Monday, May 27, 2019

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who died while fighting for our freedom.

This is a photo of my Dad's brother Arthur before he went in the service.

Arthur was in the Army.


His grave  at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.

Arthur Edwin was born November 6, 1920. He died May 20, 1944 during the invasion of Italy.

I have a file upstairs, knowing that he was in the 340th Infantry the 88 Division I researched troop movements until I gave up on that project.  I always hoped for more information.  It was rumored that my Aunt Marie had all the letters that he wrote...but  they were never found.  ( I think he was wounded and spent some time in a hospital someplace before he died...just from the battles that were fought and the dates they were fought. )  Perhaps someday I will have more time to research some more.

Arthur would have been just 23 years old when he died.  Some family records have him born on November 5, 1920 but his Birth Record says November 6, 1920.
Far Side

From my brother:
The 351st faced heavy fire on 18 May 1944 in its attempt to take Monte Grande, while the 349th and 350th advanced from Roccasecca to the Amaseno Valley, which they cleared on 28 May. After breaking out of the mountains, the 88th Division was thrust right back into combat. They were headed towards the Eternal City.

During Operation Diadem on 11 May 1944, the 349th Infantry attacked Mt. Bracchi, Mt. Cerri, Mt. La Civita, and the town of Spigno Saturnia after a tremendous artillery barrage. By the morning of 15 May, they had accomplished these objectives against strong enemy resistance, and managed to capture numerous enemy prisoners and even a German Panzer. The regiment was attached to the 85th Infantry Division for its attack on Hill 490 on the night of the 15th, and again encountered stiff resistance, but took the hill.[6]

  • First Entered combat: Advance party on night of 3–4 January 1944 in support of Monte Cassino attacks.[4]
  • First Organization Committed to Line: 2nd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment plus attachments[5]
  • First combat fatality: 3 January 1944
  • Began post war POW Command: 7 June 1945. Responsible for guarding and later repatriating 324,462 German POWs.[6]
The 88th Infantry Division was one of the first all-draftee divisions of the United States Army to enter the war. Ordered into active military service at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, the division, commanded by Major General John E. Sloan, arrived at CasablancaFrench Morocco on 15 December 1943, and moved to Magenta, Algeria, on the 28 December for intensive training. Destined to spend the war fighting on the Italian Front, the 88th Division arrived at Naples, Italy on 6 February 1944, and concentrated around Piedimonte d'Alife for combat training. An advance element went into the line before Monte Cassinoon 27 February, and the entire division relieved the battered British 46th Infantry Division along the Garigliano River in the Minturno area on 5 March. A period of defensive patrols and training followed. The 88th formed part of Major General Geoffrey KeyesII Corps, part of the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark.
After being inspected by the Fifth Army commander on 5 May, the 88th Division, six days later, drove north to take Spigno, Mount Civita, ItriFondi, and Roccagorga, reached Anzio, 29 May, and pursued the enemy into Rome, being the first unit of the Fifth Army into the city on 4 June, two days before the Normandy landings, after a stiff engagement on the outskirts of the city. An element of the 88th is credited with being first to enter the Eternal City. After continuing across the Tiber to Bassanelio the 88th retired for rest and training, 11 June. 

24 comments:

  1. It is wonderful that you have these pics and know this my h about him. But I do hope you discover more.

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  2. My Dad served in WWII as a bombardier/navigator on a B-24 bomber. Went to the cemetery this past weekend to pay our respects and put flags on his grave. He was born September 15,1920 and died July 3, 2004.

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  3. The backdrop for the 3rd picture is the same of one of my great grandmother.

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  4. My dad was in the Air Force and served as a navigator on air refueling aircraft after the war. I am remembering him and all the other family members who served. My niece is currently in the Army, but everyone else in the family has either died or retired from the military. Thinking of them all on this day and grateful for their service.

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  5. Oh how terribly sad Arthur didn't make it back to American soil. Today is a special day dedicated to him and others like him. God rest his soul. Love, Andrea xoxo

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  6. Someone in my genealogy group researched her uncle who died in Italy. The family was so devastated that they never spoke of him. You can request (for a fee) his complete service records from the government. She found out every detail of her uncle's deployment and the unfortunate fact that his death was due to friendly fire. There were battlefield descriptions of his injuries and death as well as an investigation as to how it happened. Perhaps one of your children or grandchildren would like to undertake this project. I will try to remember where you request these records. They do all the work for you.

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  7. So young and so sad. My stepfather lost his younger brother in the war. He also fought overseas. His brother got the Purple Heart but maybe everyone that dies does? I don't really know. It makes me so sad that so many young lives are cut short in wars. There has to be a better way to resolve things. We haven't come very far.

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  8. My dad was a navy man in WWII. I'm glad he spent most of his time on a ship in the Far East that was never sunk. His brother served, too, but I don't even know in which branch or where. That generation never seemed to talk about the war except with their war buddies and I never thought to ask, either. They both survived.

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  9. Lovely tribute and so very sad that he passed away at such a young age, as did so many.

    My uncles Robinson and Wilfred fought in WWII but we were fortunate that both returned home. Uncle Bob suffered from tuberculosis and was sent home, while Uncle Wilf was gassed. Uncle Bob passed in his 60's of a heart attack while Wilf was in his 80's. I'm grateful I was able to get to know them.

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  10. I'm sorry about your Uncle. I think it's wonderful that you have been able to find out what you have. We have had many relatives serve in the military, including my own husband. We have been blessed to have them all return home safely.
    Today we are remembering those who gave all, including your uncle.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  11. It is good to remember those like your uncle and all they gave for us. My dad also lost a brother in WWII. His plane was shot down over the English Channel. The plane or his body was never found. So many young men like this never got a chance to even live their life. May we always remember them all.

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  12. It's difficult to think of these young men and the horrible experiences they had.

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  13. We have visited some of the national cemetery and I'm always struck by the young ages. So sad...

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  14. 23 is very young. An entire life ahead of him.

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  15. So very young. These are wonderful photos of this hero who died for our freedom. My mom's dad also died in action in Italy.

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  16. It’s nice you found what information you did, but oh so sad the letters were lost. Italy was a pretty horrible place to be, and what a loss his death so young must have been to his family.

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  17. I'm so sorry, and to think that he was only 23-years-old. Last night, I was reading a 1909 novel about the Civil War in which the author described Midwestern man planting crops that their wives would have to harvest because with the exception of the very old, every man in the small Kansas town was going to war. So it has been since the advent of what we call civilization.

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  18. It is sad that they never had a future. My friend Norman who died in Vietnam really had not any chance to live any life until they drafted him in for the war. Southern farm boys didn’t go far back then. I am still close to all of the neighboring family of his on Facebook. His sister was in my class.

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  19. Oh, what a treasure those letters would have been! Hopefully, someone in the family will find them and share.

    I agree with Miss Merry. You can request a copy of your uncle's full personnel file from the National Military Personnel Records Center in Saint Louis. While you are not his "next of kin," you may still be able to request his full file by following the links on the bottom of the page at this website: https://www.archives.gov/research/order/order-vets-records.html#nprc

    Be sure to ask for the FULL personnel file. Of course, there are copying costs, but it is worth it, if you want to follow all the battles your uncle's unit was involved in. We did this for my father-in-law (Navy and Air Force), and it was fascinating!

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments! If you have a question I will try to answer it here. I no longer accept anonymous comments. All comments will be approved before posting...due to spammers...may the fleas of a thousand camels infest every hair on his body. Connie