was unchanged on June 12, it deteriorated drastically the following day, with the knee jerk and ankle jerk reflexes absent and his legs rendered largely insensitive. Doctors later determined that Giletti suffered a fracture to his T11 vertebrae and traumatic myelitis, inflammation of the spinal cord. At 0815 hours on the morning of June 14, 1944, surgeons spent three hours and 15 minutes performing a laminectomy to try relieve pressure on his spinal cord, but Giletti did not regain the use of his legs and remained paraplegic. Since the injury also paralyzed his bladder, doctors performed a suprapubic cystostomy on June 21, 1944.
It is unclear how long Giletti remained at the 38th Evacuation Hospital since evacuation hospitals often did not maintain morning reports documenting their patients. At some point between June 14, 1944, and June 25, 1944, he was treated at the 59th Evacuation Hospital.
On June 25, 1944, Giletti was admitted to the 32nd Station Hospital in Caserta, Italy, after being transferred from the 59th Evacuation Hospital. At 0800 hours on the morning of June 27, he was transferred to the 64th General Hospital at Maddaloni, Italy. He was admitted there the same day.
On July 2, 1944, Giletti was transferred to the 3rd General Hospital at San Leucio, Italy. The following month, Giletti was evacuated to the United States by air from Casablanca, Morocco. His plane arrived at Mitchel Field, New York, at 0930 hours on August 13, 1944. He was admitted to the Detachment of Patients, Army Air Forces Convalescent Center & Regional Station Hospital, Mitchel Field, New York. On August 18, 1944, a set of orders came down transferring him to Ashford General Hospital in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.
Private Giletti transferred to the Veterans Administration Facility, Fort Howard, Maryland, and honorably discharged from the U.S. Army.
Around that same time, his injuries resulted in pyonephrosis, a kidney infection. Damage to his kidneys resulted in chronic uremia around January 1945. Giletti was pronounced dead at 1140 hours on April 5, 1945. Journal-Every Evening reported the following day that funeral services “will be held at 8:30 o’clock Tuesday morning” April 10, 1945, at his former home, “with solemn requiem mass at 9:30 o’clock at St. Anthony’s R. C. Church.” He was buried at Cathedral Cemetery. His father was also buried there after his death.
Even though his death was due to a wartime injury, since Private Giletti had been discharged prior to his death, his name was omitted from the official 1946 list of U.S. Army fatalities compiled for Delaware. However, due to the vigilance of the Public Archives Commission, he is honored at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle.
On May 18, 1944, Private Giletti and other members of Medical Detachment, 142nd Infantry Regiment were awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge (C.I.B.). This was subsequently revoked because medical personnel were not supposed to be eligible for that decoration. Giletti would have been eligible for a retroactive award of the Combat Medical Badge (C.M.B.) once it was created in 1945, but it is unclear if that ever occurred. That would also have made him eligible to be retroactively awarded the Bronze Star under a 1947 policy that determined any soldier who had earned the C.I.B. or C.M.B. during World War II had also met the criteria for the Bronze Star.
Private John J. Bukowski (1912– 1944)
Early Life & Family
John Joseph Bukowski was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on February or October 21, 1912. He was the sixth child of Aleksander (Alexander) Bukowski (c. 1881–1956) and Stanislawa (Stella) Bukowski (née Romanowska, c. 1886–1971), Polish immigrants from what was then the Russian Empire. His father was a Morocco leather worker. Bukowski had three older sisters, two older brothers, a younger sister, and three younger brothers (one of whom died very young). He was Catholic.
Bukowski’s parents purchased a home at 908 Linden Street on October 24, 1912. They were at the same address at the time of the 1920 census. On March 25, 1924, Bukowski’s parents purchased a home at 1302 Lancaster Avenue.
Bukowski completed two years of high school before dropping out in 1929. That same year, he began working as a salesclerk for a grocery store chain, American Store Company. He was recorded on the census in April 1930 living with his family at 1302 Lancaster Avenue. In 1931, he completed two years of bookkeeping school at Goldey College in Wilmington.
Bukowski was living at 1302 Lancaster Avenue and working as a clerk when he married Jeanette Josephine Makowska (c. 1913–1991) in Wilmington on the afternoon of February 7, 1937. When Bukowski registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, he was living with his wife at 207 South Adams Street and working for the American Store Company at the corner of Lancaster Avenue and Jackson Street. Around 1939 he was promoted to store manager, supervising between four and 12 salesclerks.
Private Bukowski’s U.S. Army personnel file survived the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire largely intact. His file stated that he had completed two years of high school and two years of college. As of June 23, 1941, when he filled out an affidavit following his registration for Selective Service, Bukowski was earning $32 per week. He was earning $48 per week by the time he entered the service.
In September 1943, Bukowski was assessed by Wilmington Board No. 3 to determine whether he was suitable for military service. The board classified him as eligible for service on September 10, 1943.
Military Career
After he was drafted, Private Bukowski was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camden, New Jersey, on October 20, 1943. At the time, he stood five feet, five inches tall and weighed 130 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes. His medical examination noted that he had uncorrected myopic astigmatism with 20/50 vision in each eye and full dentures.
He was briefly transferred to the Enlisted Reserve Corps on inactive duty. He went on active duty on November 11, 1943, and was attached unassigned to the 1229th Reception Center, Fort Dix, New Jersey. That same day, he took the Army General Classification Test. His score of 99 placed him in Class III, an average rating on the five-class scale. The following day, he sat for a classification interview.
Based on his work history, the classifier suggested that Bukowski would be suitable for the military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) code 820, subsistence noncommissioned officer. This was subsequently changed to 374, stock control clerk. By late 1943, however, the U.S. Army had plenty of stock control clerks. With combat ramping up in both Europe and Asia and casualties mounting, it was riflemen that the Army needed.
Curiously, a document in his personnel file suggests that he was transferred to the 31st Coast Artillery Regiment in Key West, Florida, on November 27, 1943. This transfer must have been cancelled, since there was no report date and as of December 7, 1943, Bukowski was at the 1229th Reception Center. On that day, he was dispatched to the Infantry Replacement Training Center, Camp Croft, South Carolina.
On December 8, 1943, Private Bukowski was attached unassigned to Company “D,” 38th Infantry Training Battalion, Infantry Replacement Training Center, Camp Croft, South Carolina, an assignment confirmed the following day. Bukowski fired the M1 Garand rifle on the range on January 21, 1944. His Course A score, 110, was not high enough to qualify, but during World War II qualifying was not a prerequisite to serve as either a U.S. Army or Marine Corps rifleman.
Bukowski also fired an M1 carbine, a Browning Automatic Rifle, a light machine, and a 60 mm mortar for familiarization purposes. His training included also included satisfactory participation in infiltration, close combat, and village/urban combat courses. His field training included experiencing artillery shells fired overhead. After completing basic training, on March 18, 1944, he was designated as a rifleman, M.O.S. code 745.
On April 13, 1944, he was detached from his training unit and began a furlough. At the end of his visit home, on April 27, 1944, he reported at the Army Ground Forces Replacement Depot No. 1, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. He was detached on May 22, 1944, and assigned to Shipment GV-150(a)-A.
Bukowski shipped out from the New York Port of Embarkation on June 16, 1944, arriving eight days later in the United Kingdom.
It is unlikely that Bukowski ever learned that his younger brother, Private 1st Class Henry J. Bukowski (1923–1984), a member of Company “E,” 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, had gone missing in action in Normandy on June 9, 1944, and was later revealed to be a prisoner of the Germans.
Combat in Normandy
On June 28, 1944, Private Bukowski entered the Ground Forces Replacement System and was attached unassigned to the 12th Replacement Depot. The replacement depots—repple depples in solder slang—were not particularly pleasant places. In his book, Beyond the Beachhead, historian Joseph Balkoski explained:
Replacements were the army’s homeless. After a hasty separation from the units with which they had trained or fought, the lonely replacements found themselves in an unfamiliar repple depple, where they lost all sense of belonging to a cohesive military unit. Even new friendships made within the replacement depots were generally fleeting since it was unlikely that two buddies would be assigned to the same squad, or even the same platoon. Many replacements thought of themselves as nameless pieces of army equipment, like crates of ammunition, sent to the front and promptly consumed. […] “Being a replacement is just like being an orphan,” a rifleman recalled.
Bukowski was attached unassigned to the 89th Replacement Battalion during July 2–12, 1944. He then shipped out for France. He was briefly attached to the 92nd Replacement Depot before he was transferred to the 9th Infantry Division. On July 16, 1944, he joined Company “A,” 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.
If a replacement was lucky, he joined his new unit when it was out of the line or at least in a quiet sector. Having a few days to acclimate to the combat area and to get to know his new squadmates could mean the difference between life and death. A lucky replacement might find himself under the wing of one or more veteran soldiers who could impart the wisdom that combat experience had provided them. An unlucky one would find himself with squadmates indifferent to the fate of the raw new rifleman replacing one of their buddies, at least until he proved himself.
Private Bukowski was not lucky. When he joined the 60th Infantry, his regiment was in the middle of intense combat northwest of Saint-Lô during the Battle of Normandy. Company “A” and the rest of 1st Battalion was on the left of the regiment near Sadoc (49° 10’ 28” North, 1° 12’ 39” West), east of L’Oliverie, and northwest of La Petite Ducrie. To the south, on the other side of a secondary road, was Bois des Landes, a small wooded area. The 60th Infantry’s overall advance was south toward the road connecting Périers and Saint-Lô. Their opponents included German paratroopers.
The 60th Infantry’s after action report stated that the regiment resumed its advance at 0900 on July 16:
The 2nd Battalion was receiving fire from its left flank and the 3rd Battalion and 1st Battalion were heavily engaged to their fronts. Little progress was made during the morning. At about 1300 Major (then Captain) [Stephen W.] Sprindis took command of the 1st Battalion. Company “C” aided on its right by Company “E” attacked east and captured the high ground in the vicinity of Oliverie. Tanks were sent ahead and drove the enemy out of Sadoc. A gap existed on the Regiment’s left flank and it is probable that the enemy driven out of Sadoc went across the Regimental Boundary. At about 2100, the 1st Battalion had turned south and was in the far edge of the woods [Bois des Landes] south of Sadoc. An enemy group believed to have been previously driven out of Sadoc counterattacked the left rear of the Battalion’s position, but was repulsed.
The men of 1st Battalion dug in, but got little rest, as it “continued to be engaged throughout most of the night.”
The following morning, the regimental after action report continued:
The 1st Battalion reached the 689 grid and was unable to advance further because of fire from Hill 63. The leading company was receiving heavy casualties and in order to assist their advance the 2nd Battalion was ordered to attack east toward La Rillerie (412685 [49° 09’ 43” North, 1° 12’ 46” West]). This action was very successful and the 1st Battalion with the 2nd Battalion abreast was enabled to move forward to the southern limits of their objective. The 1st Battalion sent a patrol to the [Périers] – St. Lo Road.
The Company “A” morning report for July 17, 1944, stated that the company advanced about one mile that day. They then took up defensive positions until July 19, 1944, when 1st Battalion was pulled out of the line and went into reserve.
As far as contemporary unit records were concerned, Private Bukowski survived his first three days of combat unharmed, and made it through another period of combat later in July during Operation Cobra. On July 29, 1944, when 60th Infantry Regiment went to a rest area to partake in those simple luxuries that were impossible for infantrymen in combat—showers, clean clothes, and hot meals—nobody seems to have noticed that one of the new replacements that joined four days earlier was not among them.
Nobody seems to have noticed that Private Bukowski did not draw any cash on payday at the end of the month. He was reported missing in action only as of August 4, 1944. In fact, his unit submitted a statement that claimed: “Company was attacking town of Champ du Bout, Lambert Zone #1, T 53.9–27.1. The enemy counter attacked with tanks and the company withdrew. Upon reorganization, while awaiting reinforcements, the above named Enlisted Man failed to report.”
In fact, Bukowski had been separated from his unit, wounded, and captured, no later than July 20, 1944.
A Series of Mysteries
On July 20, 1944, a badly wounded American prisoner of war was brought into a German hospital at Mortain, France—30 miles south of where Private Bukowski had been fighting—and turned over to the care of Technician 5th Grade John W. Gibson (1921–2010). Gibson, an Arizona barber turned surgical technician (medic) with the Medical Detachment, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Infantry Division, had parachuted into Normandy and was captured at dawn on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Rather than transporting him to a prisoner of war camp, the Germans brought Gibson to Mortain and put him in charge of a ward where he treated Allied wounded.
Oddly enough, though the patient was not wearing any dog tags, he carried a paybook and two receipts identifying him as John Bukowski. However, he also had a wallet belonging to James William Kennedy (1916–1944). Private Kennedy, a native of Templeton, Pennsylvania, had joined Company “A” on the same day as Bukowski as a replacement rifleman.
Gibson later recalled that his unidentified patient “was unconscious and in critical condition from a severe head wound. An operation had already been performed and I was told by the German Surgeon that nothing could be done to save him.”
German records state that the date and location of capture for the unidentified patient was unknown, but since he was first treated at a German regimental first aid station and then transferred to Mortain, he was probably wounded before or shortly after capture.
The patient died without regaining consciousness around 0400 hours the morning of July 21, 1944. The next question was which name he should be buried under. The soldier wore dentures, but without access to either man’s medical records, that was of no immediate help in distinguishing them. He also had a rosary and pendant on his person. Gibson discussed the matter with a German sergeant and they concluded
that it was most lodgical [sic] that a man would be carrying another fellows pay book but hardly a wallet so we chose Kennedy’s name for the cross. He was given a nice burial in the French cemetery on the hill above Mortain, France. His g[r]ave lies among the French soldiers who were buried in 1940.
Gibson was uneasy about the identification. He recorded both men’s names and next of kin in a notebook. After he was liberated on August 4, 1944, he reported his uncertainty to the Army on two separate occasions, though it does not appear any action was taken based on those tips. However, the mystery continued to gnaw at him. After returning to the United States, he wrote to Bukowski’s wife and Kennedy’s mother. Both women mailed him photographs of their loved ones. Based on the photos, Gibson identified the patient as Private Bukowski.
There are many mysteries about what happened to Private Bukowski in Normandy, some of which remain unsolved. The circumstances of his capture are unknown, though it almost certainly occurred during July 16–19, 1944. It is unclear if it happened while he was participating in the American attacks on July 16 or 17 or in a German counterattack around that time. Although there is only the slimmest circumstantial evidence to support it, it is most likely that he was captured during the first day or two. Not only was the fighting at its heaviest during those days, but it also seems more plausible that Bukowski’s disappearance would go unnoticed during those chaotic two days than if he had been part of a squad for a longer period.
It is also possible that Bukowski could have gotten separated from an American patrol or nabbed by a German patrol seeking prisoners for intelligence purposes. It is unclear if he was wounded in battle before or after his capture. A German patrol would probably not have dragged an unconscious American back to their lines. Not only would that have been difficult and dangerous for the patrol, but a man with a mortal head wound could not be interrogated. However, it is plausible that if captured unhurt, Bukowski could have been wounded by artillery or aircraft afterward.
With no indication that Bukowski could have survived, but also no burial report and no evidence of him being a liberated prisoner of war, the War Department had issued a finding of death in accordance with Public Law 490, making Private Bukowski’s presumed date of death August 5, 1945, a year and a day after his reported disappearance.
On November 9, 1945, Gibson, now a sergeant stationed at Birmingham General Hospital in Van Nuys, California, wrote to the Army with his conclusion that his patient was Bukowski, not Kennedy. The Adjutant General’s Office wrote back to Gibson, initially refusing to reopen the case:
In view of the fact that the soldier, whom you identified by pictures as Private John J. Bukowski, entered the German hospital two weeks before Private Bukowski became missing in action, this office is unable to take further action to amend the records of this soldier. Therefore, it would be greatly appreciated of [sic] you would assist in clarifying the discrepancies concerning the actual date of death. Information is particularly desired as to how you established the fact that the soldier you have identified as Private Bukowski was brought to the hospital on 20 July 1944, and whether it is possible that the date might actually have been 4 August 1944.
An exasperated Gibson, who had been discharged from the Army on December 4, 1945, and returned home to Tucson, Arizona, repeated his story, explaining: “I kept notes while a prisoner and have them beside me now. By these notes I am able to give you exact dates, names, etc.”
Gibson added: “Not only did I recognize the pictures but Mrs Bukowski confirmed the false teeth.” The dentures, he recalled clearly, rattled audibly as the patient was dying. Kennedy, he added, was younger than Gibson’s patient, had darker and thicker hair, and did not wear dentures. Gibson concluded:
The only obvious reason the case was not re opened after the arrival of my first letter was that Bukowski was not reported missing untill [sic] Aug 4th. Here is the only answere [sic] to that. In my regiment as in all regiments a complete check of all men is nothing short of impossible during the heat of battle. This all happened during the terrible battles about the time of the St Lo breakthrough. It was probably not untill Aug 4th that Co A was able to turn in a thorough report.
Gibson added that he was certain that he did not treat Bukowski on August 4, 1944, because that was the very day he was freed by Allied forces, in Rennes rather than Mortain.
Gibson was certainly correct about the difficulty of recordkeeping during combat, and a reporting delay of a few days could easily be explained. Bukowski’s date of death was by no means the only fallen Delawarean whose official date of death was suspect. A remarkable number of men’s dates of death coincide with their unit being pulled out of the line. While some soldiers certainly did become casualties on the very day their unit went into reserve, in at least some cases that was simply the date that accounting for losses became possible.
When a soldier was reported as casualty under such circumstances, it was possible to backdate the casualty if the date of loss was known. However, if it was not, a soldier’s date of death was never recorded as a potential range of dates. A single date had to be submitted, and in some cases that was the report date. In many cases of discrepancies of date of death, the interval between the official date of death and probable date of death was rather small. Often this was a day or two, maybe three days. However, longer intervals of poor recordkeeping did happen.
A 1944 memorandum from the Mediterranean Theater excoriated company grade officers and noncommissioned officers, stating in part: “Proper accounting of personnel is a command function.” Although the memo was from another theater, it discussed similar mistakes to what happened in Bukowski’s case:
a. In one case, a soldier was actually carried present for duty on the roster of his organization for five weeks when actually he was missing in action. No remark was ever made on the morning report of his organization until the error was discovered by an audit of personnel conducted by the Personnel Officer. This indicates that no physical check of personnel was made against the roster of that organization for five weeks. A soldier who is not present for duty during combat must be absent. If his absence is not accounted for, he must be missing in action. If he is missing in action, he must be reported as such within 72 hours. To carry a man erroneously for five weeks indicates lack of supervision and is inexcusable.
b. In several instances, men have been reported on morning reports as missing in action, or killed, 10 to 15 days after the incident occurred. This means that for a period of from 10 to 15 days, daily checking of personnel had not been made by squad leaders, platoon sergeants, and first sergeants.
Indeed, the incident did not reflect well on Private Bukowski’s unit. Strong circumstantial evidence indicates that in the heat of battle, an inexperienced new replacement, possibly already wounded, fell into the hands of the enemy, and that after that happened, his absence went unnoticed and unreported for over two weeks. His company spent several days in reserve before Operation Cobra and then went to a rest area on July 29, 1944.
Finally, around December 13, 1945, the Casualty Branch reopened Bukowski’s case. Investigators discovered that there were two burial reports for Private James W. Kennedy. Private Kennedy was reported killed in action as of August 3, 1944, and buried the following day in Marigny, France. This man was found wearing Kennedy’s dog tags. This was the real Private Kennedy.
Investigators found a second burial report for a “James W. Kennedy” found buried without dog tags in Mortain under a cross bearing the date of death of July 21, 1944, and reburied at a U.S. military cemetery at Saint-James, France, on September 6, 1944. On March 14, 1946, the body was exhumed and assessed forensically as an unknown soldier. The findings precisely matched Gibson’s recollections and were also consistent with Bukowski’s physical characteristics. The investigator, Theodore T. Edwards, described the man as being about 35 years of age, with an estimated weight of 160 lbs., and an estimated height of five feet, seven inches tall. He had brown hair. The man had a full set of dentures and deep penetrating trauma to the “sub occipital and mastoid region of [his] skull” which had been covered with a dressing. Based on these findings, which confirmed Gibson’s story, the Army accepted this man was indeed Private Bukowski.
How Bukowski ended up with Private Kennedy’s wallet in his pocket was never explained. They were in the same company, and the fact that Kennedy was reported killed in action the day before Bukowski’s absence was noticed is certainly a remarkable—and perhaps suspicious—coincidence. However, there is no indication that Kennedy was captured at the same time.
The following year, Jeanette Bukowski requested that her husband remain buried in a permanent military cemetery overseas. In accordance with her wishes, Private Bukowski was reburied at the permanent Saint-James cemetery, now known as the Brittany American Cemetery.
Bukowski had a clean disciplinary record and was favorably considered for the Good Conduct Medal, though he would have needed to spend a year on active duty to earn it. Bukowski was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Private Raymond E. Garrett (1923–1943)
Early Life & Family
Raymond Edward Garrett was born in Seaford, Virginia, on February 8, 1923. Garrett married Edith Blanch Rainone (1926–1952) in Wilmington on June 7, 1942.
When he registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, Garrett was living with his wife’s family at 116 Brookside Avenue in the Brack Ex area west of Elsmere. The Brookside Avenue address was crossed out at some point and 619 West 4th Street, New Castle, Delaware, was written in. That address was also crossed out. 116 Brookside Avenue was written again at the top of the card, suggesting the couple may have returned to Brack Ex, but none of the alterations were dated. Garrett’s employer was recorded as the Pullman Shops in Wilmington. The registrar described him as standing five feet, five inches tall and weighing 120 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes.
Military Career
After Garrett was drafted, he was inducted into the U.S. Army in Camden, New Jersey, on January 21, 1943. He attended basic training at Camp Croft, South Carolina, and volunteered for the airborne.
Private Garrett was attached from Casual Company, The Parachute School to the 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment for administration per Special Orders No. 161, Headquarters The Parachute School, dated July 8, 1943. He was placed on special duty as a range guard. The following day, July 9, 1943, he was attached for quarters, rations, and administration to Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 515th Parachute Infantry, while remaining as a range guard.
He was with the 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment until August 5, 1943, when he transferred to the 1st Academy Company, The Parachute School, Fort Benning, Georgia.
He went on furlough October 5–17, 1943.
On November 15, 1943, Private Garrett transferred to the 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment, also located at Fort Benning. He departed from the 1st Academic Company at 1600 hours. The following day he was assigned to and joined Company “A,” 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
According to a 515th Parachute Infantry history:
From 31 May 1941 till 1 December 1943 the regiment functioned as a replacement pool for The Parachute School. The original cadre of 184 non-commis[s]ioned officers were furnished by the 507 Parachute Infantry Regiment. The officers were drawn from the Parachute Loss and Replacement Pool. The Regiment was kept on cadre strength until it was relieved from duty as an administrative agency, effective date 1 December 1943.
At this time the 1st Battalion was composed of qualified parachutists and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were composed of unqualified parachutists. Qualification of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions was commenced on 20 December 1943 and the 1st Battalion concurrently began a basic training program.
On December 30, 1943, Private Garrett was killed in a training accident. Journal-Every Evening reported that he died “when his parachute failed to open during a paratroop training jump[.]”
After funeral services at his in-laws’ home on January 4, 1944, Garrett was buried in Silverbook Cemetery in Wilmington.
Technical Sergeant Harry N. Russell (1924–1944)
Early Life & Family
Harry Nutter Russell was born in Elsmere, Delaware, on October 24, 1924. He was the third child of Harry Lee Russell and Bessie Russell (née Snowberger). At the time, his parents were residents of Bridgeville, Delaware, where his father was a farmer. Russell had two older sisters, a younger sister, and a younger brother.
The Russell family was recorded on the census in 1930 living at 718 Monroe Ave in Plainfield, New Jersey. The elder Harry Russell was working as a foreman for a concrete contractor.
According to census records, the family had returned to Bridgeville by April 1, 1935. When the family was recorded on the census in April 1940, Russell had completed two years of high school and his father was working as county director for the W.P.A. Russell attended Bridgeville High School, but dropped out after completing three years. He worked as a butcher before entering the service.
Military Training & Marriage
Soon after he turned 18, Russell volunteered for the Army Air Forces, enlisting at Camden, New Jersey, on October 31, 1942. According to a document in his individual deceased personnel file (I.D.P.F.), Private Russell was briefly stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, beginning on November 1, 1942. On November 5, 1942, he was dispatched to Basic Training Center No. 7, Army Air Technical Training Command, Atlantic City, New Jersey. The same day, he was attached unassigned to Flight “A,” 988th Technical School Squadron (Special).
If Atlantic City was a comfortable place to be for basic training, Private Russell’s next assignment was anything but. On November 23, 1942, Private Russell headed west to attend the Radio Operator & Mechanic(s?) Course, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As of March 10, 1943, found him assigned to the 605th School Squadron. According to his I.D.P.F., Russell was stationed at Sioux Falls until May 1943, when he moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Around May 15, 1943, he moved to Laredo Army Air Field, Texas.
Private 1st Class Russell attended the Army Air Forces Flexible Gunnery School at Laredo. Upon completing the course, he was promoted to sergeant. His military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) code changed to 757, Army Air Forces radio operator-mechanic-gunner. Around August 1943, he was attached unassigned to the 18th Replacement Wing, Army Air Base, Salt Lake City, Utah. On September 10, 1943, he was detached from that unit and attached to an operational training unit, the 470th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Mountain Home, Idaho. The following day, Sergeant Russell was further attached to and joined the 803rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy).
By November 13, 1943, Sergeant Russell was a member of a crew led by 2nd Lieutenant John Crotty Rush (1921–1988). Although he was on furlough at that time, a set of orders came down effective upon his return transferring his crew by rail to the 399th Bombardment Group (Heavy) at the Army Air Base, Wendover Field, Utah.
On November 23, 1943, Russell was attached unassigned and joined the 606th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 399th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Wendover Field, Utah.
However a set of orders dated November 28, 1943, transferred the crew to 801st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy).
Per his I.D.P.F., he was at Wendover Field, Utah, during November 25–26, 1943, before returning to Mountain Home.
On February 1, 1944, Sergeant Russell and his crew were detached from the 801st Bomb Squadron and transferred by rail to the 1st Search Attack Group, Langley Field, Virginia. On February 7, he was attached to that group’s 2nd Search Attack Squadron.
On March 4, 1944, Sergeant Russell married Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Culver (1924–2013), a stenographer from Laurel, Delaware, at the base chapel at Langley Field. His bride was from Laurel, Delaware. His best man was a member of his crew, Sergeant Vernon Elroy Teel, Jr. (1921–2007). Journal-Every Evening reported: “The bride wore a navy blue dress with white accessories and carried orchids and baby’s breath.”
Squadron morning reports do not mention any furlough for Sergeant Russell that month, suggesting the couple was not able to go on a honeymoon. However, a morning report noted that effective March 13, 1944, Russell was on separate rations from his unit, which may indicate that the couple had moved into off-base housing together.
On April 9, 1944, Russell was promoted to staff sergeant. The following day, the 2nd Search Attack Squadron and 1st Search Attack Group were disbanded as part of a larger Army Air Forces program to reorganize stateside training units. Russell and other personnel from his squadron were transferred to the new 111th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Search Attack & Staging).
On April 26, 1944, Staff Sergeant Russell and his crew—which no longer included Teel—were transferred to the Army Air Base, Morrison Field, Florida, to go overseas.
Combat in the China Burma India Theater
Overseas, Russell and his crew joined 375th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy). The squadron’s morning reports prior to August 1944 went missing before they could be microfilmed, but they had arrived prior to June 13, 1944, when group records record that Lieutenant Rush flew his first combat mission.
Russell’s squadron was based at Chengkung Air Base. Located east of a large lake near Kunming, Yunnan, in south-central China, the base was initially a terminal for cargo aircraft flying “The Hump” to resupply China by air after Japanese advances closed all practical land and sea routes. The two squadrons of the 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in March 1943 gave the base an offensive mission. Its B-24s could reach much of the Japanese-occupied portions of eastern China, French Indochina, Thailand, and Burma, as well as the critical sea lanes between the Japanese Home Islands and its resource-rich conquests to the south.
By August 29, 1944, when his crew went on detached service to A.P.O. 430, Russell had been promoted to technical sergeant. They returned to duty on September 2.
Russell was awarded the Air Medal per General Orders No. 70, Headquarters Fourteenth Air Force, dated September 22, 1944.
At 1615 hours on November 20, 1944, Technical Sergeant Russell and his crew took off in B-24J 42-100267 on a two-bomber antishipping mission to the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea. The Liberators patrolled as far south as Hainan Island without any sign of Japanese shipping visually or on radar. On the way back, they attacked land targets in Japanese-occupied China. Lieutenant Wind attacked Fort Bayard (Zhanjiang) while Russell’s crew attacked the docks at Kowloon, Hong Kong. Japanese searchlights briefly illuminated Russell’s plane. They released their bombs around 2130 hours. All missed the target, but they managed to escape before enemy antiaircraft batteries opened fire.
During the return flight, the Liberator lost one of its four engines. Just before 0330 hours on November 21, 1944, while on approach to Chengkung, the plane lost another engine. It is unclear if the pilots transmitted a bail out signal, some of the crew including Technical Sergeant Russell thought the aircraft was doomed and bailed out into the moonless night. Despite losing half their engines, the pilots managed to nurse the plane back to the field, where they crash landed it. The mission report stated:
Plane No. 267 crashed upon landing. No. 1 engine had failed, and as the plane approached for landing No. 3 engine ran out of gas. The auxiliary hydraulic system could not be used because in the confusion the engineer had bailed out without turning the star valve. The plane made a belly landing and is fit only for salvage.
The four men who remained aboard the B-24 survived unharmed, as did one of the four men who bailed out. Technical Sergeant Russell and two others were never seen again. The men had bailed out over friendly territory. Chinese soldiers and civilians readily provided aid to downed American airmen, their allies against the Japanese. Investigators concluded that the three men likely landed in Lake Dian (Kunming Lake). Captain Leon Spector wrote: “It is not known whether they had sufficient time to open their parachutes or if they might possibly have landed in a lake and were unable to make shore.”
The day after his disappearance, Technical Sergeant Russell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross per General Orders No. 90, Headquarters Fourteenth Air Force. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Russell’s personal effects included two Bibles, 21 foreign coins, his marriage certificate, 12 photographs, and two pairs of Chinese slippers.
Private 1st Class William H. Hall (1924–1945)
Early Life & Family
William Henry Hall was born in Wilmington, Delaware. He was the son of George Marshall Hall (1895–1967) and Sarah B. Hall (née Black, 1899–1940). He had two older sisters, an older brother, George Marshall Hall, Jr. (1921–2001), and a younger brother, John Black Hall (1926–1940).
When Hall was 15, his mother died at the family home, at 1303 Lancaster Avenue, on February 11, 1940. The rest of the family was recorded on the census on April 8, 1940, living there. Hall’s father was working as a telephone company lineman, while his oldest sister was a waitress.
Another tragedy struck the family later that year on November 5, 1940, when a teenager shot Hall’s younger brother, John B. Hall, at the Canby Park quarry. The Wilmington Morning News reported on November 19, 1940, that the shooting “was caused by the ‘deliberate recklessness and negligence’ of Robert Miller, 16, a coroner’s jury said last night.” The teenager claimed to have been shooting targets at the quarry and denied seeing hall see John B. Hall. Other witnesses testified that the fatal shooting occurred after two groups at the quarry had fired their weapons dangerously close to one another, though “There was no quarrel, the five boys testified.” During the same incident, another child was struck by an air rifle and another narrowly escaped injury when a round passed through his legs.
Journal-Every Evening reported that “Hall attended Brown Vocational High School[.]” Hall’s enlistment data card described him as having completed three years of high school and listed his occupation as “unskilled machine shop and related occupations.” When he registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, Hall was living at 805 Wilmington Avenue in Elsmere and working for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Wilmington. The registrar described him as standing about six feet tall and weighing 135 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes.
His brother, George M. Hall, Jr., was also an infantryman in the U.S. Army during World War II but was medically discharged.
Military Career
Hall was drafted in early 1943. He was inducted into the U.S. Army in Camden, New Jersey, on February 18, 1943. A family statement for the State of Delaware Public Archives Commission suggested that he went on active duty on February 23, 1943. Most soldiers who entered the Army from Delaware began their careers attached to the 1229th Reception Center, Fort Dix, New Jersey. According to the family statement, Private Hall was assigned to the Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he was stationed from late February 1943 through June 18, 1944.
Private Hall was most likely one of 84 enlisted men assigned on April 3, 1943, to Troop “I,” 29th Cavalry Regiment, at Fort Riley, Kansas. The 29th Cavalry had been activated there on January 23, 1943. Although the identities of those 84 men are not recorded in the troop morning reports, Hall first appeared on the troop payroll at the end of the month.
A portion of Private Hall’s official military personnel file survived the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire which destroyed the vast majority of U.S. Army personnel files from the World War II era. Surviving documentation includes stateside medical records, insurance paperwork, award paperwork, and correspondence from the War Department to Hall’s father.
On May 1, 1943, Private Hall applied for a $5,000 National Service Lice Insurance policy payable to his father. Several months later, on August 4, 1943, Hall was on a wagon at a stable loading hay when he fell, fracturing his left wrist. He was treated at the Station Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas, where a physician applied a plaster cast. After his injury healed, Hall was discharged from the hospital and returned to duty on October 15, 1943. He was promoted to private 1st class on October 28, 1943. Hall went on furlough during November 8–23, 1943, presumably returning to Delaware.
With the obsolescence of the horse cavalry, the U.S. Army Cavalry branch’s role had shrunken drastically. The 1st Cavalry Division had converted into an infantry unit and the 2nd Cavalry Division was disbanded. Some mechanized cavalry reconnaissance troops, squadrons, and groups remained active during the war. On May 1, 1944, Private 1st Class Hall transferred to Troop “C,” 128th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized), which had been activated that same day at Fort Riley. On June 13, 1944, Private Hall and 19 other men from his troop transferred to the 70th Infantry Division at Camp Adair, Oregon.
On June 22, 1944, the Wilmington Morning News reported that Private 1st Class Hall and Private 1st Class Donald C. Hammond (1923–1996) of Wilmington
have been transferred from the cavalry to the infantry at their own request, it was announced today by Col. Thomas W. Herren, commandant of the Cavalry School, Fort Riley, Kan. The infantrymen, who entered the service last February and trained with the 128th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, […] have been sent to Camp Adair, Ore., for their infantry training.
On June 20, 1944, Private 1st Class Hall joined Company “G,” 276th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division. His military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) code was recorded as 745, rifleman. An undated physical examination performed soon after described Hall as standing five feet, 9½ inches tall and weighing 140 lbs. It noted that he had a benign heart murmur, full dentures, and eyeglasses. On June 26, 1944, Hall began an 18-day furlough.
They later moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
In late November 1944, the 276th Infantry moved to Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. Private 1st Class Hall and his comrades moved to the Boston Port of Embarkation on December 6, 1944, shipping out that afternoon.
The 276th Infantry Regiment arrived in Marseille, France, on December 15, 1944. Just over a week later, the regiment began moving north by train and truck to Alsace. Hall and the rest of 2nd Battalion went into the line on December 29, 1944, along the Rhine near Soufflenheim, France. On December 31, 1944, the Germans tried to capitalize on their earlier failed offensive through the Ardennes with another offensive in Alsace and Lorraine: Operation Nordwind.
New Year’s Day 1945 found the 276th Infantry as the VI Corps reserve, and the regiment was temporarily attached to the 45th Infantry Division the following day. 1st Battalion was hit hard by a German attack on January 4, 1945, which captured Wingen-sur-Moder, France. While 1st and 3rd Battalions dealt with Wingen, Hall’s 2nd Battalion, which had been attached to the 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Infantry Division, captured nearby Lichtenberg, France.
Private 1st Class Hall was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge per General Orders No. 1, Headquarters 276th Infantry, dated January 24, 1945.
Hall was listed as missing in action on March 8, 1945. On April 13, 1945, the War Department changed his status to killed in action as of the date he went missing. According to his burial report, Hall suffered fatal shell fragment wounds. His personnel effects included a black Fitchhorn flute, a pair of eyeglasses with case, a money belt, a tobacco pouch, a Ronson cigarette lighter, a glass ash tray, a key, and two sewing kits.
Journal-Every Evening reported that Hall’s father received confirmation of his death on April 14, 1945. Hall was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Private 1st Class Hall was initially buried at an isolated grave outside Schœneck, France. After the war, his body was disinterred, identified from his dog tags, and reburied at nearby Saint-Avold cemetery on January 21, 1946.
After the war, Private 1st Class Hall’s father requested that his son’s body be interred at an overseas military cemetery. The numerous temporary overseas cemeteries were consolidated to a handful of permanent cemeteries. Even at those cemeteries earmarked to become permanent ones, significant reburials were necessary since many bodies originally buried there were repatriated to the United States. On March 30, 1949, Hall was reburied at Saint-Avold, now known as the Lorraine American Cemetery.
Private 1st Class Hall’s name is honored on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s World War II memorial at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station and at Veteran’s Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware.
Private William F. Lynn (1908–1945)
Early Life & Family
William Francis Lynn was born on July 14, 1908, at 209 West 6th Street in Wilmington, Delaware. He was the child of William Francis Lynn (1874–1934) and Mary Frances Lynn (née Duffy, 1878?–1961?). The Wilmington Morning News reported that the Lynn family undertaking business had been founded in Wilmington in 1835, and was one of the oldest continually operating businesses in the state by 1932. Lynn had an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother.
The Lynn family was recorded at 209 West 6th Street on the 1910 and 1920 censuses, which the Wilmington Morning News reported was also the location of the undertaking firm. On April 15, 1930, the Lynn family was recorded at 207 Linden Court. Lynn’s occupation was recorded as embalmer, presumably at his father’s business.
Lynn married Lucy F. Fucella (1909–1988) in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 11, 1930. The couple had one son, also named William Francis Lynn (1932–2005).
On June 27, 1934, Lynn was driving with his father and four aunts near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, when his father suffered a fatal heart attack.
He worked as an undertaker before entering the service.
Some fields in his enlistment data card may have been garbled when the document was digitized. He was described as having completed three years of high school. He was also listed as separated, without dependents, which may be supported by the fact that when he registered for the draft, Lynn listed his mother rather than his wife as a point of contact.
Lynn’s younger brother, John Patrick Lynn (1923–1968) served in Company “C,” 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Military Career
After he was drafted, Lynn was inducted into the U.S. Army on December 22, 1942. His wife’s statement for the State of Delaware Public Archives Commission indicates that he went on active duty on December 29, 1942, at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Private Lynn was assigned to the Medical Department. His wife stated that her husband was stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama, from January through April 1943. He then transferred to Fort Meade, Maryland, until September 1943, when he moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She wrote that he remained there until March 1944, when he moved to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. That suggests he went overseas from the New York Port of Embarkation in early 1944. The only unit she listed was the 45th Field Hospital, which was activated around September 1943 and arrived in England in March 1944. The hospital landed in France on June 10, 1944, four days after D-Day, and Belgium in September 1944.
Private Lynn went A.W.O.L. while assigned to the 238th Station Hospital at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. He was apprehended and confined at Fort DuPont, Delaware, where a guard was dispatched to retrieve him on June 11, 1943.
On July 27, 1943, a set of orders came down from Headquarters 3rd Service Command in Baltimore, Maryland, which transferred a large portion of the 238th Station Hospital’s complement to the 239th Station Hospital, also stationed at Fort George G. Meade. On August 1, 1943, Private Lynn and 172 other men joined the 239th from the 238th.
As of September 6, 1943, when he began a nine-day furlough, Private Lynn was a member of the 239th Station Hospital at Fort Bragg. On January 22, 1944, Private Lynn transferred to the 45th Field Hospital, also stationed at Fort Bragg.
A morning report established Private Lynn’s military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) as 861, surgical technician.
Aside from morning reports, very few textual records for the 45th Field Hospital survive in the National Archives. Private Lynn is not mentioned in the hospital’s extant general orders. The only other set of textual records is a 1945 report by Major Max W. Wolf pertaining to the 45th Field Hospital’s First Hospitalization Unit. The report does not reveal the movements of additional hospitalization units nor its members. Morning report indexes suggest the hospital split into two or three hospitalization units in December 1944.
Private Lynn was probably, but not definitely, a member of First Hospitalization Unit, as its location matches the location where he reportedly died. The unit began 1945 in Fallais, Belgium, but moved to Malmédy on January 17. From January 19, 1945, until February 26, 1945, they treated casualties resulting from the American counteroffensive against the German advance known as the Battle of the Bulge. After John P. Lynn was wounded in the head by artillery shell fragments in January 1945, Lynn was able to visit his brother.
First Hospitalization Unit of the 45th Field Hospital moved to Euskirchen, Germany on March 8, 1945, where its members treated casualties from the Battle of Remagen, in which American forces captured the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine. Three days later, the unit moved closer to the Remagen bridgehead, setting up at Bad Neunahr, Germany. The 102st Evacuation Hospital took over for the unit on March 14, 1945, and they staged at nearby Ahrweiler until crossing the Rhine to Niederbieber on March 26, 1945.
Major Wolf wrote in his report:
On March 26 this unit moved to Neider Beiber, where we set up in tents in support of the 2nd Infantry Division. We received no casualties and the following day moved to Montabaur. Here we took over a german [sic] hospital containing about 115 recovered Allied Prisoners of War. In addition, we also functioned as an evacuation hospital, supporting troops from V-Corps.
According to a March 29, 1945, 45th Field Hospital morning report, Private Lynn died at 0100 hours from a coronary occlusion. He was just 36 years old.
Lucy Lynn remarried on September 21, 1946, in Wilmington to Lloyd S. Malzer.
Private Claude B. Wiles (1916–1942)
Early Life & Family
Claude B. Wiles was born on February 5, 1916, in Rock Creek Township or nearby Roaring River, both in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He was the 10th child of farmers Ambrose Wiles, Sr. () and Alice Wiles (née Privette or Prevett). Three older siblings died very young prior to his birth.
Wiles was recorded on the census in January 1920 living with his parents and four older siblings on a farm in Cecil County, Maryland. Census records indicate that Wiles and his family moved to Representative District 8 in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, prior to April 1, 1935. When the Wiles family was recorded there in April 1940, Wiles was unemployed. When he registered for the draft—the card was undated but it was presumably on or about October 16, 1940—Wiles was living in Eastburn Heights, Marshallton, Delaware, and working for the Reading Railroad Marine Department.
Wiles was living in Eastburn Heights when he entered the service. According to his enlistment data card, he was a chauffeur or driver before he joined the military.
Military Career
Wiles volunteered for military service. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in Wilmington, Delaware, on January 27, 1942. Like many soldiers who entered the service in Delaware, Private Wiles was initially stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Many Delawareans spent about a week there before being transferred to other bases to attend basic training. He was not formally assigned to any unit but was attached to the 1229th Reception Center.
Wiles went absent without leave (A.W.O.L.) on February 9, 1942, and apparently made his way back to Delaware. On the afternoon of February 15, 1942, Private Wiles was discovered with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at Wilmington General Hospital. An autopsy concluded that he had died by suicide.
Journal-Every Evening reported that Wiles’s funeral “will take place [at] the Smith Funeral Home, Twenty-fifth and Market Streets, Thursday afternoon [February 19, 1942,] at 3 o’clock. Interment will be in St. James Cemetery, Stanton.”
Sergeant William L. Nelson (1918–1943)
Early Life & Family
William Lloyd Nelson was born on the evening of February 22, 1918, near Dover, Delaware. He was the eldest child of John Clarence Nelson (a farmer, 1892–1983) and Carrie Nelson (née Phillips, 1895–1965). He had a younger sister, Dorothy M. Nelson (later Dorothy Davis and eventually Dorothy Davis McCafferty, 1920–2003).
The Nelson family was recorded on the census in January 1920 living on a farm outside Dover. (The census record said they were on the Dover and Hazelville Road, but it was most likely the Dover-Hazlettville Road). Nelson was recorded as Lloyd Nelson on the next census in April 1930. The family was living on a farm along Chesapeake City Road in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, south of Glasgow.
On April 29, 1932, Nelson’s parents purchased a farm along Cedar Lane Road between Jamison Corner and Armstrong Corner, north of Middletown, Delaware. Nelson was recorded living with his parents there at the time of the 1940 census. Later that year, when he registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, Nelson was working for the Hercules Powder Company in Wilmington. The registrar described him as standing five feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 155 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes. He was Protestant.
Journal-Every Evening stated that Nelson “graduated from the Middletown High School and Beacom Business College and when drafted January, 1941, was employed in the Order Department of the Hercules Powder Company, Wilmington.” On the other hand, the 1940 census and Nelson’s enlistment data card described him as a high school graduate, not a college graduate. Nelson’s wife’s statement for the State of Delaware Public Archives Commission described him as an accounting clerk.
Military Career
Nelson was drafted before the U.S. entered World War II. He was inducted in Trenton, New Jersey, on January 9, 1941. His wife stated that her future husband spent 10 days at Fort Dix, New Jersey, before he was dispatched to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Like many men joining the rapidly-expanding U.S. Army at that time, he was assigned directly to a unit for his initial training. In January 1941, he joined Company “H,” 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. The June 1941 roster, the earliest to include duty codes, listed Private Nelson’s as 521, basic.
During a furlough back home to Delaware, Nelson married Rebecca Pyle at the First United Presbyterian Church in Wilmington on the evening of September 8, 1941.
A January 1942 roster listed a change in Nelson’s duty and military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) codes to 607, mortar gunner or light mortar crewman. The following month, he was promoted to private 1st class. The May 1942 roster indicated that Nelson had been promoted to corporal and reflected a change in his duty and M.O.S. codes to 603, gunner. (This seems to have been a blanket reclassification since no 607s were listed in the company roster for the month.) The June 1942 roster recorded another duty and M.O.S. code change to 653, squad leader. The July 1942 roster listed Nelson’s M.O.S. as 653 but his duty code as 228 (instrument man, surveying). There were no further changes recorded through September 1942, the last month on which duty and M.O.S. were recorded in extant rosters.
Combat in the Mediterranean Theater
Nelson was promoted to sergeant on January 7, 1943. He must have become a section leader at that point.
Journal-Every Evening reported Sergeant Nelson’s death on May 18, 1943.
Sergeant Nelson’s personal effects included a Bible, two prayer books, an Elgin wristwatch, a pair of glasses, a pipe, a French-English dictionary, a swimsuit, and a four-leaf clover.
Sergeant Nelson was initially buried in the II Corps cemetery on August 13, 1943. In 1947, Sergeant Nelson’s widow requested that his body be repatriated to the United States. Nelson’s casket returned to the New York Port of Embarkation aboard the Barney Kirschbaum.
Rebecca Pyle Nelson remarried.
During his career, Sergeant Nelson earned the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars for the Algeria-French Morocco and Tunisian campaigns. (Distinguished unit badge)
Private 1st Class Edgar W. Stevenson (1919–1942)
Early Life & Family
Edgar Walker Stevenson was born on East Fourth Street in New Castle, Delaware, on February 26, 1919. He was the son of Thomas William Stevenson (at the time a steel worker, c. 1883–1938) and Emma Stevenson (née Emma Ruth Lynam, c. 1889–1983). He had an older half-brother from his father’s first marriage, two older brothers, and an older sister.
Stevenson was recorded on the census in January 1920 living at 156 North 4th Street in New Castle with his parents, maternal grandmother, and four older siblings. (Almost certainly, this address is the same as 156 East 4th Street.) His father was described as a molder at a steel factory.
On June 21 and 22, 1923, Stevenson’s parents purchased a pair of parcels of land on East 6th Street in New Castle. Stevenson was recorded on the nexus census in April 1930 living at 16 East 6th Street in New Castle with his parents, siblings, and maternal uncle. Both his parents were described as working in a silk mill: his father as a mechanic and his mother as a helper. His uncle and older half-brother were working in a shipyard. Stevenson’s father died of lobar pneumonia in St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 8, 1938.
When the next census was taken in April 1940, Stevenson was living at home with his mother, two siblings, and his sister-in-law. The entry stated that he had completed one year of high school and described him as unemployed since at least 1938. His had last worked as a laborer in the tanning industry. When Stevenson registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, he was still unemployed. The registrar described him as standing five feet, 11 inches tall and weighing 151 lbs., with blond hair and blue eyes.
The Wilmington Morning News reported that Stevenson “attended the William Penn School and was a member of the New Castle Methodist Church.”
Stevenson’s individual deceased personnel file (I.D.P.F.) has a document that described him as standing five feet, 9½ inches tall and weighing 151 lbs., with sandy hair and gray eyes. He was Protestant.
Military Career
Stevenson was drafted before the United States entered World War II. He was inducted into the U.S. Army on January 10, 1941. That month he was briefly stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, before he was dispatched to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, prior to February 28, 1941, he joined Company “E,” 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. The July 1941 roster, the earliest to list duty codes, listed Stevenson’s as 745, rifleman. That fall, the 9th Infantry Division participated in the Carolina Maneuvers.
Beginning with the January 1942 roster, both Private Stevenson’s duty and military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) codes were recorded as 745, rifleman. Journal-Every Evening reported on April 29, 1942, that Private Stevenson was on furlough from Fort Bragg “visiting his mother, Mrs. Emma Stevenson, Sixth and Cherry Streets.” Avoided a move to Virginia as a result? The May 1942 roster reflected a change in both duty and M.O.S. to 675, messenger. He was still listed as a 675 in the September 1942 roster, the last one available to list duty and M.O.S. codes.
On November 7, 1942, the day before he went into combat for the first time, Stevenson was promoted to private 1st class.
Private 1st Class Stevenson was killed in action on the first day of Operation Torch. His I.D.P.F. gave his cause of death as drowning. Similarly, a hospital admission card—which was filled out per standard practice even though there is no indication that he survived to reach medical care—stated that the cause of him becoming a casualty was: “Boat, sinking, by mine or result of other and unspecified enemy action.” That suggested that his landing craft sank due to enemy fire.
The Wilmington Morning News reported on December 16, 1942, that the day before, Stevenson’s mother was notified of his death, adding that Stevenson “is New Castle’s first casualty in the war.”
Journal-Every Evening reported on January 30, 1943:
Tomorrow afternoon at 3 o’clock at a meeting in the auditorium of the William Penn School, New Castle’s first casualty in the war, Edgar W. Stevenson, is to be honored by dedicating the Aircraft Warning Service Post to him. John G. Leach will be speaker of the day. […]
At the morning service in the New Castle Methodist tomorrow a gold star will be placed on the service flag of that congregation in honor of Edgar W. Stevenson.
On February 9, 1943, the paper reported:
Mrs. Emma Stevenson, mother of Edgar Walker Stevenson, has received the Order of the Purple Heart which was awarded to her son for valor in action. The name of Private Stevenson is engraved on the back of the decoration and the date on which he died in defense of his country on foreign soil. Mrs. Stevenson is now wearing the decoration but stated simply “I’d rather have my boy.”
In 1947, Stevenson’s mother requested that her son’s body be buried in a permanent cemetery overseas. All the temporary American military cemeteries across North Africa were consolidated at a single cemetery in Tunisia.
Journal-Every Evening reported that Stevenson’s name was honored on a plaque to the “nine former pupils of William Penn School who lost their lives in World War II” unveiled on January 30, 1947. He is also honored at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle.
Aviation Cadet Leroy A. Wilkins (1921–1942)
Early Life & Family
Leroy Alvin Wilkins was born in Milford, Sussex County, Delaware, on the morning of August 3, 1921. He was the second child of Leroy Wilkins (a carpenter and later building manager at Milford High School, 1899–1993) and Nellie Wilkins (née Marvel, 1901–1965). He had an older sister, Doris Wilkins (later Greenly, 1919–2013). Wilkins was nicknamed Nehi, apparently after the soft drink.
Wilkins attended school with Charles D. Holzmueller, Jr. (1920–1942), destined to become Milford’s first serviceman lost during World War II when a U-boat sank his vessel on May 2, 1942. Journal-Every Evening reported:
Wilkins and Holzmueller graduated from Milford High School in 1939. Both were well known among sports fans in lower Delaware as members of a Milford school basketball team which was undefeated for two seasons. Wilkins was captain of the team in his senior year, and was also captain of the football team during that year. He was also a member of the town’s baseball team.
A June 13, 1939, Journal-Every Evening article stated:
At a meeting of the Milford High School Alumni Association held yesterday it was decided to present the scholarship fund to Leroy A. Wilkins of this year’s graduating class.
The association presents a sum of money to a member of the graduating class every year who is worthy and outstanding in school work to assist that scholar towards a higher education.
The paper later reported that “Wilkins attended the University of Delaware for a year where he also was active in athletics.” His enlistment data card stated that he had completed two years of college, and indeed, he would have needed two years of college to enlist as an aviation cadet at the time that he did.
The Wilkins family was recorded on the census in April 1930 living on East Front Street in Milford. On the next census in April 1940, the family was recorded living at 10 East 2nd Street in Milford.
Military Career
On December 18, 1941, just eight days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wilkins enlisted as an aviation cadet in the U.S. Army Air Forces in Wilmington, Delaware. Given the application process to become an aviation cadet, it is likely that he had already volunteered before the attack.
According to his sister’s statement for State of Delaware Public Archives Commission, Aviation Cadet Wilkins began his training at Maxwell Field, Alabama, where he remained until January 1942. He then moved to Ocala, Florida. In March 1942, he transferred to Greenville Army Flying School, Mississippi. She wrote that in May 1942, he transferred to Craig Field, near Selma, Alabama. On the other hand, The Selma Times-Journal reported that Wilkins had arrived at Craig Field on June 2, 1942. By July 9, 1942, he had accumulated 169 hours and 35 minutes of flight time, including 39 hours and 20 minutes in the North American AT-6A Texan trainer.
At Craig Field, Wilkins joined the Cadet Detachment, 382nd School Squadron.
The Wilmington Morning News reported on July 14, 1942, that the day before, “City stores were closed and the American flag in Plaza Square lowered to half-mast today during the funeral service for Leroy A. Wilkins, Jr.” The paper added:
The body arrived here yesterday [July 12, 1942], accompanied by Thomas Bennett, a classmate of Wilkins, who also is stationed at Craig Field. A military funeral was held previously at the Army base.
The Rev. Marion A. Hungerford, pastor of Calvary Methodist Church, conducted the service at the home of the youth’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leroy A. Wilkins, Sr.
His sister’s posthumous brother-in-law was Orlando Greenly.
Wilkins is honored at the University of Delaware’s World War II memorial in Newark, and at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware.
Private Charles R. Wilson (1921–1943)
Early Life & Family
Charles Raymond Wilson was born in rural Milford Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, on the afternoon of July 16, 1921. He was the third child of Raymond Wilson (a laborer) and Beatrice Wilson (née Carey). It appears that that his oldest sibling was stillborn or died very young.
Wilson was recorded on the census in April 1930 living with his parents and sister on Saint Agnes Street in Frederica, Delaware. His father was a road construction laborer at the time. The next census in April 1940 found Wilson living with his parents and cousin on David Street in Frederica.
Although the 1940 census stated that Wilson had only completed the 8th grade, his enlistment data card from the following year described him as a high school graduate. His occupation was “semiskilled chauffeurs and drivers, bus, taxi, truck, and tractor.” His family’s statement for the State of Delaware Public Archives Commission listed him as a laborer.
Military Career
Wilson volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps in Dover, Delaware, on March 17, 1941. The Wilmington Morning News reported that Wilson was one of six men who enlisted in the U.S. Army “at the Dover office setting a record for one day’s enlistments there.” The paper reported that Wilson and three others, including Charles M. Plummer, also of Frederica, would be joining the 33rd Pursuit Group at Mitchel Field, New York. Little is clear about his military career. A photograph from c. 1942 shows Wilson wearing corporal’s stripes, though he must have subsequently been demoted back to private. His mother wrote that “at time of his death in April 1943 he was station[ed] at Atlantic City.”
He is known to have been a member of the 306th Material Squadron, 91st Air Base Group.
Private Wilson’s last pay voucher indicated that he was attached unassigned to the 715th Training Group. The U.S. Army Finance Department officer who filled out the voucher was assigned to Basic Training Center No. 7, U.S. Army Air Forces [Technical Training Center?], Atlantic City, New Jersey.
On the night of April 24, 1943, Wilson was driving on U.S. Route 13 in Delaware not far from home when he had an accident. The Wilmington Morning News reported: “State police stated that Wilson missed a curve and the car went into Drawyer’s Creek, a short distance north of Odessa.” The crash fractured his skull, leading to a fatal subdermal hematoma. Although rushed to the Delaware Hospital in Wilmington by “the country ambulance,” he “was pronounced dead on arrival there” shortly before midnight.
Wilson’s last pay voucher stated his death was not in the line of duty under Article of War 107. Unfortunately, that does not reveal why, since that article covered absences without leave, use of drugs or alcohol, and disease or injury due to the soldier’s own misconduct.
Wilson was buried at Barratts Chapel Cemetery in Frederica.
Private (John) Willard Chandler (1917–1943)
Military Career
After he was drafted, Chandler was inducted into the U.S. Army on April 2, 1941. His enlistment data card was one of approximately 13% that could not be digitized. However, his mother told the State of Delaware Public Archives Commission that her son joined the Army at Trenton, New Jersey. Indeed, selectees typically had their initial induction at Trenton and after a delay of a few days to a few weeks, went on active duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey. After a brief time at the reception center there, many were dispatched to basic training facilities, mostly in the South. Especially in the early 1940s, however, they sometimes were assigned directly to a unit for training.
A unit roster indicates that in May 1942, Private Chandler joined Battery “B,” 169th Field Artillery Battalion, 43rd Infantry Division at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The 169th Field Artillery Battalion was activated there on February 19, 1942, following the breakup of the 103rd Field Artillery Regiment. At the time, all the noncommissioned officers in the unit were federalized guardsmen, as were many of the rest of the enlisted men. However, as time went on, vacancies were mostly replaced by draftees. The battalion was equipped with 105-mm howitzers.
Monthly rosters from June through September 1942 describe Private Chandler’s military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) code as 745, rifleman, suggesting he qualified as one during earlier training. However, since Field Artillery units did not have any riflemen, his duty code during those months was listed as 351. The usual meaning of that code was bookkeeping machine operator. It is unclear what a 351 would have done in the context of a Field Artillery unit. There were men who performed fire control computations, but these were in the headquarters batteries, and at a grade higher than private. Eventually, he probably requalified with an M.O.S. specific to Field Artillery, possibly whatever 351 meant.
Combat in the Pacific Theater
In a historical report, Lieutenant Colonel Wilber E. Bradt wrote:
On the 11–12 September 1943 the Battalion (less Battery “A”) moved from the New Georgia mainland to Piru Plantation on Ondongo Island and took over positions occupied by Batteries of the 140th Field Artillery Battalion. The occupation of position was most unusual in that the exchange of Batteries was effected without interfering with the firing. This was accomplished by substituting the base piece of the 140th Field Artillery Battalion Battery and while the remainder of the Battery of the 140th Field Artillery Battalion continued to fire, the base piece of the Battery of this Battalion was registered on the base point. The registration completed, the remaining three howitzers of each Battery were exchanged and the firing taken up by this Battalion. This procedure was employed both on the 11th September 1943, when Battery “B” relieved Battery “A”, 140th Field Artillery Battalion and on the 12th September 1943 when Battery “C”, relieved Battery “C”, 140th Field Artillery Battalion.
Ondongo is actually a peninsula rather than an island.
Private Chandler was killed in action early on September 12, 1943. In an operations report, Lieutenant Colonel Wilber E. Bradt wrote:
At 0330, 12 September, Battery “B” while engaged in firing a night harassing mission had a premature burst from the #4 howitzer. The round burst about 50 feet from the muzzle, killed one man, wounded three, and damaged the #3 howitzer. Shell high explosive, fuze M54 set for percussion action was being fired at the time and it is believed that the round had not been accurately set on safe. The battery had arrived at the position late in the afternoon and the ammunition had been prepared after dark.
The wounded were three federalized guardsmen from New England: Sergeant Halsey W. Buehler (1921–1967), Sergeant George W. Decoteaux (1917–1976), and Private Anthony DeMaio (1918–1999).
Technician 5th Grade Hiram J. McRae (1918–1945)
Hiram Johnson McRae was born in Alabama on March 23, 1918.
His foster mother was Louise McRae (later Louise McRae Crittendon) of Columbus, Georgia, sister Essie Bostic (born Alabama c. 1909, spouse Erelzia Bostic, children Dorthy and Erelzia Jr.) of Newark, New Jersey. He was Protestant according to his dog tags.
He was living in New Castle County, Delaware, when he entered the service. After McRae was drafted, he joined the U.S. Army in Camden, New Jersey, on July 23, 1942. Many selectees were briefly transferred to the Enlisted Reserve Corps on inactive duty for a few weeks to wrap up matters in their civilian lives. Private McRae went on active duty on or about August 5, 1942, when he was attached to Receiving Company “E,” 1229th Reception Center, Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Around August 18, 1942, he was attached unassigned to Company “C,” 8th Engineer Training Battalion, Engineer Replacement Training Center, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He went absent without leave (A.W.O.L.) from October 5–9, 1942.
On October 24 or 25, 1942, Private McRae was released from attachment to Company “C.”
Payroll records indicate that McRae was paid at Camp Stoneman, California—staging area for the San Francisco Port of Embarkation—on November 2, 1942; November 30, 1942; and December 31, 1942. He went overseas on January 23, 1943.
On February 14, 1943, McRae joined Company “B,” 811th Engineer Aviation Battalion, a segregated unit with black enlisted men and white officers. The 811th had been activated at Langley Field, Virginia, on December 1, 1941. Enlisted cadre transferred into the unit from the 94th Engineer Battalion (Separate), as well as from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The unit went overseas soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, shipping out on January 23, 1942. Their convoy arrived in Melbourne, Australia, on February 26, 1942. The following month, the battalion arrived at Nouméa, New Caledonia, which was under Free French control and would soon become one of the largest Allied bases in the South Pacific. The battalion primary built and maintained airfields. Occasionally they constructed roads and railroads, and transported crated aircraft from the port to assembly areas. Service in the South Pacific, at the end of very long supply lines, required a certain degree of improvisation, as a unit history observed at the conclusion of two years on New Caledonia:
Having fixed the roads, they drove their trucks over them for more than eleven million miles. The mechanics had their own opinion of those miles. It was their duty to keep in running order vehicles which had not been new when they were put aboard, and it was nothing unusual to see one trundling about with its third engine and its second speedometer. No one gave it a second thought, any more than they gave a second thought to using salvaged aircraft armor for patching material, or tailoring a truck motor to fit a grader when the grader’s own motor gave out.
McRae was promoted from private to technician 5th grade on April 8, 1943. Later that year, McRae was hospitalized at the 31st Station Hospital. His condition was severe enough that he was transferred to Detachment of Patients, 31st Station Hospital, effective November 29, 1943. After recovering, he was transferred back to his unit on December 31, 1943, rejoining Company “B” at 1300 hours that afternoon. On February 24, 1944, McRae was temporarily appointed to the grade of corporal. This was not a promotion per se, since both were the same pay grade, although by that time a corporal had the authority of a noncommissioned officer whereas a technician 5th grade did not.
On March 23, 1944, the 811th shipped out for Guadalcanal. A unit history stated that 72% of the unit “were charter members” who had been with the unit since 1941, meaning McRae was among the 28% of personnel who were replacements.
After arriving at Guadalcanal on April 1, 1944, the men of the 811th performed general construction work while assigned to the Thirteenth Air Force. Their projects included building a camp, a flagpole, quarters at a hospital, a bridge, runway maintenance, and a new tower at Carney Field. They also performed work improving the drainage at various installations. Perhaps tongue-in-cheek, the unit history for April 1944 recorded that “None of the projects were particularly noteworthy except one priority 1 AA – RUSH assignment which arrived at noon and instructed us to produce by four that afternoon, one volleyball court for the Commanding General.”
The battalion also built a tennis court and a baseball field, and a battalion garden for the unit’s men to supplement their rations by growing fresh produce for themselves. The unit history noted (A0246 pg. 193):
The battalion garden fulfilled its promise by providing sweet corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, egg plant and assorted greens to the mess tables. The corn was excellent, better in fact that much that is sold in markets at home, since this is fresh picked. The Battalion Surgeon found it expensive. A skeptic by instinct and training, he had bet five dollars that it would not come up to its name of “Sixty-Day Corn”, only to have a steaming ear set before him on the sixtieth day.
On June 18, 1944, men of the unit responded when a B-25 ditched near the Company “C” camp, helping to rescue the crewmembers half an hour before crash trucks and ambulances arrived.
A hospital admission card indicates McRae was briefly hospitalized for colic in July 1944.
The main body of the 811th shipped out for Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 21, 1944, aboard the U.S.A.T. Cape Meares, arriving there on October 4, 1944. The unit was briefly stationed at Hickam Field before moving to Bellows Field (apparently as a result of a false accusation that the men of the unit had been in involved in “a disturbance in the civilian workers barracks – half mile down the road from our location.”). The move was not reversed, though the unit did work all across Oahu at Kwaloa, Kipapa, Hickam, and Wheeler, as well as Bellows.
Company “B” began training at the Jungle Training Area (Jungle Unit Training Center?) beginning on December 10, 1944. This training included amphibious operations and the use of various weapons, including one just issued to the battalion: the M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, a halftrack equipped with a quadruple .50 machine gun turret. The training, and extra firepower perhaps hinted that their next assignment would be more hazardous. (Unit records appear missing February – April 1945)
It appears that the unit shipped out from Hawaii on or about March 28, 1945, and arrived on Iwo Jima on April 20, 21, or 22, 1945, and was assigned to VII Fighter command. (A0246, pg. 217)
The unit history reported:
The announcement of peace was received here, as elsewhere on the Island, with a curious quiet. The first broadcast at 2200 woke the camp out of its slumbers and there was sporadic cheering as area after area got the news. Nobody slept much after that. Next day the radios were crowded with listeners. When the final announcement came through, most hearers heaved a deep sigh and walked off with a rather groggy expression. There was no work that day and very little the next. There were ball games, which were well attended, but for the most part everyone sat back and relaxed. Almost everyone complained of a hollow feeling inside, as though something important had vanished overnight.
Work continued, albeit “on a greatly curtailed schedule.”
Technician 5th Grade McRae suffered a skull fracture in a vehicle accident on Iwo Jima. He died on September 2, 1945, the same day Japanese representatives signed the instrument of surrender in Tokyo Bay. He was initially buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima on September 3, 1945.
His personnel effects included his wallet, a Lucite pendant, a deck of playing cards, his unemployment compensation and draft registration cards, two rings, two New Zealand florins, three Bibles, 19 cowrie shells, $116.34, and 269 personal letters.
The Army attempted to reach Technician 5th Grade McRae’s sister, and then his foster mother through the American Red Cross. The Red Cross contacted Louise McRae to have her fill out the disposition paperwork. She wrote a notarized letter to the Office of the Quartermaster General dated May 13, 1948:
After careful consideration I have decided that I would not have my son’s remains returned to the States.
He was my foster-son, and now that he has been interred overseas, I am satisfied with the arrangements.
I do not care to complete forms.
Edna Mattox of the American Red Cross wrote the Office of the Quartermaster General Memorial Division on October 13, 1948:
Our Columbus, Georgia, chapter worker advises that Mrs. Louise McRae Crittenden states the serviceman was never legally adopted by her. The decedent was given to her by a brother who had obtained him from the boy’s mother. Efforts to locate the boy’s mother have been unsuccessful.
McRae was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii on November 23, 1949.
Although McRae entered the service from Wilmington, Delaware, the Adjutant General’s Office report of death listed his home address as “Wilmington, N. C.” The error may have originally been due to some paperwork using N. C. as an abbreviation for New Castle County, or because Wilmington, North Carolina, is a better known city than Wilmington, Delaware. Regardless, his headstone erroneously lists North Carolina as his state of residence.
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Last updated on December 19, 2025
Delaware's World War II Fallen 