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| Pvt. Thomas Green was a replacement in the 4th Infantry Division. Also born the same day was John Fitch, a WW2 veteran who became a successful race car driver. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6621530&ref=acom http://www.sportscardigest.com/john-fitch-a-pictorial-remembrance/ |
Thomas Cleo Green never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on August 4, 1917 in Texas. His parents were also both born in Texas. His father worked as a farmer. Thomas had two younger brothers, one who died in childhood. By 1940 Thomas had completed two years of high school. He lived at home and helped out on the family farm. Later that year, on October 12, he married Vaudis Marie Orr.
He enlisted in the army on March 29, 1944. He was a private in the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He joined his unit as a replacement.
After a month of heavy fighting in the Hurtgen Forest (where rifle companies suffered casualties equal to 150%), the 4th Infantry Division was moved to Luxembourg in what was expected to be a quiet area of the front. Many units were at half strength and further weakened by the granting of passes to send veterans to Paris and elsewhere for some much deserved R&R. The 12th Infantry Regiment was filled with replacements like Pvt. Green. The Germans boated across the Saur River and engaged the 12th IR on December 16. The Americans held their positions for the most part on the first day of the Battle of the Bulge but by the next day they were increasingly outnumbered by the enemy. Pvt. Green was killed in action on December 17, 1944.
His grave is at Little Mound Cemetery in Gilmer, Texas. His widow remarried in 1952. After her second husband died, she remarried again and died in 1997.
Race Car Tie In
John Fitch was born on the same day as Thomas Green. He grew up in a well-to-do family in the car industry so John was able to race cars at a young age. During the war he joined the Army Air Corp where he first flew A-20 Havocs, completing more than 50 bombing missions, and later P-51 Mustangs. He was one of the few pilots to shoot down one of the German ME-262 jets. Late in the war he was shot down himself and spent a couple of months as a prisoner of war.
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| John Fitch joined the Army Air Corp in April 1941. He was shot down while flying a captured ME-110. http://www.sportscardigest.com/john-fitch-a-pictorial-remembrance/ |
When we read about the successful post-war lives of those who made it home, we can further consider the loss to America from the 400,000 fallen who did not come home.
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
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100
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