WW2 Battle of the Bulge Fallen - Loren Mayer, 9th Armored Division

Sgt. Loren Mayer served in the 9th Armored Division during the Battle of the Bulge.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38086148/loren-j-mayer
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/538672805412548401/

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

He was born on April 20, 1919 in Mitchell, Iowa. His parents Arthur and Frances were also both born in Iowa. His father worked as a farmer. Loren had an older brother and sister and a younger sister and two younger brothers. By 1940 Loren had completed eight years of schooling and worked as a farm laborer while living with his family.

He was drafted into the army on August 13, 1941. He became a Tec 4 tank driver in the 2nd Tank Battalion, 9th Armored Division.

The 9th Armored's first assignment was Operation Fortitude, the allies' successful efforts to trick the Germans into thinking they would land at Pas-de-Calais. It went to France in September 1944. By October it has been assigned a quite sector of the front-lines - the Luxembourg-German frontier in the Ardennes Forest.

With no real prior combat experience, the 9th Armored took on the brunt of the surprise German offensive on December 16 with units stationed in St. Vith, Echternach, and Bastogne. Sgt. Mayer went missing in action on December 17, 1944. His family did not know his status until late January 1945 when they heard he was missing. It would not be until late May that they learned that he had been killed on December 17.

His grave is at Visitation Catholic Cemetery in Stacyville, Iowa.

Thank you Sgt. Mayer for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Loren.

Last year on this date I profiled Medal of Honor hero Arlo Olson, 3rd Infantry Division. You can read about Arlo 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

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“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - M7 Priest Corporal Millard Sanders + pioneer doctor Mason Andrews

Millard Sanders served with the 65th Armored Field Artillery in Germany.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29588787/millard-sanders
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/world-war-ii-unit-history-book-65th-1808609887

Millard "Hoss" Sanders never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on April 19, 1919 in Texas. His parents Aaron and Mary were also both born in Texas. His father worked as a farmer and later as a retail grocery salesman. Still later he worked as a grocer. Millard had two older brothers, an older sister, and a twin sister. By 1940 Millard had completed four years of high school and was living at home working in his father's grocery store.

Millard was drafted into the army on March 8, 1942. He reached the rank of corporal in the 65th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. It was equipped with 105mm howitzer motor carriage M7 Priests.

Cpl. Sanders likely joined as a replacement since the 65th Armored FAB was already in Tunisia in the spring of 1942. It also fought in Sicily in 1943. The 65th Armored FAB was the very first artillery battalion to land on D-Day. It fought across northern France and the Rhineland.

After crossing the Rhine, Cpl. Sander's unit moved forward day and night, encountering little resistance. On April 1, 1945, Easter Day, his unit had reached Magdeberg, on the Elbe River, a mere 80 miles from Berlin. While a lot of Germans had lost the will to fight at this point in the war, there were still diehard loyal Nazi troops willing to fight to the end. Early in the morning his unit was surprised by counterattacking Germans. The M7 guns were set up to provide fire support for another unit so could not be deployed in time to target the assaulting Germans. Cpl. Sanders led the effort to stop the Germans using small arms and it cost him his life. His driver credits his efforts for saving the lives of many men in the battalion.

You can read the letter the driver wrote to Cpl. Sander's girlfriend here.

His grave is at Athens Cemetery in Athens, Georgia.

Thank you Cpl. Sanders for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Millard.

Last year on this date I profiled Sliver Star hero Gerard Bunce, 2nd Infantry Division. You can read about Gerard here.

MASON ANDREWS
Mason Andrews was born on the same day as Millard Sanders. He was born in Virginia. After graduating from Princeton University, he got his medical degree from John Hopkins.

He served as a medical officer on an LST in the South Pacific during World War 2.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18913167/mason-cooke-andrews

During his career he attended the birth of more than 5,000 babies. He was the attending physician for the first test tube baby in 1981. He died in 2006.

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 - Ernest Bowden, 3rd Armored Division

Pvt. Ernest Bowden served with an engineering battalion assigned to the 3rd Armored Division.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71591632/ernest-l-bowden
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/844776842572341265/?lp=true 

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

Last year I was not able to write a profile everyday from September to November because I was studying for the Certified Financial Planner test (I passed!). I feel my project to honor one U.S. serviceman for each day of the war would be incomplete if I left them off. As I have time, I am going back and adding profiles for the days I missed.

Ernest was born on September 7, 1918 in Pageland, South Carolina. His parents Willie and Dula were also both born in South Carolina. His father worked as a farmer. He died in 1923 of appendicitis. Ernest had one younger brother. His mother remarried Rit Jenkins, a rock quarry laborer, who had two children from a prior marriage. They had three more children.

He enlisted in the army in April 1942. He served as a private in Company A, 1252nd Engineer Combat Battalion, attached to the the 3rd Armored Division (nicknamed "Spearhead"). The 3rd Armored began fighting in Normandy in early July 1944. It was part of the 1st Army and after the breakout from Normandy, reached Belgium by early September. It fought in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. It captured Cologne and fought its final battle at Dessau in later April 1945. I am not sure if Pvt. was with the 3rd Armored for all of this, but his enlistment date is early enough to suggest that he very likely was there from the start to finish.

The war in Germany officially ended on May 8, 1945. Pvt. Bowden was accidentally wounded by a gunshot and died on May 14, 1945.

His grave is at Providence Baptist Church Cemetery in Chesterfield, South Carolina.

Thank you Pvt. Bowden for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Ernest.

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 D-Day Fallen - Richard Dietrich, 82nd Airborne

Lt. Richard Dietrich, 319th Glider FA Bn was killed in action on D-Day
when his Horsa glider was shot at and crash landed.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40100548/richard-e.-dietrich
http://normandy.whitebeamimages.ie/forum/threads/crashed-horsa-glider-chalk-31-436th-tcg.576/

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

Last year I was not able to write a profile everyday from September to November because I was studying for the Certified Financial Planner test (I passed!). I feel my project to honor one U.S. serviceman for each day of the war would be incomplete if I left them off. As I have time, I am going back and adding profiles for the days I missed.

Richard was born on September 5, 1918 in Bloomington, Indiana. His parents William and Catherine were also both born in Indiana. His paternal grandparents were from Germany and Switzerland. His father worked as a farmer and later as a creamery solicitor. Richard had three older brothers, three older sisters and one younger sister. Richard graduated from Indiana University in 1939 with a degree in mathematics. He got a maters degree in mathematics one year later. He got a job with Aetna Life Insurance. He married Martha Ricks

He enlisted in the army in May 1942 and became a commissioned officer. Because of his math background, he was assigned to the artillery arm of the army. He reached the rank of second lieutenant in the 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. The 319th GFAB first saw action in Sicily in September 1943. It also took part in fighting at Naples. It was transferred to England in November 1943 to prepare for the invasion of France.

Lt. Dietrich's unit was scheduled to come in on the evening of D-Day, June 6, 1944, in a landing zone near St. Mere Eglise. The 40 Horsa gliders, carrying the men and their 75mm pack howitzers, were riddled by heavy anti-aircraft fire as they came in to land, causing most of them to crash. Of the 337 men in the unit, 58 were wounded and another 15 were killed, including Lt. Dietrich.

His grave is at Valhalla Memorial Gardens in Bloomington, Indiana.

Thank you Lt. Dietrich 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!

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 - Submariner John Moffitt, USS Tullibee

RM2c John Moffitt served on the submarine USS Tullibee.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22583244/john-joseph-moffitt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tullibee_(SS-284) 

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

John was born April 18, 1919 in New London, Connecticut. His parents Thomas and Sadie were born in New York. His father worked in a shipyard. John had one older sister. I cannot find the family in the 1930 or 1940 censuses.

John enlisted in the US Navy on March 5, 1940 and served as a Radio Man 2nd Class aboard the submarine USS Tullibee (SS-284). The Tullibee was commissioned on 15 February 1943, completed shakedown training in April 1943, and sailed for Hawaii on 8 May 1943.

She began her first war patrol on 19 July 1943 in the area of the Western Caroline Islands, where she damaged one Japanese freighter and sunk a cargo ship. Tullibee began her second war patrol on 28 September 1943 in the East China Sea between the Ryukyu Islands and the China coast, and sunk a cargo ship and damaged another cargo ship and a tanker. On her third war patrol, Tullibee departed Pearl Harbor on 14 December 1943 for the Mariana Islands to intercept enemy shipping between Truk and Japan, and returned to Pearl on 10 February after sinking an enemy net tender.

Tullibee sailed out of Pearl Harbor to begin her fourth war patrol on 5 March 1944, headed for her patrol area in the Palau Islands where she was scheduled to support aircraft carrier strikes against those islands on 30–31 March. On 27 March, Tullibee made radar contact on a convoy consisting of a large passenger-cargo ship, two medium-sized freighters, a destroyer, and two other escorts. Tullibee closed to 3,000 yards and launched two torpedoes from her bow tubes at the targets. About two minutes later, the submarine was rocked by a violent explosion and quickly sank, taking RM2 Moffitt and all but one of the crew to a watery grave. It was only learned after the war that one of Tullibee's torpedoes had run a circular course and she had sunk herself.

John Joseph Moffitt is memorialized in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Thank you RM2 Moffitt for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for John.
_____
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 Silver Star hero Gerard Bunce of the 2nd Infantry Division. You can read about Gerard 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-29 navigator Joseph Parsley

Lt. Joseph Parsley was a navigator with the 462nd Bombardment Group based in India.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12691336/joseph-d_-parsley
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/military-usa-army-air-forces-units-462nd-bombardment-group-boeing-b-29

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

He was born on April 17, 1919 in Texas. His parents Green and Vinnie were born in Missouri and Texas, respectively. His father worked as a carpenter. Joseph had one older sister. Joseph was an Eagle Scout with Bronze and Silver Palms. By 1940 Joseph had completed four years of high school and was living with his parents, getting ready to attend college. His father died in 1941. 

He joined the army on January 27, 1941. After 14 months in the army he was a non-commissioned officer. He volunteered for the Army Air Forces, was accepted to flight school and was trained as a B-29 Super Fortress navigator. He got his wings in January 1943. He married Mildred Turner in February 1943. He became a first lieutenant in the 771st Bombardment Squadron, 462nd Bombardment Group which was sent to India in early 1944. Many of the missions were not bombing missions, but missions to deliver fuel and other supplies to airfields in China that the 462nd BG could then use for refueling to reach Japan. It was the first unit to bomb Japan after the Doolittle Raid. 

Lt. Parsley completed 12 missions. On September 20, 1944 Lt. Parsley was aboard a C-109 (a modified B-24) with a mission to deliver fuel from India to China. The plane crashed after takeoff, claiming the life of Lt. Parsley and at least one other airman. He left behind a three month old daughter he never met. She was baptized the next month during Lt. Parsley's memorial service.

His grave is at Oakwood Cemetery in Denton, Texas. I don't know what happened to his widow, after she remarried, or his daughter.

Thank you Lt. Parsley for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Joseph.

Last year on this date I profiled Sliver Star hero Harvey Osman, 29th Infantry Division, and the well known actor William Holden. You can read about Harvey 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-17 gunner Paul Haney, Operation Frantic

Staff Sergeant Paul Haney served in the 568th Bombardment Squadron.
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/12181
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5980740/paul-f-haney
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/568th_Strategic_Missile_Squadron 

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

He was born on April 16, 1919 in West Virginia. His parents Francis and Edith were also both born in West Virginia. His father worked as a farmer and died in 1920. His mother died in 1925. Paul had two older brothers and one older sister. By 1930 Paul and his two brothers were living with his 76 year old widowed paternal grandmother. By 1941 he was attending Marshall College and was a guard on the football team. That same year Paul married Jeanne Anne McCormick. They had one daughter in 1942.

He was drafted into the army on June 7, 1943. At some point he volunteered for the Army Air Forces and eventually became a staff sergeant and waist gunner in the 568th Bombardment Squadron, 390th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, which was equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses. It was based out of Farmlingham, England.

By late July 1944, the Soviets were on the east bank of the Vistula River in Poland. The part of Warsaw on the west side was under control of the Germans, but the Polish resistance took them on and gained temporary control of the city. When the Russians decided to provide no aid to the Poles, the Germans allocated resources to destroy the Polish resistance. Winston Churchill orders efforts to supply the Poles at night with low level night drops. Over two months the RAF lost 41 planes and 360 aircrew trying to keep the Poles supplied.

The Americans got into the act relatively late and only flew one supply mission to Warsaw of 107 bombers on September 18, 1944 as part of Operation Frantic. Paul Haney, serving as a right waist gunner in the B-17 I'll Be Seeing You, was part of that mission. Only one plane was lost - I'll Be Seeing You crashed near Warsaw. At least two of the crew survived and became prisoners of war. Sgt. Haney was killed in action. Only 20 percent of the airdrop made it to the Poles with the rest falling in the German or Russian zones. It was the last supply mission sent. By October 2, the Germans had wiped out the resistance. The casualties among the resistance exceeded 20,000 and upwards of 200,000 civilians were killed.

His grave is at Marshville Cemetery in Marshville, West Virginia.His widow never remarried and died in 1999. Their daughter died at age 5.

Thank you Sgt. Haney for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Paul.

Last year on this date I profiled New Guinea airbase MP Jack McKean. You can read about Jack here.

Last year on this date, in a change from the normal, I profiled TWO of the fallen: Battle of the Bulge Silver Star hero Stanley Dec, 28th Infantry Division, and B-17 flight engineer Gerald Craven. You can read about Stanley and Gerald here and 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