Do you have a veteran that fought in WWII in your family tree? As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, we want to honor the brave men and women who sacrificed so much. Beginning on Memorial Day and throughout this summer, we are featuring WWII veterans on our social media channels, and we’d love to include your soldier!
How can you participate?
- Create a Memorial on our Honor Wall. Search your veteran’s name on our Honor Wall here. If they already have a Memorial, you can add additional details, photos, and stories to it. If they don’t have a Memorial, you can create one. This video tutorial walks you through the process. Creating a Memorial is free and helps preserve your veteran’s military history for future generations. Be sure to include regiment, unit, or battalion, and as many searchable details as you can. You can also attach records, stories, photos, journals, and more. Visit our Honor Wall to see examples of other Memorials.
- Next, send us a URL link to your Memorial with a short summary of your veteran’s service. Remember, a social media post has to be BRIEF. Send it to [email protected]. You can write a longer version of your story and attach it to your Memorial. We’ll include your veteran’s photo in our social media post along with a link to your Memorial page.
That’s it! We’ll honor as many of these WWII heroes that we possibly can in the upcoming months. Follow Fold3’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and watch for your veteran!
I have no website, but my father served on a troop carrier thru out WW II called the Lion and was primarily in invasions in the Mediterranean but also on his ship for the Normandy invasion. He usually drove the landing craft. I have a secret story of why he was not driving a landing craft in the invasion of Normandy which gave him survivor guilt for the rest of his life. I know he was in Oman and Ansio etc etc.
My father was Walter Francis O’Keefe 1918-1999
The ship was named the Lyon, pronounced as “lion”. It was named in honor of the first female president of a college, Mary Lyon. My uncle, John “Jack” Lynch served as a pharmacist mate (medic) aboard her and he served in the European and the Pacific theaters,
Mary Lyon founded Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts. My mother, Anne W. Harper, ’46 BA in chemistry, PBK.
Kaethe, you can create a Memorial to preserve this amazing history. It is quite easy. If you are interested, just click on the tutorial link in the blog and it can walk you through the process.
I have no website, but my father served in the 506th Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (and was an original officer in Easy Co Band of Brothers) he participated in the jump on DDay the Liberation of Holland and the Defense of Bastogne.
My father was Salve H Matheson 1920-2006
Mike Mathewson,
I have to wonder if your father and my Uncle Howard, ( Howard Ross Porter) knew one another.
Howard , was also in the 506 Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles.
He was T/5 medic, he jumped on D-Day, landed, made contact with a few men, and sadly, later, was found shot and killed.
My mother told us about him our whole lives, he was her big brother, she was only 12 when he died.
Although, we children never met him, we always cherished the few personal effects, photos, Purple Heart, patches,etc.including a most touching and heart wrenching letter written by his Sergeant to my Grandmom, describing what occurred that early morning from the flight over to the end when Howard was located.
My heart is filled with pride and gratitude to all who have served and continue to serve and to their loved ones for the sacrifices they make as well.
( Mike Mathewson, please excuse my typo on your last name, very sorry indeed)
Mike,
I want you to know that I served as your father’s stock broker for many years until he passed away; in fact I had your accounts. He was a man I would have been extremely privileged if I had been able to serve for him when I was in the service; you are honored to have that gentleman as your father. He was a distinguished soldier, and since you don’t mention it, Lieutenant General Matheson also subsequently served this Country in Korea and Vietnam.
I don’t have an immediate family member who served, but the God Father I was never old enough to remember is in the Punchbowl in Honolulu. Farwell Kenly from the State of Oregon served in the Pacific as a LTJG of the US Coast Guard Reserve, he died on 11 November 1943. My research has identified the possible final engagement, yet I do not know the details as fact – though I have been lead to believe he was serving on an Aircraft Carrier.
David Firth
My brother served on Pearl Harbor on dec 7 1941 , at sckofield barracks shooting at the jap planes coming over. He got ptsd and was in a number of hospitals before I saw him again in 1945.he passed in 2009.
My uncle was also at Schofield Barracks on December 7th ’41…19th Infantry, Co. I… sadly, he was killed on April 24th ’44 at Hollandia New Guinea by Japanese sniper. His name was Wayne Cowfer from Pittsburgh, PA
My father was on New Caledonia Island during that time. Ernest C. Newcomb pvt 1st class he was a quarter master. 1943—b.1920-1993.
I’m not sure what company my Grandpa was with, but he served in Germany and Italy. Like everyone on this site, our family fought bravely and proudly for all of our freedoms now and in the future. Their legacy will live on forever. My God Bless them all!!!
Angelina – although the “Records Center” in St Louis burned in the 70’s you can get a copy of his discharge record and it has information on your grandpa. There are ways to find out more. My dad also serve in the European theatre in North Africa, Italy and Germany.
My Mother’s brother, Andrew Sader (1920-1967), served with the US Army in Europe. I told he received the Purple Heart. He is buried in a military cemetery. My father, Jesse Jay Kanarek (1924-2014), served as a radio operator with the US Navy. His brother, Ira Nathan Kanarek, also served with the US Navy during World War II.
My father Robert Lee Chavis served in the army in Korea got 2 bronze stars in WWII 1943
My father is Philip Garcia US Army WWII. He served with the 1st Infantry 104th 414th division, he served in Europe. A member of the elite Timberwolves. The Timberwolves liberated Mittebau-Dora concentration camp. He fought in Battle of the Bulge, Cologne, Hurtgen Forest and many others. He lost many friends. He told us he would always remember the horror he saw and he would honor his fallen friends by living a life of charity and service; and he did. He even named his 4 sons after his 4 fallen best friends. My father was/is my hero.
I’m the only girl, so I was named after a little church in Europe.
My Dad too was in Cologne and the battle of the bulge. He got a Purple Heart. I haven’t really looked up his service but I found this in a file cabinet with xrays of his shrapnel Wounds.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0REEpgEJ55XeS8oKBDnjfgLtw#Haiku-Pauwela
I ‘m not a family member but take care of the grave of Lawrence Edward Crandall on the American War Cemetry in Margraten.
T/5 Lawrence E. Crandall was a member of Prentice Presbyterian Church and a graduate of Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis. Later he was employed at Fort Benjamin Harrison (Marion County) before entering the army on april 5, 1943. Lawrence received a basic training at Camp McCall, North Carolina, before going overseas to Chisledon (U.K.) on August 16,1944. He was a member of the 224th Medical Company and assigned to he 17th Airborne Division in Operation Varsity: an allied airborne assault over the Rhine river. The medics had to establish a clearing station in an area within the 17th’s perimeter of defense. Once the station was established, the 224th collected and treated all casualties within that area. By the start of Operation Varsity on March 24, 1945, there were 2 crew members and 3 medical soldiers aboard Waco glider #43-41136 (type CG-4A), with destination LZ N, North East of Wesel. One of the medics was T/5 Lawrence E. Crandall. After the glider was released from the towing plane, a DC-47 Dakota, it was hit by German anti-aircraft gunfire and practically demolished in the air. The pilot was the only one who survived. According a German doctor, he picked up three soldiers dead in the glider, took their dog tags and 21 year old T/5 Crandall was one of them. Lawrence is buried at the American War Cemetery in Margraten, The Netherlands.
Dear Martin, I’m not a family member either, but I needed to say THANK YOU for looking after one of our guys. I know how terribly your country suffered under NAZI OCCUPATION, and the hope that MARKET GARDEN brought to the people only to be dashed after a week. Clearly you have done a great deal of research on your adopted soldier. I have my own WWII vets who mean a lot to me — Uncle Chuck Keyser, M/Sgt. U.S. Army Signal Corps, Mediterranean Theatre — TORCH, HUSKY, Sardinia, AVALANCHE, ended up in Bucharest in an occupation communications center, 40 months overseas; cousin Alfred Richards, bombardier, B-17G, 463rd Bomb. Group, 15th U.S.A.A.F., fifty-one credited missions (about a dozen were double credit, near-suicide missions, including Ploesti), combat wounded; cousin Howard E. Goodman, Ens., U.S.S. CANBERRA (CA-70), k.i.a. 13 OCT 1944 in the Air Battle of Formosa; my dad;s best buddy, Ed. Themon Hyatt, Co. B, 628th T.D. Btn. attached to 5th Armored Div. — saw plenty of combat in France, Belgium and Germany. Boy, I need to set up a website or two! God bless and be well!.
My father was Hugh H. Melrose. U.S. Army WWII, He was a PFC with the 90th Div, 357th Inf. Co. G. Hugh was born in Mancos, Colorado in 1907.
He enlisted in March 1942 at Ft. Logan, Colorado. He was sent to the 90th Div, for training at Camp Barkeley, Texas near Abilene. They trained in the swamps of Louisiana during 1942. His unit also did desert training at Camp Granite in California during the summer of 1943. They were shipped overseas in March 1944 to England arriving in April. ’44. They were staged for the D Day invasion onboard ships in the English Channel on 6 Jun 1944. They landed on Utah beach in Normandy on D+2. They were involved in heavy hedgerow fighting from 8 June onwards. Hugh was K.I.A. on 12 June 1944 near Gourblesville in Normandy, He and many others were hit by german 88mm cannon and killed. Some years ago I requested the Combat Infantryman’s Badge Award and the conversion to the Bronze Star Award. Both Badges were awarded. His personnel file was lost in the 1973 fire in St. Louis but I was able to get an affidavit written by Claude Lovett who had been a 1st Lt. of Co.G, to prove he was killed in battle with the Germans in Normandy on 12June’44. My mother & father were married in Abilene in Dec ’42. They had twin babies in Sept ’43. Our mother never remarried. She was always a WWII widow.
My dear father was Avon Curtis Coffman. He was born in Holt County, MO, north of Oregon, MO, and lived his entire life in Holt County, MO, except for when he joined the Navy in 1941. He played trumpet in the U.S.Navy band for about 1 1/2 years, then was shipped out on the U.S.S. Alaska. On the ship, in addition to the band, he was a gunner 2nd class, and saw action in the South Pacific for a year. Upon returning from WW 11, My DAD, returned to Oregon in 1945, to his wife and daughter he had never seen. His oldest child, Sandra Nelle Coffman Dozier, was born November 7, 1944, in the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, a proud daughter of a “Greatest Generation” Veteran and his wife. My Dad died September 30, 1988, of lung cancer, from smoking and owning grain elevators in Holt County, MO. He is buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery, Oregon, MO, beside his wife and youngest son, Mark Edward Coffman, killed in Kansas City, MO, May 22, 1993, when hit by a driver high on PCP. Sandra resides in St Joseph, MO, and is married to a Viet-Nam Era Veteran; oldest son, Retired Colonel Avon Curtis Coffman, II, served 2 tours in Iraq as Officer in Charge of a C.A.S.H., Combat Army Surgical Hospital, and youngest daughter, Christine, resides in Lees Summit, MO.
My cousin, William Todd Kelly had retired from the Army as a Master Sergeant in the late 30s. He returned to active duty in 1943 as a SGT assigned to the 6th Army Div.
He was killed in the Ardennes Jan 25, 1945.
My father, Milton Wellen, just passed away at age 99 1/2. He was an Army Captain who served in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war he returned home to Brooklyn, New York to start a business with his brother. Then he met my mother–and the rest is history!
I would love to find out more about my grandfather I know he reported to Ft Levenworth, Ks then was sent to Camp Roberts in California and then he was reassigned to Ft Benning Ga for Paratrooper training he graduated from class 80 in 1943 then shipped to North Afica he moved with the Allied Advance from there to Sicily, to Italy and to the Ardennes in Southern France and later saw action in the Battle of the Bulge he said he spent 188 days either in the front in combat or behind the German lines
Hi, in which division or regiment was hé?
I do have a site on fold3. My father was a waist gunner on B-17s. with the Army Air Corps in 1944/1945 in Italy.
Hi, Roxanne,
My father, Louis Julian Hoechstetter, also served with the Army Air Corps in Italy in 1944-45, in Siena. I wonder if your father and he knew one another. Dad was with the 51st Troop Carrier Wing, and initially trained as a pilot but ended up as a sergeant behind a desk, as well as playing cello in the AAF band. At one point, I think I had a list of the men he served with in that division, before I cared, but would have to do some digging in my records and those my brother has to find the names.
Thank you Martin Cremers for caring for Lawrence Edward Crandall’s grave! I hope a family member sees this & thanks you for your faithfulness. My Dad was a POW in Germany but thankfully survived & has since passed.
My father, Joseph Kahr, PFC, fought in Anzio. He recovered from a wound in the leg. Lived to the age of 66.
My father Francisco Billoch served in World War II. I only have a picture of him in North Africa with the rank of staff sargeant. Was awarded the bronze star. Served in Korea. Retired as M/sgt. 1940-1960. From Puerto Rico
My grandfather was U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander TBM Avenger pilot Otis Lloyd Turner, Junior “Lucky Oscar” inbthe Uninvited squadron on the USS Wasp from Phillipsburg, Missouri that lived from August 18, 1918 to December, 24, 2004.
Jack T. Yandell TSgt. 6th Army, 24 Inf.Div. 1921-1976. My Dad served with the Sightseeing 6th Army and landed on Leyte, Phillipines, on 20 Oct.1944. He was a squad leader and was wounded and contracted malaria while on the island. My Dad NEVER spoke of the war , but it stayed with him until the day he died. After the was he became an Electical Contractor with the IBEW. I remember this quote:. No Man Will Be Forgotten, As Long As His Name Is Spoken… I say my Dad’s name EVERYDAY…RIP Dad.
Both my parents were WW II veterans. My father, Robert G. Langan, was drafted in 19942 in Dunmore, PA. He was a Private in the 1st Infantry Division and made amphibious landings in N. Africa, Sicily and Omaha Beach on D-Day. He was in the Battle of the Bulge and was near Czech border on V-E day in 1945. He had so many combat theatre ‘points’ accumulated that he was discharged in October 1945. My mother, Elizabeth Herlihy, was an RN and volunteered to join the Army as a 1st Lt. in US Army medical corps. She was buzz bombed in London in 1944, injuring her back; later landed in France on D+5 and followed behind forward lines, working as OR nurse in an Army field hospital. She was discharged in January 1946. They met in 1948, married and had six children. Both were born 100 years ago this year, in 1920. She lived until 1999; he until 2011. They lived exemplary lives.
My cousin Willard Lee West ( BILL to our family) died in ww2 when the ship he was assigned to, the USS MT. Hood blew up. He was so talented. He could play the piano and guitar. Self taught. He was a great guy. I don’t think his parents ever got over their loss.
My Dad, Stan Caswell, was a tail gunner on a B-24 in the navy VD-1 squadron. Their job was to photograph and take movies of the next beach head prior to the invasion of that island. He received 3 battle stars during his tour. All he ever said about WWII was the Peleliu was rough. He died when I was 17. Later I did some research and found out that 6 bombers (all fitted with still and movie cameras) took off from Guadalcanal for the Palau Islands for a 9 hour flight. then they were to photograph Peleliu and return back to Guadalcanal for a total of almost 20 hours in the air. At Peleliu, they were attacked by, and fought off, 20 Japanese Zeros. One of the bombers crashed just shy of the airfield at Guadalcanal due to damage from the altercation. They received the Navy Commendation Medal for the mission.
Hoyle Cyde Parton-
Enlistment 1936-Panama Canal Expedition joined with his Brother
WW II Sergeant Parachute Instructor Ft. Benning, GA Army Air Corps
WWII Drill Sergeant Ft. Benning
Discharge 1945
During my childhood we met many vets who thanked my father for his toughness and his ability to lead. Being in the army when WWII started he was training new recruits drafted and enlisting in the Army Air Corps
I retired from the Canadian Army a year ago. My Dad was a WW2 Lancaster Bomber pilot during the war. In 2006 I was able to get him up in the last flying Lancaster Bomber out of Hamilton, Ontario. We went for a 1 hour joy ride and my Dad was quite emotional getting back into that plane after 60 years. They gave him an honorary hour in one of his log books and when the asked him what the difference was between when he was flying in the war and now…his response floored everyone. He just said, no one was shooting at me. WOW. I know how he felt.
My father was captured in WWII while serving in Germany as a navigator when his plane was shot down. He was released after 18 m when the war ended. He had chronic pain because of the marching and the beatings
I am a retired army nurse Corp major
Patricia Cunningham
We had several family members who served in WWII. My dad who was stationed in San Diego, CA. He never saw combat because of the TB epidemic. My mother was in one hospital and I at 6months was in another. He – Staff Sgt. Carroll Crisher had to return home due to family hardship My Uncle Ken Myers was in the navy and their ship rescued several sailors from a sinking ship the “Bismark Sea” their crew risked their lives to save these grateful sailors. Then there was Jake Brocco who found out a few days prior that his wife gave birth to a son David- Jake was killed when the ship was attacked. Years later his wife Betty married an army P.O.W. name John Donnelly. John was one of the most cheerful and caring persons that I knew. He spent many years in a German P.O.W. camp and I feel his positive attitude was due to his sacrifice for our freedom and his time in unbearable circumstances that he lived every day as though it was his last. He was not a smoker but said that a lot of smoking P.O.W. soldiers gave away their food in exchange for a cigarette. He was saddened that a draft dodger was elected president of the country so many gave their lives for. My uncle Leroy Crisher in his 30’s served in Japan. He and a fellow soldier fought and killed a Japanese soldier who attacked them while they were guarding a railroad. He returned home only to care for the German P.O.W. graves at the national cemetery in Battle Creek, MI. He was honored by the German Government for that service. At his funeral I was touched to know that his grandchildren said their favorite memories were going with their grandpa and selling Poppies to raise money for WWII Veterans. What a legacy all these men have given to us. I am so proud to have known these great hero’s. One day I went for a coffee at McDonalds and thanked a gentleman who was in his 80’s for his service. The reason I thanked him was that he had a WWII license plate on his car. He invited me to join him which I did. He spoke of his flight coming home from combat and the pilot dipped the plane over New York City and announced to all those hero’s “This is what freedom looks like:” Not a dry eye on that plane-or in in his eyes or mine. I will never forget that conversation and I will never forget their sacrifice, Sign me Carol Russell wife of Staff Sgt. Kenneth Russell a veteran of 26 years. Thank You to all those heroic men and women of WWII-Thank you and their families for their unselfish sacrifices. God Bless You and God Bless America because of you we are free. You are, “The Greatest Generation.”
My cousin Brigadier H. B. Coxen Paratroopers and SAS served in WW11
My uncle James J. Kelley was Navigator on a B17 shot down over Denmark 20 Feb 1944.
B17G s/n 42-39894 named “Barbara”
561st Squadron, 388th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force
flying from RAF Knettishall to Poznań, Poland
one of 316 B17s that flew over Denmark that day
My father, Norris Ray Philbeck, (b. 26 February 1918 d. 21 September 1980) was a farm boy from Ellenboro, NC. He was inducted into the US Army at Ft. McPherson, Georgia, on 23 July 1941. From there he was sent to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, to attend Medical Technicians School. Upon graduation from the school he was sent to Ft. Benning, Georgia. On 1 June 1942 Pvt. Norris R. Philbeck was promoted to the rank of Technician 5th Grade and assigned to the 3rd Evacuation Hospital. From 23 August to 16 September, he waited at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, to be shipped out with his unit. During this time the Army changed the name of the hospital unit to the 8th Evacuation Hospital. On 16 September 1942, Norris boarded a Pullman train for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where he received two more months of vigorous training. On 1 November 1942 his unit boarded the USS Santa Paula headed for Northern Africa. He arrived in Casablanca, Morocco, on 18 November 1942. Throughout the war the 8th Evacuation Hospital, a mobile military hospital, moved back and forth between Northern Africa and Italy as needed. As a medical technician he helped provide medical care during the Naples Foggia Campaign and the Rome Arno Campaign. He received the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater (EAMET) Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars, a Good Conduct Medal and an American Defense Service Medal. His unit left Africa for the United States on 21 March 1945. He was assigned again to Ft. Bragg until he was honorably discharged on 13 May 1945.
My mother’s brothers served in wwII-Robert, Eugene,george, Edwin,Ai Napier asa Napieralski. George and Gene we’re pilots and we’re shot down and rescued by the French and English. These men are my mothers brothers and my uncles. They returned from service in 1945. They lived in Lagrange Illinois and Chicago Illinois . Please see what you can find out and return to me. Thank you , Daniel Ambrosino 708-557-7403
Please review and let me know what you find from your research.
My father was a gunner on the USS PRINCETON CVL-23. He had to abandon ship after the boat was hit by a 500 lb bomb and they could not put out the fire. I’ve read 2 books about it,but would like to know more about his service. Sadly,he passed 2 years before I found him.
Does a person need to have a Fold 3 subscription in order to participate in the WWII memorial project?
Also, what if the veteran is already listed but there is mis-information and info that can be added. Can you tell ,=me how to do that?
Thank you.
My father Joseph Trapasso was in the navy serving South Pacific. Leyte, Luzon, Normandy in WWII. I don’t have URL but do have pictures from the war as my father was a photographer during the war. Never was so interested in history until I saw these pictures. He was part of the Amphibious 5.
My veteran was William Jenkins Garner USNAVY. Served from 1943 -1946.
He was Gunner Mate third class serving as a Gunner on merchant ships..He first served on the EJ Henry carrying oil in the Pacific Ocean for 17 months without having set foot on soil.
Then he served on the Thomas Donaldson carrying various supplies in the Atlantic
Ocean. His last trip was caring supplies to Russia, but as they broke formation to go up the Mermask river they were hit by a torpedo and sunk.
Shortly after that the war was over and you could be discharged by points. As he did not have enough point for discharge so he was sent to to Oakwina (sp) until he enough points for discharge.
He passed at the VA hospital in 2001 with ALS and is buried at Rosewood Cemetery, Lewisburg, WV.
He ws sent to Oakwnia (sp);and served until he had enough points to be discharged.
He died in the VA Hospital with ALS in 2001 and is buried at Rosewood Cemetry, Lewisburg, WV
.25 April,20208i
I have a living 97 year old cousin, Lloyd “Bunny” Pierce, who was in so many battles that it’s hard to believe. He was in the U.S. Navy as an electrician on a ship, so he was always belowdecks. I don’t think his ship was ever hit, but I know it didn’t sink. He helped to rescue sailors who were from other ships that were attacked. I just talked with him a few days ago, and he is as alert as a young man.
My father Reuben W. Burdick served in the 63rd division (fire and blood) company D 363rd Medical Battalion arrived in Marseille on SS Washington in Jan/Feb 1945 his division was honored by the Holocaust Museum as having liberated Dachau and/or it’s sub camps.
Anyone else have a relative in same division or battalion? He never spoke about the war to me-I only know this from what I found after he died.
My dad was Charles R. Bastien, 1st Lt., USAAF, 1942-1945: served as co-pilot of a B24-J Liberator bomber with the 492nd/445th bomb groups in East Anglia, England. Credited with 33 missions and an air drop at Market Garden, his original bomb group suffered over 60% losses over occupied France, Poland and Germany. Dad never talked about the war until he began attending 492nd BG reunions, and then he never stopped talking about—and researching- what happened to all his comrades, living and dead. He did not think of himself as a hero—just a guy doing his job, but we know now that they were all heroes. All of them are gone now, but we continue to owe them a debt of gratitude and humility at their many sacrifices. I visited his former air base in North Pickenham, Norfolk last year, and 75 years later, the village honors those Yanks with a memorial service. Rest In Peace, dad.
My father was one of Merrill’s Marauders. He was an White Division I&R recon scout for, at the time, Lt Sam Wilson. Pop was one of the original 3000 volunteers sent to Burma in 1944. He also was one of the few original members that stayed until spring in 1945 before returning home. He pretty much walked from India across Burma to China during the time he was there. Spent many reunions with him over the years, with the final one before he passed in 2011 at Minneapolis Mn in 2010. He got to reunite with Sam Wilson at that time. It was one of the best things I have ever seen, Sam remembered him and the two of them spent quite a while talking together. It was priceless to watch.
My uncle, Floyd Richard Willis,Warrant Officer Junior Grade USAGF from Michigan served in the 691st Tank Destroyer Battalion, Company HG, and was killed behind enemy lines in April, 1945 at Stromsberg, Germany. Earl R. Anderson was with him at the time and survived the attack. I have already created a memorial page but would be interested in connecting with anyone who might have served with him.
My father, Richard, served first in the AA then in the 978th Engineer Maintenance Company in the ETO. He was wounded in action on 1 December 1944. The 978th earned a Meritorious Service Unit Plaque for its efforts during the Bulge defense and the Roer River Assault Crossing
The only information I have for my grandfather’s that he served in WWII and he is currently buried in the Veterans Cemetery in Fernley Nevada. His name is Jack Fannin Brantley. He is there with the love of his life, my grandmother Mrs. Brantley. Aka M.Lorene Brantley. I don’t have much information on his time he spent serving our country other than he was in the Navy. Unfortunately there are no family members left to ask but I do know he did attend a few honor flight events to honor the anniversary of Pearl Harbor until his passing in October of 2019. My grandparents never spoke of this time in there lives so I don’t have much to contribute. All I can say is they raised me from my early teens and I miss them more than anything right now. “They are and always will be my everything!”
Hello
My Dad trained as a wireless air gunner in Canada. I have been advised that because he spent part of his training at Medicine Hat, that he also trained as a navigator.
He joined bomber command and according to records, he was in 61 Sqn.
Dad was adamant that he flew in 460 Sqn. As it was in the final months if the war, he said he was in operation Manna.
Sadly, only the pilot’s name is recorded in the OBS Records.
Because there are these differences I can’t record any of this in a tribute and memorial.
At the end of his time with the RAAF, he was seconded to Australian National Airways who had a contract with USAAC to fly charter trips to the Phillipines, Borneo, and New Guinea.
As a little girl, I met three of his crew that he flew with regularly.
Their names are:
Jim Crossley
Norm Rowntree
Jim Madams
Vic Edwards
I have been trying to find information on this unique operation.
All the men are no longer with us and I have no leads to any family members.
I do know that Jim Madams returned to Canada to marry and live in Winnipeg.
I am hoping that somebody will be able to shed light on all that I have written about .
I want to honour my father.
Reg Gordon Taylor
Thank you
Lesley Taylor
Grandpa ROY PAUL THRASHER. WAS STAFF SEGEANT IN WW2 TEXAS 36TH RECON 63RD BLOOD AND FIRE. ANZIO SERLINO BATTEL OF THE BULDGE!! PURPLE HEART CAPTURED SS GENERAL MADE IT TO EAGLES NEST
My uncle Paul E. Alexander 9th Infantry Division, 60th Infantry Regiment, Company G lost his life June 14, 1944. He is one of fifty Distinguished Service Cross Recipients buried in Normandy American Cemetery. His family knew nothing of his Heroism until 1999. His only living sibling my aunt received his Medal March, 2001.
My uncle George A Marion, Jr. served as a Technician Fifth Grade, 350th Infantry Regt, 88th Infantry Division, APO 88 in the U.S. Army during World War II. He resided at 293 Seneca Parkway, Rochester, New York prior to the war. He was KIA in Italy on 10 October, 1944. He was my mom’s only sibling. She wished to honor him so much that she and my Dad were married on his birthday, August 30th – in 1960.
The only details that the family was told was that Uncle George (Army medic) and some other soldiers were hunkered down in a farmhouse during heavy rains when the building took a direct hit from German artillery.
Mom never spoke of Uncle George ever receiving a purple heart. Several years after Mom passed, we successfully waded through the rigmarole and Uncle George was awarded a posthumous purple heart medal. He is now listed on the rolls at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
My grandfather Buford R Davis served on the u.s.s william C Cole de class destroyer back in ww2 he was seamen 1st class…I wish I had more info about what command he served under I dont any info somebody can find on him for his command would greatly be appreciated even relatives of people who served with my grandfather would be nice to see!…thank you guys
My Dad,Enoch Scull, turns 96 this year.He was a combat engineer with the 103 rd combat engineer battalion in the 28 th infantry division during ww2.He fought in four major battles,Normandy,Northern France,Ardennes,Rhineland and captured during the battle of the bulge.He was one of the Heroes of Hosingen who defended that city before being captured.He got 2 Purple Hearts and the French legion of honor medal.
My father was in the medics. He was first in Fort Devens,Mass. I believe for training. Then he was overseas in England. He served for 4 years. He was from Staten Island New York. His name was John J. O’Neill. He came home on the Lake Champlain on June 15,1945. He was originally from County Cork, ireland.
Hi Patricia, I just happened to pop in here, and since they sent me an email. I was surprised to read your comment and find that we are both related to some O’Neill’s from County Cork. I wonder if we could be cousins! If you think we may be and would like to find out you can email me at [email protected]
Looking forward to hear from you,
Ann Bachman
Is this for British veterans too?
Is this Memorial wall for US soldiers only? I have two WWII veterans with very interesting stories who I’d love to spotlight but they were Canadian citizens.
How do I correct an error on the memorial wall entry?
Hi Bev, did you create the Memorial? When a Memorial is created you can choose to allow others to add information or not. If you Memorial allows you to make edits, you can update the information. If it has been created by another member and is private, you can contact that person and suggest the change. Hope this helps.
I am a WWII 93 year old F/1c US Navy veteran serving in the Pacific at P.T. Boat Base 17, Bobon Bay, Samar, in the Philippines for a short time until the end of the war. The atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in August 1945 which save my life and many others. Our job was to prepare P.T. Boats for d-commissioning. They were later burned after I left Base 17. I served 8 additional years in the Naval Reserve Center in Columbus, Georgia. I have been a member of the P.T. Boat Association for many years. Are there any other P.T. Base 17 veterans still living?
Mr. Dorsey, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your service to our country. After noticing your age, I realized how much this country has gone through during your life, and unfortunately, all of it has not been good as we have had so many military wars, or undeclared wars as Vietnam. God has blessed you with a long life, and I pray you have many more years to come. My dad started out in the Calvary in Cheyenne, Wyoming in the Army, later he was in the Air Force, retiring with 30 years of service. I also have several other family members who have served or are still active duty. I appreciate what all service men and women have given to this country. Thank you and may God continue to bless you.
Did you no my grand father Lloyd Henry Pahrmann
I know that the US Navy records were burned but I cannot find my father’s service. James Bernard Harding Yeoman Sampson Naval Base NY
Nor Estelle Rutkowski Tesmer who was an Army nurse from Utica, NY
My uncle Paul Thomas Mclaughlin from Hamden, Ct. was a machinist mate during WW11, He survived having 3 destroyers destroyed under him and he survived all three attacks. He was in the Atlantic fleet,
My father James W. Collins served during WW2 US Navy aboard a floating dry dock ARD 4. His brother Robert J. Collins USN WW2 was also a MM3 Machinist Mate.
My brother James R. Collins served 22 years as a explosives ordnance disposal diver and was a US Navy Master Chief, My Wife served USN 2 years as a Yeoman YNSN, I, Larry L. Collins served 4 years as a US Navy BMSN During Vietnam , our son served USAF during Desert Storm go NAVY
My Husband’s Uncle. James Hood Wilson Hogan AIF service number
Q122735. He Served in WW11 but I don’t know if he went overseas. My Husband is not alive so I can’t get any further information about his Uncle perhaps you can reveal that as I have subscribed to your Fold3 on 13 th Apr. My husband was a returned Serviceman as follows:
Douglas Bell Hogan RAAF Service no. A119073. He served with 2 Sqn Sth Vietnam at Phan Rang with the Canberra Bombers 1970-71
It appears this is just an American page and I am Australian
Hi Mary, we have Australia WWII service records and would love for you to contribute a Memorial!
Are you including merchant marines?
My dad Don served on the USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) Sep 42-Oct 46, fought at the invasions of North Africa, Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Escorted the USS Ranger in the raid on Bodo, Norway, and landed Norwegian troops on Spitzbergen; a Bluenose and Shellback. After the war they flew the flag in Shanghai, and ferried troops home from Guadalcanal as part of Operation Magic Carpet. He was on the ships decommissioning crew in Philadelphia, getting home to meet his first new son, me, on the day I was born.
My father served in the 75th Infantry Division in WWII.He was in an Anti Tank Company. He entered the army upon graduation from high school in Cleveland, OH in 1944. He arrived in Europe at the tail end of the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945. During the post war period, he was stationed Metz, France where he met a young French woman, who was working for the US Army as a translator. A few years later, he married her.
My Uncle Sgt Isaac B. Piercy USA, SN 6852926 was captured on Corregidor May 1942 and was a slave laborer in Philippines and shipped to Japan on the Noto Maru arriving 7 Sept 1944. He was interned at Hiroshima #4 Mukaishima Island and used in the ship yards until liberation on 12 September 1945.
He passed away March 1989
My Uncle, Carl H. Shutley was in the Army in WWII and was wounded Dec. 7, 1941 during the attack on Pearl Harbour.
My great great grandfather Joseph Warren King (1835 – 1879) serviced in civil war. I was thinking he was a Sargent. He was from Indiana. I had thought he had been wounded. I would like more information if anyone had some.
My father was on the USS Cuttlefish for most of the war. His name was Harold Lauck Sager and he was a 90 day wonder, graduating from Uni. of North Carolina and going through training in Annapolis before being assigned the USS
San Francisco in1940-41. From there he wen to the USS Cuttlefish. Does Anyone remember him. He was a lieut. JG.
My father was a teacher in the army during the war. and my Cousin Richard Watt served in the European theatre during the war.
My uncle, PFC John Albert Koppi, of Minneapolis, MN served in the Army, the 406 Infantry, 102 Division termed the “Ozarks”. He was killed in battle on November 20, 1944. I understand that he entered Europe at Cherbourg, France and that he was killed while crossing into German territory. I would like to discover his route and his likely place of death and the battle he fought. I would like to travel that route if he can discover it. Can anyone help with that?
My brother Byron enlisted in the Air Corps in 1942. He said he joined theAir Corps because he couldn’t swim and did not like to march. He went to England on a B17 with the Billie Blackman crew, they were assigned to the 418th Bomb Squadron, 100th Bomb Group (Bloody 100th). When they arrived it was a10 man crew but reduced to 9 men to carry additional bombs. My brother was the one taken off and assigned to maintenance. The plane went down New Year’s Eve 1944. My brother had survivors guilt and worked to get on another crew. He was assigned to another crew and flew a number on missions. It was work to get him to talk, he died in 2012.
My older Brother Joe Jabon served on the USS Biloxi in the Pacific Theater from 1942-1945. He flew in the back seat of the observation float plane, the OS2U, that would be launched from the ship. He flew many missions and the Biloxi was struck twice by Kamikaze planes but he came home without a scratch to retire in Seattle. He passed away in 1996 from ALS.
My father, Albert Patrick Wittingslow and his brother Thomas George Wittingslow both fought during WW11 and were captured when Singapore fell and spent the rest of the war on the Burma railway. On the memorial wall at Ballarat there is also another Wittingslow who must be a cousin
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I am an NROTC grad – Univ. of Texas. I served in both the European and Pacific Theatres. I was Gunnery Officer on LST 620 during the Normandy campaign. I was deployed to the Pacific and severed as the Executive Officer on LST 459 in the later part of the war in the Philippines. When the war ended we were located at Subic Bay, PI where we were staging for the Kyushu invasion scheduled for November 1945. The atomic bomb probably saved my life and thousands more.
I remained in the Ready Naval Reserve until 1958 when press of international business travel made it impossible to remain active. My final rank was Lieut. Commander.
At 96, I am lucky .. my wife and i reside in a upscale retirement facility in Ft.Worth, Texas. Nearby we have a daughter & husband & 2 adult grandkids. Also, a grandson & his wife & 5 kids. He served 10+ years as a Naval Aviator during the Iraq/Afghan War. His younger brother is an NROTC grad and served 8+ years on active duty – destroyers and SEALs. In fact, these two are 4th generation Navy – their Dad was Navy in Viet Nam. My father served 21 years (1906-1929) – WWI on submarines .. retired as Chief Machinist Mate.
We are all proud we served,
Is this for only USA or does it apply for Canadian soldiers too?
Gwen, we have a number of UK and Commonwealth WWII collections, but at this point, not a collection specific to Canada. We do have a number of Memorials for Canadian soldiers.
I want to thank fold3 for helping me with finding all of my ancestors military records. I looked for record on my 2nd great grandfather in the Civil War. Then as a lark, I looked up his brothers and found all of them were in the Civil War except one. These guys were in Confederate Army Regiments and most were privates. Brothers and cousins would often join the same regiment and company. Then I searched for all of my 2nd Greats and found they ALL fought in the Civil War. Only 2 were killed and they were brothers of a 2nd Great. Only died of disease before ever fighting in a battle and the other also died of disease. I made a binder of all of these Civil Warriors. I could not have found them without fold 3. Thank you so much.
My father, Robert Marcus, was a singer in This is the Army.
My father, Captain Milton Wellen, passed away four months ago. On May 22, he would have turned 100. He served in the Army, stationed in the South Pacific. After he returned home, he started a business with his brother in Brooklyn, New York. It’s still going strong, run by my brother! Harry’s Discount became a legend, as did its founder!