WW2 Fallen - Arthur Burke, 26th Infantry Division

Soldiers who served with Major Burke in 328th Infantry Regiment.
https://www.pinterest.com/bokphilsberry/us-_26th-infantry-divsion-yankee-in-wwii/

Arthur W. Burke could have been 100 years old today. 

He was born on February 21, 1917 in Massachusetts. Ancestry.com did not have any census data on Arthur.

He joined the army on his 20th birthday in 1937. He was a major in the 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division. The Division arrived in France in September 1944. It was part of the 9th Army and by October was reassigned the the 3rd  Army. It participated in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Major Burke died on March 14, 1945 when his unit was advancing from the Saar River to the Rhine River. There would not have been more than a dozen majors in the 328th Infantry Regiment, so I was surprised I did not find more details about the death of Major Burke. Perhaps he was a victim of a sniper since he would not normally have been in a dangerous position on the front line.

His remains were returned to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/awburke.htm

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


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WW2 Fallen - USS Arizona Brothers Eugene & Charles Skiles

Eugene Skiles and his brother Charles were both killed on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
http://japanese-aviation.forumeiros.com/t40-22-pearl-harbor-raid-hiryu-s-high-level-bombers

Eugene Skiles could have been 100 years old today. 

He was born on February 20, 1917 in Missouri. His parents were also both born in Missouri. His father was a coal miner who later became a farmer. Eugene had two older sisters, two older brothers, three younger sisters and one younger brother named Charles, six years his junior. By 1940 Eugene was a high school graduate but did not show as having been employed.

Eugene became a sailor on the USS Arizona. So did his brother Charles. On December 7, 1941, both Eugene and Charles were killed when the Arizona was destroyed by Japanese bombs and torpedoes. They were one of 23 sets of brothers on the Arizona that all died. A cousin of the Skiles brothers, Gerald Skiles, died that day on the USS Oklahoma.

The brothers' remains are still entombed in the USS Arizona.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/10/the-uss-arizonas-last-surviving-officer-has-died-how-the-pearl-harbor-hero-recalled-the-day-of-infamy/?utm_term=.d69e29cb8653

Thank you Eugene and Charles for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Eugene and Charles.


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!

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WW2 Fallen - Harold Booth, 12th Armored Division

These soldiers served in the same company as Pvt. Booth.

http://www.12tharmoredmuseum.com/photoalbum_02.asp?c=17th%20Armored%20Infantry%20Battalion

Harold G. Booth could have been 100 years old today. 

He was born on February 19, 1917 in Nebraska. His mother was born in Illinois and his father was born in Iowa. His father was a farmer who died when Harold was 4 years old and Harold's mother kept the farm going. Harold had an older sister, three older brothers and one younger brother. By 1940 he had completed 3 years of high school, and was working as a laborer on government projects.

He was a private in Company C, 17th Armored Infantry Battalion, 12th Armored Division. 

The 12th Armored Division arrived in France on November 11, 1944 and was engaged along the old Maginot line by early December. In late January, the 12th Armored Division was part of the Allied efforts to defeat the Germans in the Colmar Pocket. It attacked and captured the town of Hattstatt on February 4, 1945, the day Pvt Booth died, two weeks short of his 28th birthday.

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Riviera/USA-E-Riviera-29.html

His remains were returned to be buried at Ft. McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Nebraska.

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


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!

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WW2 Fallen - Richard McMullen, 6th Armored Division, Battle of the Bulge

50th Infantry Battalion Half Track at Battle of the Bulge were Pvt. McMullen was killed.
http://www.super6th.org/50thAIB/Bulge.html

Richard J. McMullen could have been 100 years old today. 

He was born on February 18, 1917 in West Virginia. His father was also born in West Virginia while his mother was born in Ohio. His father was a railroad yard switchman who later became a yardmaster. Richard had two older sisters and an older brother. He also had three younger brothers. His brother Arlie also served in WW2. After completing high school Richard worked as a foreman.

Richard enlisted in the Army on October 13, 1942. Enlistment records show he was married, but no details were found.

Pvt. McMullen served in Company B, 50th Armored Infantry Battalion, 6th Armored Division. The 6th Armored was called on to counterattack the Germans who attacked the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge. The 50th Armored Infantry Battalion moved into a position a mile east of Bastogne on December 31, 1944 with plans to attack the next day. During the American attack, the troops encountered strong enemy resistance and at one point were being hit by artillery from three sides. Pvt. McMullen died on January 1, 1945, most likely during this attack.

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Ardennes/maps/USA-E-Ardennes-X.jpg

His remains were returned to be buried at Grafton National Cemetery.

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


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!

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WW2 Fallen - Michael Stratigos, 30th Infantry Division

Troops from 30th Division in Normandy the month Sgt Stratigos was killed.
https://www.pinterest.com/armandhendriks/30th-infantry-division/ 

Michael P. Stratigos could have been 100 years old today. 

He was born on February 17, 1917 in Illinois. His parents were both born in Greece and came to America in 1911. His father worked in a hotel and later as a waiter in a restaurant. Mike had  one older brother and three older sisters. By 1940 he had completed two years of high school and was still living with his parents while working as a salesman.

Mike joined the army on November 12, 1940. He was a Staff Sergeant in the 119th Regiment, 30th Infantry Division. The 30th Infantry Division landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day + 5.

Sgt. Stratigos died on July 16, 1944 while his regiment was engaged in the Normandy area. On that date his regiment was in reserve so it is likely that he was mortally injured in earlier combat. The regiment had been heavily shelled the day before he died.

Position of 119th Regiment the week before Sgt Stratigos died shown at lower right.
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-StLo/USA-A-StLo-2.html

His remains were returned to be buried at Rock Island National Cemetery in Illinois.

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


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!

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WW2 Fallen - Milton Burford, U-boat victim

Milford Burford was serving on the Rawleigh Warner when it was sunk by a U-boat.
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/1840.html

Milford M. Burford could have been 100 years old today. 

He was born on February 15, 1917 in Mississippi. His parents were both born in Mississippi. His father was a railroad foreman and died in 1937. Milton had an older sister and a younger brother. By 1940 Milford had completed one year of high school and was still living with his mother.

Milford became a 2nd assistant engineer in the Merchant Marines. He was serving on the Rawleigh Warner, an American tanker with a crew of 33.

According to uboat.net:

At 06.11 hours on 23 June 1942 the unescorted and unarmed Rawleigh Warner (Master Jewel Homer Levingston) was hit by two torpedoes from U-67 about 40 miles south of South Pass, Louisiana. The cargo immediately burst into flames and engulfed the entire length of the ship. The tanker sank in less than ten minutes, leaving no survivors among the eight officers and 25 crewmen on board.

U-67
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-67_(1940)

Milton's remains were never recovered.

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


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WW2 Fallen - Fred Gutknecht, 87th Infantry Division

87th Division moves through St. Hubert, taken a few days before Pvt. Gutknecht was killed.
http://www.in-honored-glory.info/html/stories/ifcordie.htm

Fred E. Gutknecht could have been 100 years old today. 

He was born on February 16, 1917 in Argentina.  We don't know the circumstance of how he came to America. 

When he enlisted in the army in Michigan on February 25, 1941 he was single with a grammar school level of education and past work experience in the foundry industry.

Fred was a private in Company C, 346th Infantry Regiment, 87th Infantry Division. The 87th Division was one of the later units that participated in the European theater. It arrived in France in November 1944 and was assigned to Patton's 3rd Army. Its first taste of combat was in the Saar Basin in early December, but soon it was put to work pushing back the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.

Pvt. Gutknecht died on January 10, 1945, one of 26 men from his regiment who died that day. The 346th Infantry Regiment had been given the assignment of dislodging the Germans from Tillet, Belgium. It had been unsuccessful for days. The ground was too frozen to dig foxholes so it was hard to find protection from enemy fire. Pvt. Gutknecht's company was able to gain a foothold in the town on January 9, but German tanks counterattacked. The Americans were lacking anti-tank weapons at the moment so the infantry suffered casualties that likely included Pvt. Gutknecht.

German map of area where Pvt. Gutknecht was killed. Tillet is at far right.
http://87thinfantrydivision.com/cecil-g-davis/history-of-the-antitank-companies-of-the-87th-division-in-europe

Pvt. Gutknecht was one of 46 G.I.s from Company C that died during the war. His remains were returned to be buried at Barrancus National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida.

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


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!

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