WW2 Fallen - Wilfred Humphrey, 32nd Infantry Division

Sgt. Wilfred Humphrey served in the 128th Infantry Regiment in New Guinea.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=112275822&ref=acom
http://www.32nd-division.org/history/ww2/32ww2-3.html 

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

He was born on August 31, 1917 in Wisconsin. His parents were also both born in Wisconsin. His father worked as plumber and later as a carpenter. Wilfred had two younger brothers, one of whom also served in the army during the war. By 1940 he had completed two years of high school and was working as a department store clerk while living at home with his parents and four-year-old youngest brother.

On October 15, 1940 Wilfred gave up a job as a filling station attendant to join the infantry. In time he became a sergeant in Company G, 2nd Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division (Nicknamed "Red Arrow Division").

Although originally slated for Europe, the 32nd was sent to Australia in May 1942 to take the place of an Australian division left to fight in the European theater. General Douglas McArthur sent the 32nd to New Guinea to begin his offensive operations against the Japanese.

The Battle of Buna-Gona pitted the insufficiently trained Americans against veteran Japanese soldiers. The tropical jungle terrain and weather was other-worldly for men who mostly came from Wisconsin. Sgt. Humphrey was killed on December 17, 1942 while the 128th Infantry Regiment was finishing its attack in the Buna area. He was one of 586 Americans killed in action during the battle. The jungle conditions sidelined more men than death or wounds -- an incredible 7,000+ succumbed to tropical illnesses such as malaria.

Sgt. Humphrey's grave is at Wautoma Union Cemetery in Wautoma, Wisconsin.

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

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WW2 Fallen - Tuskegee fighter pilot Faythe McGinnis

Lt. Faythe McGinnis, 99th Fighter Squadron, shown here on the day he graduated from flight school
and received his officer's commission.
http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=25501614&event=833684&CategoryID=0&picnum=16&move=B#Image 

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

He was born on August 30, 1917 in Oklahoma. His parents were both born in Texas. His father worked as grocer and later as a laborer. Faythe had an older brother, two older sisters, a younger brother (who served in the army during the war), and a younger sister. By 1940 he had completed one year of college at Langton University while still living at home with his widowed mother. He would complete two more years of college, which included playing on the football team, before he enlisted in the Army Air Forces on February 19, 1942. This was a high level of education for blacks of his generation living in the south.

On July 3, 1942, Faythe became a lieutenant in the 99th Fighter Squadron which was equipped with P-40 Warhawks. This unit was formed and trained in Tuskegee, Alabama and its men became known as the Tuskegee airmen who went on to prove blacks were just as good as flyers as white pilots.

Lt. McGinnis was the very first casualty among the Tuskegee airmen. On September 12, 1942, while his mom was visiting him to celebrate his officer's commission, he crashed his plane into Soughalachoe Creek near Tuskegee and was killed. 

His grave is at Booker T. Washington Cemetery in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

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WW2 Fallen - Stanley Forsythe, 1st Infantry Division

Lt. Stanley Forsythe took part in the 18th Infantry Regiment's assault on Crucifix Hill during the Battle of Aachen.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=39576115&ref=acom
https://dirkdeklein.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/crucifix-hill-map-18th-ir.jpg?w=750 

Stanley Vinson Bray Forsythe never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 29, 1917 in Minnesota. His parents were also both born in Minnesota. They divorced in the early 1920s and and Stanley and a younger brother were raised by his mother's parents. His grandfather worked as an office fixtures repairman. He had a half-sister from his mother's second marriage. Both Stanley and his younger brother Robert served in the army during World War 2. Robert came home.

Stanley married Ethel M. Christensen on May 29, 1941. They had one son.

Stanley joined the army on December 2, 1942. He rose to the rank of 1st lieutenant in Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division (Nicknamed "Big Red One").

The 1st Infantry Division was already in action in North Africa when Stanley joined the army so he joined his unit at some point in the future. I don't know if he was part of the Big Red One's invasion of Italy or its D-Day assault on Omaha Beach. It is unlikely.

Lt. Forsythe was involved for sure in the Battle of Aachen. By this time 70 percent of the 1st Infantry Division were replacements. There was a joke among the 1st Infantry Division troops that World War 2 was fought by the 1st Infantry Division and 16 million replacements, due to its involvement from the start of the fighting.

The 18th Infantry Regiment launched its attack on Hill 231, call Crucifix Hill by the soldiers, on October 8, 1944. Lt. Forsythe was killed during the assault that day. The 1st Infantry Division lost 150 men during the Battle of Aachen.

His grave is at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. I don't know what happened to his wife and son.

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

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WW2 Fallen - B-17 waist gunner Cletis Campbell + Captain America tie-in

Sgt Cletis Campbell, kneeling second from right, was a B-17 waist gunner in the 379th Bombardment Group.
The co-creator of Captain America was born on the same day.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=57031902&ref=acom
https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=329291

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

He was born on August 28, 1917 in Indiana. His parents were also both born in Indiana. His father worked as a milk condensery filler and later as a glove factory cutter. Cletis had three older sisters four younger sister and five younger brothers, one of whom was in the navy during the war. By 1940 Cletis had completed four years of high school and was still living at home.

In the spring of 1942 Cletis left his job as a welder and enlisted in the army on April 1, 1942. He reached the rank of sergeant in the 525th Bombardment Squadron, 379th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force. It was equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses.

The 379th Bomb Group arrived in England in May 1943 and engaged in strategic bombing of targets in Nazi occupied Europe through May 1945. No American bomb group in World War 2 dropped more tonnage on the German enemy than the 379th BG.

On February 22, 1944 the mission was to bomb an aircraft factory in Halberstadt, Germany. Sgt. Campbell was a waist gunner on his last mission. His B-17 was hit by flak and disintegrated in mid-air. Two men survived, the other eight, including Sgt. Campbell were killed. The plane crashed near Schlebusch, Germany.

His grave is at Buntin Cemetery in Frankfort, Indiana.

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

Jack Kirby

Most people don't recognize the name of Jack Kirby (born as Jacob Kurtzberg on the same day as Cletis Campbell). But most everyone would recognize the comic book character that Kirby created with Joe Simon -- Captain America.

Kirby grew up in New York City and developed a talent for drawing comic characters at an early age.

Kirby was already well established in his comic book career before World War 2 started. The first Captain America comic book came out in March 1941. It was an immediate hit. To meet demand they had to print more than 1 million copies of the second issue.

Knowing he was at risk to be drafted at anytime, his publisher had him create extra comic stories so they could be published after he was called up.

Pfc. Jack Kirby had already created Captain America before fighting in the 5th Infantry Division in Europe.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/02/8-ways-comic-book-legend-jack-kirby-fought-fascism.html

Kirby's number did come up and he joined the army on June 7, 1943. He served as a private first class in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division. The 5th ID arrived on Utah Beach a month after D-Day and played an important role in Patton's 3rd Army march through France.  Because of his drawing talent, Kirby was often sent ahead with lead units in order to draw maps and pictures. His actions earned him a Bronze Star. During the Battle of Bulge Kirby suffered extreme frostbite. He was sent to England where his legs were almost amputated. He recovered and was sent back to America to finish out the war.

After the war Kirby was involved in what eventually became both DC and Marvel Comics. During his career Kirby worked on Green Arrow, Classics Illustrated, The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Ironman, X-Men, and Black Panther. He even drew the first Spider-man, though Stan Lee used a different artist when it rolled out.

Kirby died in 1994.

We will never know what the untapped talents of the WW2 fallen would have created. But we do know their sacrifice gave us a better world.

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen - Dennis Sikes, USS Boise + Reagan AG

Marine sergeant Dennis Sikes, USS Boise, was killed at the Battle of Cape Esperance.
Battle damage to Boise shown in diagram.
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-b/cl47.htm
http://hamptonroadsnavalmuseum.blogspot.com/2015/08/fighting-tojo-mussolini-and-juan-peron.html 

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

He was born on August 27, 1917 in Georgia. His parents were also both born in Georgia. His father worked as a farmer and later as a carpenter and still later as a vegetable salesman. Dennis had three older brothers, one older sister, one younger brother and three younger sisters. Two brothers were in the army during the war and both made it back home. By 1940 Dennis was no longer living at home. He had probably already joined the Marine Corps. 

Dennis became a platoon sergeant. His last station was serving on the light cruiser USS Boise. The Boise took part in the Battle of Cape Esperance, off the coast of Guadalcanal during the night of October 11-12, 1942. Boise was hit a number of times, including large shells from a Japanese heavy cruiser. One shell hit a magazine that ignited a fire which killed 107 crewmen including Sgt. Sikes. The Boise survived the battle and the war.

His grave is at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

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

William French Smith

Born the same day as Dennis Sikes, William French Smith spent his early years in New England before attending college at UC Berkeley. He returned east and got a law degree from Harvard University. He joined the navy in 1942 and served in the Pacific where he attained the rank of lieutenant. 

World War 2 Navy vet William French Smith was Ronald Reagan's first attorney general.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reagan_speaks_on_air_traffic_controllers_strike_1981.jpg

After the war Smith became Ronald Reagan's personal lawyer and his first attorney general where he implemented Reagan's conservative agenda.  He died in 1990.

At least 400 of Smith's fellow Harvard grads died in the war, some of who have already been profiled in this project. Those who attend this prestigious school often go on to storied careers like Smith, but the 400 who did not come home, along with the 400,000 plus other Americans who died in the war tragically never had the opportunity to see similar accolades. 

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
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WW2 Fallen - B-26 gunner George Dusang

Staff Sergeant George Dusang (back row right) was a B-26 gunner in the 323rd Bombardment Group.
http://www.b26.com/marauderman/everett_chrisco.htm

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

George was born on August 26, 1917 in Louisiana. His parents were also both born in Louisiana. His father worked as a railroad car inspector and died when George was 14 years old. His widowed mother worked as an attendant. George had three older brothers, four younger brothers, and two younger sisters. By 1940 George had completed eight years of school. He lived with his family and worked as a truck driver. 

Five of his six brothers, old enough to serve, joined the armed forces. Two younger brothers joined the army first -- on the same day in November 1940. The others joined after George. All but one, who served in the navy, were in the army. His oldest brother was the last to join -- he signed up at age 31. All returned home when the war ended.

George enlisted in the Army Air Forces on February 2, 1942. He became a staff sergeant and gunner in the 454th Bombardment Squadron, 323rd Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force that flew B-26 Marauders. Its main focus was to conduct bombing missions to prepare for the invasion of France, bombing targets such as bridges and rail yards.

The 323rd Bomb Group was stationed in Earls Colne, England at the time of Sgt. Dusang's last mission. He was killed in action on May 25, 1944 at Seraing, Belgium while on a mission to bomb a railway bridge. His B-26 was hit by heavy flak.

Update from Brian Gibbons in Facebook B-26 Marauder group:

Looking in my data bases I can only find one aircraft loss with the 454th BS, at around that date. 41-32017, RJ*A, "Black Magic". The 455th lost 2 A/C Missing In Action, from flak, with this aircraft from the 454th also being hit by flak, and making an emergency landing at RAF Manston, Kent, England. S/Sgt George K. Dusang had apparently been killed by flak, before the crash landing. The other 6 crewmen from the 7 man crew, returned to service.
2 further crewmen from the aircraft lost, were KIA. One by flak, with the other possibly shot on the ground, when he tried to evade capture!? With 8 becoming POW's, and 2 evading.

Update from Roy R Bozych from Facebook Marauder group:

His grave is at St. Roch Cemetery in New Orleans.

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

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WW2 Iwo Jima Fallen - Neal Snell, 5th Marine Division

Pfc. Neal Snell, 5th Marine Division, left behind a wife and daughter.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28459098
https://www.emarinepx.com/product/SPU-5DIV.html 

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

He was born on August 25, 1917 in Alabama. His parents were also both born in Alabama. His father worked as a farmer. Neal had one younger sister. By 1940 Neal had completed four years of high school. He was living with his parents and sister and worked as a salesman. Prior to his military service, Neal married Francis Dick. They had one daughter, likely born in 1943.

He enlisted in the Marines on December 4, 1943. He became a private first class in Company I, 3rd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division which was activated one month earlier. The 5th Marine Division left for the Pacific in January 1945. It landed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, the first day of battle. It was men from the 28th Marine Regiment who raised the famous flag on Mt. Suribachi, though they were in the 2nd Battalion.

The 5th Marine Division was engaged in combat for 36 days. It had the highest casualty rate among the three Marine divisions that fought on Iwo Jima. Nearly 2,500 5th Marines were killed and another 6,200 plus were wounded. A Marine Division had about 10,000 men.

By March 13, Pfc. Snell had been in combat for 22 days. The division was down to 38% combat efficiency. The 28th Marine Regiment was ordered to capture a ridgeline that was heavily fortified with pillboxes and spider traps and was honeycombed with many caves. It was a tough assignment for a depleted force, even though it was reinforced. The attack was successful but Pfc. Snell was one of the men who died making it happen.

His grave is at Asbury United Methodist Church Cemetery in Asbury, Alabama. His widow remarried after his death. She died of cancer in 1961 at age 39. His daughter would be around 74 years old if still alive.

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

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WW2 Fallen - Robert Greene, 5th Infantry Division

Lt. Robert Greene, 5th Infantry Division
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=59231084&ref=acom 

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

He was born on August 24, 1917 in Pennsylvania. His parents were also both born in Pennsylvania. His father's parents were both from Ireland and his mother's parents were from England and Scotland. His father worked as a miner. Robert had an older brother and sister. He also had a younger sister and three younger brothers. By 1940 he had completed two years of high school and was living with his parents while working as an attendant. 

He enlisted in the army on June 11, 1942 and became a second lieutenant in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division (nicknamed "Red Diamond / Red Devils").

The 5th ID was deployed to Iceland in May 1942 where it spent more than one year. In August 1943 it was moved to England to prepare for the invasion of Europe. I don't know if Lt. Greene attempted to contact any cousins he may have had in the British Isles. Lt. Greene's unit arrived on Utah Beach in early July 1944 and fought in numerous engagement in the Normandy campaign.

The 5th Infantry Division had advanced to Metz by early September. It would need to attempt another river crossing, something it had become expert at, having made crossings of six rivers since Normandy. Heavy rains on September 9 turned the ground to mud. The 2nd Infantry Regiment was in a sector that attacked a well organized German defense line between Amonvillers and Vennevilles. Repeated frontal assaults proved fruitless and resulted in heavy casualties including the death of Lt. Greene on September 9, 1944.

His grave is at St Patrick's Cemetery in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania.

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a similar video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

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WW2 Fallen - Harvey Blonigen, 3rd Armored Division

Sgt. Harvey Blonigen, third of 14 children, served in the 3rd Armored Division.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=50263476&ref=acom 

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

He was born on August 23, 1917 in Wisconsin. His parents were also both born in Wisconsin. His father worked as a farmer. Harvey had two older brothers, five younger brothers, and six younger sisters - yes he had 13 siblings. Three of his brothers served in World War 2 or the Korean War and all came home.

By 1940 Harvey had completed one year of high school and was working as a mason. He enlisted on June 13, 1941, five months after his just younger brother, but nine months before his just older brother. He became a sergeant in Battery A, 67th Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Armored Division (nicknamed "Spearhead").

The 3rd Armored Division was fully engaged in the Normandy campaign by July 9, 1944. It led the effort to capture Saint Lo. It was in Belgium by early September. Next it fought the enemy in the Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. Sgt. Blonigen was wounded in the Hurtgen Forest fighting but he returned to his unit.  His luck ran out as Battery A got close to the Rhine River. He was killed during overnight bombing on March 2, 1945.

His grave is at Holy Cross Cemetery in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. Post #478 of the American Legion, Department of Wisconsin is named in his honor.

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY. Now more than 200 fallen have been profiled with more than 200,000 visits. Is there interest in seeing a video highlighting those from the group of second 100?

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
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WW2 Fallen - Milton Butler, 2nd Armored Division

Sgt. Milton Butler was in the 2nd Armored Division when it attacked the Siegfried Line.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=65150694&ref=acom
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/433682639092260211/ 

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

He was born on August 22, 1917 in Louisiana. His parents were also both born in Louisiana. His father worked as a farmer. Milton had two older brothers, an older sister, and at least one younger sibling -- a boy. Milton completed four years of high school and worked as a farm hand.

Milton travelled to Jackson Mississippi and enlisted in the field artillery branch of the army on February 14, 1941.  He eventually rose to the rank of sergeant in Company B, 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division (nickname "Hell on Wheels").

The 2nd Armored first major action was in Sicily in July 1943. It landed on Omaha Beach on D+3. It played a major part in the success of Operation Cobra. It reached the Siegfried Line by early October 1944.

On October 15, 1944 Company B was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Divisions with orders to move forward. They lost two light tanks due to artillery and anti-tank fire. Sgt. Butler died on this day.

His grave is at Oak Grove Cemetery in Oak Grove, Louisiana.

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

UPDATED 10/19/2020

This photo was provided by Felicia Culbertson. Her grandfather James F. Hood, Jr. (in helmet) served in the same unit as Sgt. Butler (in center). She says the other soldier in the photo also did not come home.

Photo provided by Felicia Culbertson

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
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WW2 Fallen - Philippine guerrilla captain James Hart

Lt. James Hart avoided capture after the Americans in the Philippines surrendered in April 1942
and fought as a guerrilla until killed in September 1943.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=65170243 

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

He was born on August 21, 1917 in Oklahoma. His parents were also both born in Oklahoma. His mother died when his younger brother was born in 1919. His father remarried in 1923 and James had three step brothers, two of whom lived to adulthood. His family was likely among those hit early by the effects of the depression and drought since his parents moved to California where in 1930 his father worked as a farm laborer. James and his brother were probably living with relatives elsewhere because they are not shown on the census with his parents and their six year old boy in California. Both of these brothers served during the war and came home safe. By 1940 James was once again living with his parents and brothers in Watsonville, California. He had completed two years of college at Salinas Junior College where he was in the National Guard and worked as a janitor.

He enlisted in the army in February 1941, six months after his younger brother joined. He was originally in the the 40th Tank Company created in California which was merged into the 194th Tank Battalion. It was sent to the Philippines in September 1941. James became a 2nd lieutenant in Company A, 194th Tank Battalion.

While fighting against the Japanese on January 6, 1942, Lt. Hart was cut off so he did not fight in the Battle of Bataan. He escaped into the jungle and became a guerrilla fighter for the next 17 months as part of the 101st Squadron, Luzon Guerrilla Force with the rank of captain.

The Japanese got a tip on the location of Captain Hart and his guerrillas in the Tapuak Hills in the Bamban area of Tarlec. They tried to surprise them on the morning of September 23, 1942 but a dog warned the guerrillas. Hart ordered the others to escape while he engaged the Japanese. He kept fighting after wounded and killed many of the enemy before he was killed.

His grave is at Harmon Cemetery in Harmon, Oklahoma.

There is a library in Bamban named in his honor.

Photos provided by Rhonie Cauguiran Dela Cruz via Facebook group WW II Philippines

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

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!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100