WW2 Fallen 100

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Final Story of the WW2 Fallen 100 Project - Peter Anderson, 158th Regimental Combat Team

PFC Peter Anderson served in the 158th Regimental Combat Team in the Philippines.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30940603/peter-richard-anderson
https://www.ww2online.org/image/members-1st-battalion158th-regimental-combat-team-rests-wounded-near-damortis-philippines-1945

Peter Richard Anderson 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 WWII 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 421,000 of the US World War II fallen in one free-to-access central database. As of this writing we have people from 43 state and 7 other countries involved. We are going to need a lot of volunteers.

Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite can use their smartphone to read any of these stories. Example here.

UPDATE 01-10-2024

Our volunteers have now completed more than 40,000 stories. We need many more volunteers to complete the remaining names.

He was born on September 2, 1920 in Grantsville, Utah. His parents Gustave and Claudia (Brim) were also both born in Utah. His father worked as a farmer and a sheep herder. He died in 1936. Peter had one older brother (Adolph) and five older sisters (Geneva Ecton, Emma Tripp, Florence Watson, Josephine Howell, Bernice Carson). By 1940 Peter was still living at home. He had completed two years of high school and was working odd jobs. He married Nancy Widger in 1941. They had two children.

He was drafted into the army on June 14, 1944. He reached the rank of private first class and was assigned to the 158th Infantry Regiment. This unit was nicknamed the Bushmasters. When the war started it was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. It was an independent regiment that did not become part of an infantry division as was normally the case. The 158th IR was sent to Australia in January 1943. It was redesignated the 158th Regimental Combat Team.

PFC Anderson shipped out in December 1944 and became part of the 158th RCT as a replacement in March 1945. The unit had been part of the invasion of Lingayen Gulf in January 1945 to begin the task of retaking Luzon.

On April 1 the 158th RCT landed on the Bicol Peninsula with the task of taking Legazpi. PFC Anderson was killed on April 12, 1945. He may have been one of the last Bushmasters killed in the war.

His grave is at Grantsville City Cemetery in Grantsville, Utah. His widow remarried and died in 1990. His son Gary died in 2005. His other child may still be living.

Thank you PFC Anderson for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Peter.

This is THE final story to be written as part of this project which honors at least one of the US fallen for every day of the war from December 7, 1941 to September 2, 1945. More than 1,400 men and women were profiled. The project will live on in an expanded program to write the stories of all 400,000+ US World War II fallen. Visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org to learn more. We welcome your continued support and interest and encourage you to help write some of these stories.

Last year on this date I profiled Robert Lemmon, 7th Armored 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

References:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30940603/peter-richard-anderson

Luzon 1945: The Final Liberation of the Philippines by Clayton K. S. Chun

The Transcript Bulletin, 29 Oct 1948

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/158th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

https://www.manilatimes.net/2017/04/01/news/regions/legazpi-commemorates-liberation-japanese/320459/

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

WW2 Fallen - Alf Wedberg, 36th Infantry Division

PFC Alf Wedberg served with the 36th Infantry Division in France.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100598928/alf-erick-wedberg
https://36thbaker.weebly.com/unit-history.html

Private First Class Alf Erick Wedberg 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 WWII 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 II fallen in one free-to-access central database. We are going to need a lot of volunteers.

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.

Alf was born September 1, 1920, in Westmanland, Maine to Eric Walter Wedberg and Alvina Clara Espling. His siblings were Ethel E. Wedberg Ekman and Edwin R Wedberg. Alf attended school in Westmanland, Maine, and was working in farming before he enlisted. His parents proceeded him in death.

He enlisted in the Army on April 11, 1944, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. He received his training at Camp Croft in South Carolina. He went overseas that same year. He ended up with the rank of private first class and was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division.

The 36th ID had been in action since September 1943, beginning with the Italian Campaign where it suffered very high losses. In August 1944 it was part of the American landing in southern France. By October it was heavily engaged in the Vosges Mountain. PFC Wedberg likely joined his unit around this time. The 36th ID was finally taken out of the line at the end of 1944. It was back to the front in March 1945.

Alf was reported Killed In Action in France on March 20, 1945. His findagrave memorial mentions he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, but this is not confirmed elsewhere. By the time the war ended the 36th ID suffered nearly 20,000 casualties including more than 3,600 killed or missing.

Private First Class Alf Erick Wedberg was laid to rest Westmanland Cemetery in Aroostook County Westmanland, Maine.

Thank you PFC Wedberg for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Alf. You will never be forgotten.

__________________

This profile was written and summarized by Brianne Ellison. I am a business owner and stay at home mom of 4 children in Utah. I have been an independent family history researcher for over 12 years. I have also had a passion for U.S. war history since I was a child. WWII is my most passionate research project aside from family history. I am so grateful to be able to contribute to a memorial of such a courageous soldier that never gave up. It is because of men like Alf, that we have our freedom today. “Land of the Free because of the Brave.” Thank you, Private First Class Alf Erick Wedberg.

This is one of the last 2 stories to be written as part of this project which ends on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. At that time more than 1,370 men and women will have been profiled. The project will live on in an expanded program to write the stories of all 400,000+ US World War II fallen. Visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org to learn more. We welcome your continued support and interest and encourage you to help write some of these stories.

Last year on this date I profiled training submarine USS R-12 fallen James Horton. 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

References:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100598928/alf-erick-wedberg

Bangor Daily News, 15 Jun 1945

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/36th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

Monday, August 31, 2020

WW2 Fallen - B-24 Bombardier John Sullivan

Lt. John Sullivan served in the 464th Bombardment Group based in Italy.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36429555/john-f-sullivan
https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/b-24-liberator/464-bomb-group-b-24j-bomber-over-oil-refinery-at-oswiecim-poland-1944/

John F. Sullivan 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 WWII 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.

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.

A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, he was born August 31, 1920. He joined the Army Air Forces and after training in the United States was assigned to the 777th Bomber Squadron, 464th Bomber Group, operating out of Pantanella Air Field in Italy.

On July 28, 1944, he was bombardier on a B-24 bomber, attacking Nazi oil fields in Romania. His aircraft was struck by a bomb from another American aircraft flying overhead and exploded. Crew members in other bombers saw the explosion and reported that no parachutes were seen. All 10 crewmen were presumed dead.

Another American B-24 flew into the fireball from Lt. Sullivan’s plane, and the crew had to bail out. They all landed safely. Some were protected by friendly Romanians, and others were captured by the Germans. All were returned to the States at the end of hostilities.

Partial remains of Lt. Sullivan and three other crew members were recovered after the war and interred in a common grave at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Lt. Sullivan was survived by his wife, Gladiola J. Sullivan, of Westboro, Massachusetts.

Thank you, Lieutenant John F. Sullivan, for your sacrifice. Let’s earn it for John.

_____________

This profile was written by John F. Schlatter. “I’m from Knoxville, Tennessee and a retired corporate public relations manager, living in Las Vegas. I served as an active duty and reserve Army officer 1974-82. I’ve written two books about veterans. One tells the stories of WWII veterans through postcards they wrote to the folks back home, and the other honors about 50 of the 168 Americans who died in Vietnam on the Fourth of July. I’ve also been a volunteer in the effort to find photographs of all 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam. Researching and writing the stories of those who died to preserve freedom has gone from a hobby to a passion for me. If we don’t honor and remember, who will?”

This is one of the final three stories (3) to be written as part of this project which ends on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. At that time more than 1,370 men and women will have been profiled. The project will live on in an expanded program to write the stories of all 400,000+ US World War II fallen. Visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org to learn more. We welcome your continued support and interest and encourage you to help write some of these stories.

Last year on this date I profiled Max Smith, 30th Infantry Division. You can read about Max 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

Sunday, August 30, 2020

WW2 Fallen - Guy Frazier, USS Shubrick

Radioman 3rd Class Guy Frazier, photographed with wife and son, served on the destroyer USS Shubrick.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67136466/guy-f-frazier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Shubrick_(DD-639

Guy Franklin Frazier 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 WWII 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.

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.

Guy was born August 30, 1920 in Rhea County, Tennessee. His parents Guy Franklin Frazier Sr. and Anna Bell (Tillett) Frazier were both born in Tennessee. His father worked as a farmer. Guy had one younger sister. His parents divorced some time before 1940, when Guy was living with his mother and sister in Covington, Kentucky. He graduated from Holmes High School in Covington.

Guy enlisted in the US Navy Reserve on 16 February 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He joined the crew of fleet replenishment oiler USS Sapelo on 28 October 1942 as a seaman 2nd class, then became part of the initial crew of the destroyer USS Shubrick (DD-639) as a radioman 3rd class when it was commissioned on 7 February 1943. RM3c Frazier married the former Beatrice Clara Cruse on 21 February 1943 in Portsmouth, Virginia and they had a son, Guy Franklin Frazier III.

After commissioning and shakedown, Shubrick sailed for North Africa with a large convoy on 8 June 1943 and took part in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. While in port at Palermo, Italy on 4 August 1943 Shubrick was hit by a 500-pound bomb during an air raid and had to return to the States for repairs. After completion of repairs, Shubrick made two convoy runs to Europe and back before participating in the D-Day shore bombardment, then remained off the Normandy coast for the next month performing escort duties, fire support missions, and anti-submarine patrols. In mid-July 1944, she joined a task group bound for the Mediterranean and then later returned to the US for overhaul.

On 1 February 1945, Shubrick transited the Panama Canal to join the US Pacific Fleet. She departed from Pearl Harbor on 21 April 1945 escorting the battleship USS Mississippi to Okinawa, where she supported the landings at Tori Shima on 12 May 1945 and patrolled off the coast of Okinawa.

On 29 May 1945, Shubrick was attacked by two kamikaze aircraft, one of which crashed into the ship, blowing a 30-foot hole in the starboard side, and causing secondary explosions. RM3c Frazier was one of 35 crewmen killed and another 25 were wounded in the attack.

Guy Franklin Frazier Jr. was initially buried on Okinawa and in 1949 was reinterred in Valley Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee. His widow remarried after the war and passed away in 1998.

Thank you RM3C Frazier for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Guy.

_____

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."

This is one of the final 10 stories (4) to be written as part of this project which ends on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. At that time more than 1,370 men and women will have been profiled. The project will live on in an expanded program to write the stories of all 400,000+ US World War II fallen. Visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org to learn more. We welcome your continued support and interest and encourage you to help write some of these stories.

Last year on this date I profiled B-17 pilot James Feeney. 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

Saturday, August 29, 2020

WW2 Fallen - Bryant Burnett, 2nd Infantry Division

Private Bryant Burnett served in the 37th Field Artillery Battalion attached to the 2nd Infantry Division.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154296394/bryant-burnett
https://www.ww2online.org/image/2nd-infantry-division-taking-cover-german-fire-riverbank-germany-1945

Bryant Burnett, 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 WWII 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.

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.

Bryant Burnett, Jr. was born on 29 Aug 1920 to Bryant Burnett, Sr., a plasterer from Tennessee and Bertha O’Banion from Arkansas. Bryant had one brother Eldridge born in 1918. Eldridge was a fireman who died as a result of a homicide on 23 May 1943. His sister Pansy was born in 1912, and Helen in 1911.

Bryant completed schooling through the 7th grade.. In 1940 Bryant was working as a carpenter’s helper.

Bryant Burnett enlisted in the Army on 15 Oct 1940 at Houston, Texas and was attached to the 37th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Division which was reactivated 1 October 1940 at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas.

The 37th Field Artillery Battalion participated in the campaigns at Normany (D-Day), the Battle of the Bulge including the Ardennes and N. France, Central Europe and Rhineland.

The 2nd Infantry Division was transferred from Fort Sam Houston to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin in November 1942 where it trained until it deployed to Ireland in October, 1943. As part of the buildup for operation Overlord, the Normandy invasion, it spent ten months in Ireland undergoing more extensive training. On 7 June 1944, D-Day+1, the Division came ashore in France at bloody Omaha Beach. It liberated the first of many cities, Trevieres, two days later. The Indianheads battled their way through the hedgerows of Normandy in very tough fighting. Later, after a fierce 21-day battle, the 2nd Infantry Division, fighting in the streets and alleyways, finally liberated the vital port city of Brest on 18 September 1944.

Once mop-up operations were complete in the Normandy region, the Division attacked east across France. From positions around St. Vith, Belgium, the Second was ordered on 11 December 1944 to attack and seize the Roer River dams. Having pierced the dreaded Siegfried Line, the Division was advancing when Nazi Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt unleashed a powerful German offensive in the Ardennes. Throughout this Battle of the Bulge, the 2nd Infantry Division, along with the 101st Airborne Division and others, held fast and preventing the enemy from seizing key roads leading to the cities of Liege and Antwerp.

The 37th FAB was awarded the Belgian Fourragere 1940 with two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army, one for the Ardennes and another for Elsenborn Crest (also called Elsenborn Ridge).

Resuming the offensive on 6 February 1945, the Division joined the race to annihilate the fleeing Wehrmacht.

Transferred from the First Army to Patton’s Third Amy, the Indianheads spent their last weeks of the European War in a dash through central Germany. By the end of April the 2nd ID had reached the German border with Czechoslovakia in the area of Waldmuchen. Pvt. Burnett suffered a severe head wound and was admitted to a hospital on April 29. Private Burnett died of wounds on May 1. We don't know the circumstances that caused his head wound, but it is possible that he could have been a forward artillery observer which would have put him in at the edge of the front lines on a regular basis. Or it may have been the result of an artillery gun recoil. The war in Europe ended seven days later. He was one of the last of more than 3,200 men lost during the war from the 2nd ID.

Private Burnett was awarded the following citations: Purple Heart, WWII Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

Bryant Burnett, Jr., is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Houston, Texas. He was 24 years old.

Note – Bryant’s headstone reads that he was a Pvt. his headstone application states he was a Pfc. at time of death. Roster of the dead in Texas states he was DOW (died of wounds) where another says KIA.

Thank you, Bryant Burnett, Jr. for your sacrifice. Let’s ‘Earn It” for Bryant.

_____________

This profile was written by Linda Simpson. I have been an avid genealogist, researching my ancestry in Canada, France, Belgium, and Ireland for over 40 years. I am also a historian for The Seminole Nation, Indian Territory, and The Past Whispers. When I saw an article on Don’s project I knew I wanted to be a part of Stories Behind the Stars. What an amazing way to honor our fallen, by ‘Earning It’ for them.

This is one of the final 10 stories (5) to be written as part of this project which ends on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. At that time more than 1,370 men and women will have been profiled. The project will live on in an expanded program to write the stories of all 400,000+ US World War II fallen. Visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org to learn more. We welcome your continued support and interest and encourage you to help write some of these stories.

Last year on this date I profiled MIA B-25 copilot Charles Cannon. You can read about Charles 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