WW2 Bedford Boys Fallen - Raymond and Bedford Hoback, 29th Infantry Division

Brothers Staff Sergeant Raymond Hoback and Private Bedford Hoback served in the 29th Infantry Division until D-Day.
https://www.thisiswhywestand.net/single-post/2017/06/06/The-Ultimate-Story-Of-Sacrifice-On-D-Day-The-Bedford-Boys 

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

Announcement: Later this month we will be starting a project that will result in the stories of all 400,000 plus of the World War 2 fallen at one online location. There will be an accompanying smart phone app to allow users visiting any war memorial to scan the fallen serviceman's name and be linked to his story. Watch this blog or join the WW2 Fallen 100 Facebook page to learn of upcoming details.

Raymond was born on January 21, 1920 in Bedford County, Virginia. His parents John and Macie were also both born in Virginia. His father worked as a farmer. Raymond had one older brother (Bedford, born in 1913), two older sisters and three younger sisters. By 1940 Raymond and Bedford were both still living at home working on the family farm. Bedford had completed three years of high school and Raymond had completed six years of education.

Raymond enlisted in the Virginia National Guard in the spring of 1940, hoping to join his big brother Bedford who had already been in the army many years. According to Alex Kershaw's book The Bedford Boys, Bedford was the more fun-loving of the brothers, while Raymond was more reserved. When the National Guard was called up to the regular army, the brothers were assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment 29th Infantry Division -- 34 other men from Bedford were also in the 1st Battalion, most of them in Company A.

Both Bedford and Raymond became sergeants. Raymond ended up a staff sergeant, but Bedford was busted back to private for eating a sandwich during a marching drill.

The 29th Infantry Division arrived in England at the early date of September 1942. While other units were sent to fight in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, the 29th Infantry Division stayed in England, training for 21 months and then being selected to be the first to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day at section Dog Green, June 6, 1944. Company A was the tip of the spear -- its men went in on the very first wave divided among seven landing craft.

Raymond may have made it out of his landing craft, but he never made it to shore. Others recall seeing his body in the water. Bedford also failed to make in on the beach. He was killed by an exploding 88mm shell. Their time in the battle could be measured in minutes.

The Hoback brothers are buried at Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.

Thank you Raymond and Bedford for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for the Hoback brothers.

Last year on this date I profiled Marvin Fritza, 122nd Liaison Squadron. You can read about Marvin here.

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!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
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WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - Willet Wright, 42nd Infantry Division + Star Trek actor

Staff Sergeant Willet Wright served in the 42nd Infantry Division in France.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38644099/willet-henry-wright
http://www.mywarhistory.com/browse/printPreview.aspx?serviceHeroId=2 

Willet Henry Wright, Jr. never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

Announcement: Later this month we will be starting a project that will result in the stories of all 400,000 plus of the World War 2 fallen at one online location. There will be an accompanying smart phone app to allow users visiting any war memorial to scan the fallen serviceman's name and be linked to his story. Watch this blog or join the WW2 Fallen 100 Facebook page to learn of upcoming details.

Willet was born on January 20, 1920 in Nebraska. His parents Willet and Lottie were also both born in Nebraska. His father worked as a farm laborer in Nebraska, but he moved to Denver with his family where he became a hospital cook. He moved to Washington by 1935 where he was a farmer. Willet had one older sister and two younger brothers. By 1940 Willet was still living at home. He had completed one year of high school and worked as an orchard helper. Willet married Alice Marie Pulver in August 1940. They had two daughters.

He was drafted into the army on May 16, 1944. He was assigned to the 242nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division and rose to the rank of staff sergeant. The 42nd ID arrived in Marseilles in December 1945. It first saw combat that Christmas Eve near Strasbourg.

On March 15, 1945 the 42nd Infantry Division launched an attack in the Hardt Forest to break through the Siegfried Line that would last seven days. Sgt. Wright died on the first day of the advance.

His grave is at Cashmere Cemetery in Cashmere, Washington. I don't know what happened to  his widow or children.

Thank you Staff Sergeant Wright for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Willet.

DEFOREST KELLY
The future Dr. McCoy, from the original Star Trek TV series, was born on the same date as Willet Wright. Jackson DeForest Kelly was born in Georgia. He served in the army during World War 2, staying stateside in the army's First Motion Picture Unit.

http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=1333

After the war, Kelly decided to stay in California and pursue an acting career. His early roles were often in westerns playing villains. He was cast to play Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek in 1966 and reprised the roll in a number of movies. He died in 1999. Newsweek's obituary started out saying, "We're not even going to try to resist: He's dead, Jim."

Last year on this date I profiled B-17 tail gunner Robert Cross and his paratrooper brother Thomas. You can read about Robert and Thomas here.

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!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - Silver Star hero Bartle Avery, 84th Infantry Division, and DFC hero brother Milton

Major Barle Avery served in the 84th Infantry Division. His brother Milton was a B-24 copilot.
http://www.hamilton.nygenweb.net/military/AveryWW2.html 

Bartle Arthur "Bart" Avery never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on January 19, 1920 in Gloversville, New York. His parents Lyman and Phoebe (who lived to be 98) were also both born in New York. His father worked as a farmer and later as a summer resort proprietor. Still later he was a town supervisor. Bart had one older brother named Milton and one younger brother. It appears that during the 1930s his parents divorced. In high school he was captain of both the football and baseball team. Bart completed four years of college at the University of Alabama where he played football, basketball, and baseball.

Milton enrolled in the army in October 1941. He qualified as a heavy bomber pilot and ended up a B-24 co-pilot in the 757th Bombardment Squadron, 459th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force which was based in the Mediterranean Theater. It began flying missions in January 1944. During his time with the 757th BS, Milton was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The mission target for July 4, 1944 was Genoa, Italy. Milton was doubling up on missions and had already passed 20. He was hoping that by finishing his required missions sooner, he could return home at an earlier date to see his wife and son. Milton was killed in action that day.

Bart married Ellen B. Daniel on November 12, 1943. Later that month he enlisted in the army. He rose to the rank of major in Company A, 335th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division. The 84th ID arrived in Europe in November 1944. It first operated north of Aachen, where Bart earned the Silver Star (no citation found), and then fought in the Battle of the Bulge. While he was fighting in the Ardennes, his wife gave birth to a baby girl on Christmas Day.

After time in a rest camp, the 84th ID crossed the Rhine on April 1, 1945. Bart was a newly promoted major who was killed in action five days later on April 6, 1945.

Bart and Milton are buried at Ferndale Cemetery in Johnston, New York. Bart's widow remarried and died in 2013. I don't know what happened to Milton's widow.

Thank you Bart and Milton for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for the Avery brothers.

Last year on this date I profiled Italy POW Clarence Rice, 1st Infantry Division. You can read about Clarence here.

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!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - TBF-1 Avenger pilot David Robertson, USS Bunker Hill

Avenger pilot David Robertson served in VT-17 on the USS Bunker Hill.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35274417/david-hall-robertson
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TBF-1C_of_VT-17_takes_off_from_USS_Bunker_Hill_(CV-17)_c1943.jpg 

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

Announcement: Later this month we will be starting a project that will result in the stories of all 400,000 plus of the World War 2 fallen at one online location. There will be an accompanying smart phone app to allow users visiting any war memorial to scan the fallen serviceman's name and be linked to his story. Watch this blog or join the WW2 Fallen 100 Facebook page to learn of upcoming details.

David was born on January 18, 1920 in Ohio. His parents John and Ethel were born in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. His paternal grandparents were from Scotland. His father worked as a realty company manager and later as a fiction writer. Still later he worked as a business manager for a sanitarium. David had one older brother and two younger brothers. By 1940 David had completed one year of college and was still living with his parents.

He enlisted in the navy in December 1941, a week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was trained as a pilot and eventually served as a lieutenant (j.g.) in Torpedo Squadron 17 aboard the carrier USS Bunker Hill. VT-17 was commissioned in January 1943. They first started flying TBF-1 Avengers in February. By summer it was assigned to Bunker Hill. In October 1943 it arrived at Pearl Harbor, ready for action in the Pacific.

In November 1943 VT-17 flew its first combat mission on a strike against Rabaul. Further missions were flown for more than three months, with flyers lost on a regular basis, until Bunker Hill was sent back to Pearl Harbor in March 1944. VT-17 was then transported back to the states where it operated out of NAS Alameda.

On May 23, 1944 Lt. Robertson was killed in training accident in San Francisco Bay.

His cenotaph grave is at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California

Thank you Lt. Robertson for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for David.

Last year on this date I profiled submariner Theodore Feiock, USS Pickerel. You can read about Theodore here.

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!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - F6F Hellcat pilot Robert Neel, USS Intrepid and his brother Joseph

Lt (j.g.) Robert Neel was a F6F Hellcat pilot on the carrier USS Intrepid.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189228218/robert-william-neel
https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Hellcat/VF6/pages/Grumman-F6F-3-Hellcat-VF-6-White-32-pilots-onboard-CV-11-USS-Intrepid-1944-01.html 

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

Announcement: Later this month we will be starting a project that will result in the stories of all 400,000 plus of the World War 2 fallen at one online location. There will be an accompanying smart phone app to allow users visiting any war memorial to scan the fallen serviceman's name and be linked to his story. Watch this blog or join the WW2 Fallen 100 Facebook page to learn of upcoming details.

Robert was born on January 17, 1920 in Medina, New York. His parents Robert and Tommie were both born in Georgia and moved back to Georgia after he was born. His father worked as an office supplies sales manager. Robert had one younger brother, Joseph, and two younger sisters. By 1940 Robert had completed two years of college and still lived at home.

Robert enlisted in the US Navy in February 1942. Three months later his brother Joseph, a University of Georgia graduate, volunteered for the army and at some point he was assigned to serve in the Army Air Forces. Meanwhile his mother served as the president of the American Women's Voluntary Service in Atlanta and was instrumental in raising more than $1 million in war bonds. In October 1942, Robert married Mildred Persons.

Joseph became a crew chief  and electrician in the 533rd Bombardment Squadron 381st Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force.

Joseph Neel / ancestry.com North Fulton High School yearbook

On June 23, 1943 the ground crew was loading the bombs onto the B-17 42-30024 Caroline when something went wrong and the ordnance exploded, obliterating the plane and the six crewmen on board. Joseph Neel was one of 15 ground crew who were killed, along with one airman in a nearby plane and a civilian bicyclist with the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Robert became a lt. (j.g.) serving as a F6F Hellcat pilot  for VF-6 on the carrier USS Intrepid. On January 29, 1944 he was leading his division on the second attack of the day on enemy installations on Roi Island at Kwajalien. His plane was hit by enemy shell fire and crashed into the ocean.

His cenotaph grave is at Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia. His widow remarried and died in 1985. Joseph Neel's grave is at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.

Thank you Robert and Joseph for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for for the Neel brothers.

Last year on this date I profiled Battle of the Bulge fallen James Smith, 30th Infantry Division. You can read about James here.

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!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - DFC hero and B-17 pilot Randolph Jacobs

Captain Randolph Jacobs was a B-17 pilot in 384th Bombardment Group.
 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32443731/randolph-g_-jacobs

https://photos.384thbombgroup.com/picture.php?/35753/category/Jacobs_R

Randolph George Edward Jacobs never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

Announcement: Later this month we will be starting a project that will result in the stories of all 400,000 plus of the World War 2 fallen at one online location. There will be an accompanying smart phone app to allow users visiting any war memorial to scan the fallen serviceman's name and be linked to his story. Watch this blog or join the WW2 Fallen 100 Facebook page to learn of upcoming details.

Randolph was born on January 16, 1920 in Indiana. His parents George and Anna were born in Indiana and New Mexico respectively. His father worked as the manager of a music store in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Randolph had one older sister. In 1940, Randolph was living at home with his parents and working in his father’s music store.

He enlisted in the Army National Guard in January 1941 in Fort Wayne. Randolph later entered the Army Aviation Cadet Training Program and was among the first class of cadets to graduate from George Field, Illinois on 13 December 1942. He was assigned as a pilot to the 544th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force. The 384th BG was activated 1 December 1942 at Gowen Field, Idaho and was equipped with B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. The 384th deployed to England in May 1943 where it was stationed at RAF Grafton Underwood and flew its first combat mission in August 1943.

Over the next year Randolph rose to the rank of Captain and completed his tour of 25 combat missions, with several close calls along the way. On his third combat mission, the 17 August 1943 raid on the ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt, Germany, his B-17 was severely damaged by enemy fighters and flak but he was able to get the crippled aircraft home and made a successful belly landing with no injuries to the crew. On the way to the target on his 15th mission on 30 December 1943 his B-17 experienced a runaway propeller and fire on engine #1, and had to ditch in the English Channel. Even though he could return home after completing 25 missions, he chose to continue flying with his squadron. 

On 8 May 1944, Cpt. Jacobs flew as Group lead on his 26th combat mission to bomb German V-weapon launch sites in Sottevast, France. Shortly before reaching the target, his aircraft was hit by enemy flak beneath the cockpit and spiraled out of control and crashed near Valognes, France. Five of the crew were able to bail out, of these four became POWs and one evaded capture. Cpt. Jacobs and four others were killed in action. 

His findagrave.com entry indicates he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Randolph George Edward Jacobs is buried in St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Thank you Cpt. Jacobs for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Randolph.

_____

This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them." 

Last year on this date I profiled Medal of Honor hero Robert Waugh of the 85th Infantry Division. You can read about Robert here.

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!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100

Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - Silver Star hero and medic Homer Mills, 31st Infantry Division

Cpl. Homer Mills was a medic attached to the 31st Infantry Division in New Guinea.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22331183/homer-eugene-mills
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2019/01/20/to-die-with-honor/ 

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

Announcement: Later this month I will be starting a project that will result in the stories of all 400,000 plus of the World War 2 fallen at one online location. There will be an accompanying smart phone app to allow users visiting any war memorial to scan the fallen serviceman's name and be linked to his story. Watch this blog or join the WW2 Fallen 100 Facebook page to learn of upcoming details.

Homer was born on January 15, 1920 in Troutman, North Carolina. His parents Enoch and Annie were also both born in North Carolina. His father worked as a church minister. Homer had one older sister, three younger sisters, and two younger brothers. He had a twin brother who died at age seven. He completed four years of high school and found work as a sales clerk.

He was drafted into the army in October 1941. He became a Tech 5 in Company A, 106th Medical Battalion. By spring 1944 he was serving in New Guinea. At that point his unit was attached to the 31st Infantry Division. 

The 31st ID first saw action at Aitape, New Guinea on July 3. It took part in the Battle of Driniumor River beginning on July 10 when the 20,000 strong Japanese 18th Army decided to attack the outnumbered Americans at the Driniumor River. The Americans fought off one frontal assault after another. One engagement resulted in Japanese bodies piled so high, the American soldiers had to leave their foxholes to pull the bodies down to clear machine-gun fields of fire. Over the next month and a half the Japanese suffered around 10,000 killed and the Americans had more than 2,500 wounded and 440 killed.

Cpl. Homer Mills was killed in action on July 15, 1944. One source claims he earned the Silver Star for protecting other soldiers under Japanese fire at the cost of his life. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a copy of the citation.

His grave is at Willow Valley Cemetery in Mooreville, North Carolina.

Thank you Cpl. Mills for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Homer.

Last year on this date I profiled squadron commander and P-51 fighter ace Phillip Chapman. You can read about Phillip here.

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!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org