WW2 Fallen - Air Medal hero and A-36 pilot William Strainis

Lt. William Strainis was an A-36 pilot in Italy.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10103838

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A36_Invader.jpg 

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

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

William was born on March 26, 1920 in Illinois. His adoptive parents Anton and Anna were both immigrants from Lithuania. His father worked as a coal miner. William did not have any brothers or sisters. I found the family in the 1940 census but could not find William. When he registered for the draft in July 1941, William was living in Gary, Indiana and working for the Carnegie Steel Company. 

William enlisted in the Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet in January 1942. Upon graduation in October 1942, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and was assigned to the 309th Bombardment Squadron (Light) as a pilot. The 309th initially flew Douglas A-20 Havoc attack aircraft, but in late 1942 transitioned to the North American A-36, the ground-attack/dive bomber version of the P-51 Mustang.

The 309th departed the States in April 1943 for North Africa and moved between several bases in Algeria and Morocco over the next several months. The 309th saw its first combat action on 6 July 1943, striking enemy entrenchments in Sicily in order to soften enemy resistance for General George S. Patton's invading Seventh Army. The 309th next moved to Sicily to support the Allied campaign against the West Coast of Italy. In August 1943, the 309th was redesignated the 525th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. Lt. Strainis was killed in action on 18 September 1943 when his A-36 was shot down near Battipaglia on the southwest coast of Italy. Lt. Strainis was awarded the Air Medal for meritorious service and three oak leaf clusters.

William’s father passed away a little over a month after his adopted son. William Strainis is buried along with his parents in Westville Lithuainian Cemetery in Westville, Illinois. 

Thank you Lt. Strainis for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for William.

_____

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 Pvt. Woods Lear of the 96th Infantry Division. You can read about Woods 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 Bougainvlle Fallen - Harry Saunders, Americal Division

PFC Harry Saunders served with the Americal Division on Bougainville.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8211661/harry-harmening-saunders
https://www.ww2online.org/image/23rd-infantry-division-attacking-japanese-pillbox-bougainville-island-0 

Harry Harmening Saunders, Jr. never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

Harry was born on March 25, 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents Harry and Marie were also both born in Pennsylvania. The family moved to New Jersey in the 1920s. His father worked as a chauffeur and later as a WPA laborer. Harry had one older sister, three younger sisters, and three younger brothers. By 1940 he had completed eight years of schooling and was working as a laborer for a soap manufacturer while living at home.

He was drafted into the army in February 1942. He reached the rank of private first class in Company M, 3rd Battalion, 132nd Infantry Regiment, Americal Division. He arrived in the South Pacific in April 1944. At that time, the Americal Division had been in Bouganville since December 1943. In March 1944 it had to withstand the last Japanese ground offensive of the war. PFC Saunders was a much needed replacement. For the rest of the spring and summer, the Japanese were not an offensive threat, but there were many thousands remaining inland who refused to surrender. PFC Saunders was killed in action on July 14, 1944 when he stepped on a landmine. There were still Japanese who had not surrendered in September 1945 when the war ended.

His grave is at Berlin Cemetery in Berlin, New Jersey. His gravestone misstates that he served in the 34th Infantry which was in Italy during the war.

Thank you PFC Saunders for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Harry.

Last year on this date I profiled Battle of Midway fallen, DFC hero and Dauntless radioman Harry Nelson. You can read about Harry 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 P-47 pilot Russell Harris, West Point grad

West Point grad Captain Russell Harris was the deputy flight commander of the 310th Fighter Squadron.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12230339/russel-price-harris
https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/p-47-thunderbolt/p-47-jerry-175-42-28508-58th-fg/ 

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

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

He was born on March 24, 1920 in Nevada, Missouri. His parents Russell and Dorothy were also both born in Missouri. The family moved to Florida in the 1920s. His father worked as an insurance agent and then as a radio salesman. Still later he was a senior interviewer for the Florida State Employment Agency. Russell had one younger sister. By 1940 Russell was a West Point cadet. A newspaper article mentions his wife Suzanne, but I don't know her maiden name.

Russell graduated early from the US Military Academy in January 1943. He was trained as a P-47 fighter pilot and reached the rank of captain in the 310th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group. Captain Harris was his squadron's deputy flight commander. Harris was sent to the South Pacific in October 1943. His fighter group operated out of New Guinea. In November 1944 it moved its base to the Philippines.

On January 4, 1945 Captain Harris led planes from his squadron to provide protective cover for a convoy near Mindoro. The relief coverage did not arrive on time so he stayed behind to wait. He helped fight off a Japanese air attack using up even more of his dwindling fuel supply.   On the return to base he ran out of fuel and crashed and died of injuries sustained. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf clusters.

His grave is at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Tampa, Florida. I don't know what happened to his widow. The Tampa Florida VFW Post 4321 was named in his honor.

Thank you Captain Harris for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Russell.

Last year on this date I profiled B-17 bombardier William Simpson. You can read about William 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 Philippines Fallen - Airplane mechanic William Ford

Cpl. William Ford was a mechanic for the planes in the 24th Pursuit Group in the Philippines.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54235788/william-gerald-ford
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Far_East_Air_Force_(United_States) 

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

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

William was born on March 23, 1920 in Ohio. His parents James and Cecile were also both born in Ohio. By 1930 his parents were separated and William lived with his mother and younger brother. His mother worked in a cigar factory. His father likely died in the 1930s.

William enlisted in the army in August 1939. He became a corporal in the 48th Materiel Service Maintenance Squadron where he worked as an airplane mechanic. The 48th MSMS was based at Fort McKinley in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II and supported the 24th Pursuit Group. Cpl. Ford arrived in Manilla in November 1941.

Corporal Ford died in a Manila hospital on April 17, 1942. At that point, Manila was in Japanese hands. I don't know the circumstances of his death.

His grave is at Memorial Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Lima, Ohio.

Thank you Cpl. Ford for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for William.

Last year on this date I profiled Battle of the Bulge fallen Glinn Sanders, 26th Infantry Division. You can read about Glinn 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 - P-47 pilot Gray Mashburn + Hogan's Heroes actor

2nd Lt. Gray Mashburn was a P-47 pilot in the 495th Fighter Trainer Group.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111101383/gray-a_-mashburn
https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/p47/p-47-thunderbolt-3t-v-44-19863-of-the-36th-fighter-group-in-flight/ 

Gray A. Mashburn, Jr. never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

He was born on March 22, 1920 in Nevada. His parents Arthur Gray Mashburn and Ida Lea were both born in Arkansas. His father worked as a lawyer and was Attorney General for the state of Nevada from 1931 to 1943. Gray had one older sister. 

Gray's family story is a little complicated. His father and mother knew each other when they both worked at the Arkansas Deaf Mute Institute and married in 1905. They must have divorced in the next few years because in 1911 Arthur was living in Nevada and married Lillian Richard who was the mother of Gray's sister. The couple divorced and Arthur Gray married for the third time in 1919 to Ruby Frick. This is were the complication sets in. Gray Mashburn is shown as the son of both Ida Lea Mashburn and Ruby Frick Mashburn. Ida and Arthur Gray had been divorced for more than 10 years when Gary Jr. was born. Ida died in 1925. Most likely the younger Gray was the actual the son of Ida, and after she died, he moved in with his Arthur and Ruby.

By 1940 Gray had completed two years of college at the University of California. After completing college he attended one year of law school in California.

He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in February 1942. He became a second lieutenant and pilot in the 23rd Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group which was equipped first with P-39s and P-40s, but it switched to P-47 Thunderbolts when it was deployed to England in April 1944. 

Lt Mashburn was killed on May 5, 1944 when the P-47 he was flying crashed near Atcham, England. At the time of his crash he was part of the 495th Fighter Trainer Group.

His grave is at Mountain View Cemetery in Reno, Nevada.

Thank you Lt. Mashburn for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Gary.

WERNER KLEMPERER
A familiar face to 1960's TV viewers was born on the exact same day as Gary Mashburn. Werner Klemperer was born in Germany. His father was a noted conductor. Providentially the family migrated to the United States in 1935 - they were Jewish. They settled in Los Angelos were his father became the conductor of the Los Angelos Philharmonic Orchestra.

Werner had already began his acting career when World War II started. Werner joined the army and became part of the Special Services unit which was tasked with entertaining troops.

https://www.listal.com/werner-klemperer

After the war Werner resumed his acting career and found parts in both movies and television. The role he is best known for is the bumbling Colonel Klink on the TV show Hogan's Heroes. He won back-to-back Emmys for the role. Werner Klemperer died in 2000.

Last year on this date I profiled WW2 POW fallen Hubert Thornburg, USS Pope. You can read about Hubert 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 - B-24 navigator Gordon Weaver

B-24 navigator Gordon Weaver served with the 460th Bombardment Group in Italy.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88051152/gordon-l-weaver
https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/b-24-liberator/b-24-460-bomb-group/

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

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

Gordon was born on March 21, 1920 in Olean, New York. His parents Lloyd and Sarah were also both born in New York. His father worked as a rubber factory tire builder and later as an oil refinery laborer. Gordon had one older brother. By 1940 Gordon had completed four years of high school where he was a star football player. He was still living with his parents. Later he attended Alfred University and worked for Bell Aircraft. His father died in November 1941.

Gordon enlisted in the army in September 1942. He started off in the infantry but volunteered for the Army Air Forces. He became a second lieutenant and B-24 navigator in the 760th Bombardment Squadron, 460th Bombardment Group which was sent to Spanzolla, Italy in January 1944. It did not fly combat missions until March, but the bombers were still getting regular flying time.

On February 19, 1944 Lt. Weaver was the navigator on B-24 41-29339. The plane crashed in Acerenza, Italy due to bad weather. I don't know if any others in the crew survived, but Lt. Weaver was killed.

His grave is at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Olean, New York.

Thank you Lt. Weaver for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Gordon.

Last year on this date I profiled B-26 pilot James Sweeney. 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 100 - Silver Star hero and P-40 pilot Truman Jeffreys

Captain Truman Jefferys earned the Silver Star while flying P-40s in China with the 74th Fighter Squadron.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46518781/truman-o-jeffreys 

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

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

Truman was born on March 20, 1920 in Texas. His parents Robert and Eliza were also both born in Texas. His father worked as an oilfield foreman and later as a drayman and then a carpenter. Thomas had two older sisters, and one younger sister. By 1940 Truman had completed two years of college and was serving in the Army Air Corps.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in September 1939 and first served as a mechanic. By October 1941 he was a trained fighter pilot. While stationed in Florida in 1942, he married Bette Means. He reached the rank of captain in the 74th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, 14th Air Force, which was equipped with P-40 Warhawks. He was sent to China in September 1942. The 23rd FG saw action all over southeast and southwest Asia. The pilots were some of the first Americans to use fighters to fly bombing missions.

On July 23, 1943 he was credited with an aerial victory. During his time in China Captain Jeffreys earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and the Chinese Medal of the Clouds.

On August 20, 1943 his airfield in Kweilin came under attack of 15 Japanese Zeros. Captain Jeffreys was aloft at the time and engaged the enemy to the point it was not able to strafe the airfield. Captain Jefferys was killed during the engagement. For this action he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. 

His citation said it part:

"Although flying at an unfavorable altitude, he repeatedly attacked the enemy (in an interception mission) against overwhelming odds and thus prevented the probable strafing attack on important ground installations. His aggressive attacks were characterized by great courage and a keen desire to bring destruction to the enemy."

His grave is at Northview Cemetery in Winter, Texas. I don't know what happened to his widow.

Thank you Captain Jeffreys for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Truman.

Last year on this date we profiled Normandy Medal of Honor hero Arthur DeFranzo,1st Infantry Division. You can read about Arthur 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