WW2 Fallen - Lt. Cmdr. Walter Hering, USS Hazelwood

Lt. Cmdr. Walter Hering, shown here as a US Naval Academy cadet
was on the USS Hazelwood when it was hit by a kamikaze, as painted by John Hamilton.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=56110588&ref=acom
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/474215035745158725/

Walter Andrew Hering never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 18, 1917 in Fairbanks, Alaska. His father was born in Michigan and his mother was born in Ireland. By 1920 Walter's family was living in the territory of Alaska. His father died when Walter was nine years old. Walter had four older brothers, three older sisters, and one younger sister. His mother stayed in Alaska after her husband died and worked as a switchboard operator. 

Walter graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1938 where he played basketball all four years of his education. He married his wife Julia in 1943 and they made their home in Georgia.

He achieved the rank of a lieutenant commander. From August 1944 to March 1945 he was the commanding officer on the destroyer USS Paterson. In mid-March he transferred to the destroyer USS Hazelwood were he was slated to replace the commanding officer. 

Steaming from Ulithi with a fast carrier force on March 14, the Hazelwood took part in the invasion of Okinawa. After the invasion on April 1, the Hazelwood was on radar picket and escort patrol duty. On April 29, 1945 the Hazelwood was part of a carrier group that was attacked by kamikaze planes diving out of low cloud cover. Throwing up as much fire as possible, the ship was able to avoid two Zeros. It damaged a third Zero that still managed to hit the #2 stack on the port side and smash into the bridge where it exploded. Fuel spilled all over the decks and bulkheads spreading fire. A mast toppled and the forward guns were knocked out. Lt. Cmdr. Hering was one of 113 men killed by the kamikaze attack. The ship survived the attack. 

His cenotaph is at the Honolulu Memorial. His widow remarried after Walter's death and died in 2001.

Thank you Walter for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Walter.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

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WW2 Fallen - B-17 Pilot John Reeve

Lt. John Reeve and crew of the B-17 Rovin Ramona, lost on December 20, 1943.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=70811666&PIpi=113166379 

John Robert Reeve never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 17, 1917 in Utah. His parents were also both born in Utah. His mother died from the Great Influenza outbreak when John was only one year old. His father remarried and had a daughter with his new wife. His father worked as a plumber. By 1940 John had completed high school. He was living with his parents and worked selling plumbing fixtures.

He enlisted in the army on May 1, 1942. He was married at the time to his wife Ruth. 

He went to flight school where he learned to fly B-17 Flying Fortresses. He became a second lieutenant and pilot in the 568th Bombardment Squad, 390th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force. The 390th BG arrived in England in August 1943.

Lt. Reeve was piloting the Rovin Ramona on his fourth combat mission on December 20, 1943. On that day 34 planes from the 390th BG were sent to bomb Bremen, Germany. His plane was hit by flak. It never returned to base and likely crashed in the North Sea. All onboard were lost, including Lt. Reeve.

His cenotaph grave is at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. His widow remarried after the war and died in 2010.

Thank you John for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for John.


On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen - B-26 tail gunner Wetzel Kimball

Sgt. Wetzel Kimball, his crew mates, and the last plane he flew, the Five by Fives.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=25556467&ref=acom
https://wiki2.org/en/File:387th_Bombardment_Group_557th_BS_B-26_41-31707_jpg 

Wetzel O. Kimball never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 16, 1917 in West Virginia. His parents were also both born in West Virginia. His father worked as a teamster and later as a road laborer. Wetzel had three younger brothers and a younger sister. By 1940 Wetzel had completed three years of college, was living at a boarding house and working as an elementary school teacher.

He enlisted in the army on June 9, 1942. At that time two of his younger brothers, Coy and David, were POWs in the Philippines. They would survive the war.

He served in the Army Air Corp as a staff sergeant in the 557th Bombardment Squadron, 387th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force.  He was trained as a turret gunner. The 387th BG was equipped with Martin B-26 B/C Marauders. It deployed for England in June 1943. It specialized in bombing enemy airfields and V-weapon sites. It flew missions in support of the Normandy invasion in the summer of 1944. By September it had moved its airbase to France.

Sgt. Kimball was returning from his seventieth mission (yes 70!) over France in the tail gunner position when his plane, nicknamed Five by Fives, crashed near La Neuville-Housset.

His grave is at the Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson, Tennessee.

Thank you Wetzel for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Wetzel.


On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen - Donald Laster , 46th Engineers

Cpl. Donald Laster served in the 46th Engineer Construction Battalion in the Philippines.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92321847&ref=acom
http://www.cmpshops.com/sarge.htm

Donald B. Laster never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 15, 1917 in Kansas. His father was also born in Kansas while his mother was born in Wisconsin. His father worked as a farmer and later as a day laborer. Donald had two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger brother who served in the army in France. 

He enlisted in the army in the spring of 1941. He achieved the rank of TEC 5 in the 46th Engineer Construction Battalion. His unit was in the Philippines supporting McArthur's efforts to retake Leyte in the October 1944.  Cpl. Laster was wounded and died on October 31, 1944.

His grave is at McLouth Cemetery in McLouth, Kansas.

Thank you Donald for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Donald.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen - P-51 pilot Lloyd Whitley + West Side Story tie-in

Major Lloyd Whitley flew P-51s for the 531st Fighter Squadron.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3796354&ref=acom
http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/p-51-mustang/p-51d-mustang-320-44-63915-531st-fs-21st-fg/ 

Lloyd E. Whitley never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 14, 1917 in North Carolina. His parents were also both born in North Carolina. His father worked as a self employed barber and later as a fingerprint detective. Lloyd had two older brothers and a younger sister. His oldest brother served in the army during the war and came home. He was married to the former Dorothy Main.

He enlisted in the army in February 1941. Early in the war, Lloyd flew missions over New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Bouganville, and Saipan.  He rose to the rank of major in the 531st Fighter Squadron, 21st Fighter Group which flew P-51 Lightnings.

When Iwo Jima Field #2 was sufficiently cleared, it became the airbase for the 21st Fighter Group. On the morning of March 26, 1945 at least 250 Japanese soldiers attacked the airfield in a suicide banzai raid. 14 airmen were killed before Marines eliminated all of the enemy in tent-to-tent fighting. Major Whitley was one of those killed. 

His record shows that during the war he earned the Silver Star and the Bronze Star.

His grave is at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. It appears that his widow remarried after the war and died in 2011.

Thank you Lloyd for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Lloyd.

West Side Story Tie In

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/arts/arthur-laurents-playwright-and-director-dies-at-93.html
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/westsidestory/westsidestory-exhibit.html

Also born on July 14, 1917 was the writer Arthur Laurents, best known for writing the book for the hit Broadway musical West Side Story.  He was in the army during World War 2, but never left the US. He died in 2010 at age 93.

Are there some Broadway calibre plays that were never written because some of Laurent's peers never came home?

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen - Francis Westbrooks, 3rd Infantry Division

Pfc. Francis Westbrooks (left) was in the 3rd Infantry Division, as was the soldier on the right.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=57124283&ref=acom
https://www.militaryimages.net/media/us-3rd-infantry-division-soldier-ww2.85520/

Francis X. Westbrooks never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 17, 1917 in North Carolina. His parents were also both born in North Carolina. His father worked as a cutter mill beamer. Francis had two younger brothers (one returned home from the war) and two younger sisters. He completed eight years of school. He married his wife Annie Lou on September 2, 1939. They had a son and a daughter.

He enlisted in the army on December 16, 1943. Prior to that he had been working with a textile job and was separated from his wife. He became a private first class and joined the 

15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division as a replacement, possibly in Italy after the 15th Infantry Regiment needed to replace losses from Anzio.

The 15th Infantry Regiment took part in the invasion of southern France and then fought through the Vosges Mountains and the Colmar Pocket. On March 15 it attacked the Siegfried Line south of Zweibrucken. Pfc. Westbrooks was killed in action two days later on March 17, 1945.

His grave is at Overlook Cemetery, Eden, North Carolina. His widow never remarried and died just four years ago in 2013.

Thank you Francis for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Francis.


On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen - DSC hero and C-47 pilot John Corsetti

Lt. John Corsetti flew a C-47 Skytrain like this one from the 306th Troop Carrier Squadron.
http://www.questmasters.us/306th_Troop_Carrier_Squadron.html

John Corsetti never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 12, 1917 in New York. His parents were both born in Italy. They came to America a few years before John was born. His father worked as a shoe cutter in a shoe factory. Later he owned his own store. John had two younger brothers. By 1940 John had completed four years of high school. He was still living at home and possibly attending college.

He enlisted in the US Army on December 12, 1941. He became a first lieutenant in the 306th Troop Carrier Squadron, 442nd Troop Carrier Group. The 442nd arrived in England in March 1944. On June 6, 1944 the 442nd airdropped the 82nd Airborne Division in the invasion of Normandy.

On September 17, 1944 the 442nd was assigned to airdrop the 101st Airborne in Holland as part of Operation Market Garden. Lt. Corsetti's plane was flying at 2,000 feet on its way to the drop zone near Eindhoven. His plane was hit by flak that disabled his left engine. Lt. Corsetti continued on the mission and successfully dropped all 17 paratroopers. His plane was then hit by more flak which created a fire in his right engine. He ordered his crew of four to bail out. They all survived but Lt. Corsetti died when the plane crashed. Lt. Corsetti was award the Distinguished Service Cross for his selfless and gallant action.

His grave is at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, New York.

Thank you John for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for John.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100