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| Pvt. William Acre, 45th Infantry Division and his wife Marion. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=36907028&ref=acom |
William J. Acre never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on October 1, 1917 in Michigan. His parents were also both born in Michigan. His father worked as a railroad conductor. William had an older brother, two older sisters who both died in childhood, and a younger brother. Both brothers served in the army during World War 2. By 1940 William had completed four years of high school. He was still living at home, working as a laborer. He married Marion Summerfield on September 3, 1940.
Older brother Delmar enlisted in the army in December 1942. Younger brother John was next when he enlisted in February 1943. One month later William joined the army. He became a private in Company M, 3rd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division.
The 45th Infantry Division was one of the workhorse division that carried a disproportionate share of the fighting in Europe. It fought in Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio taking heavy casualties that required constant replacements such as Pvt. Acre. By March, Pvt. Acre's heavy weapons unit was in a defensive trench warfare position dealing with repeated German assaults and bombardments. Pvt. Acre was killed in action on March 26, 1944, one year to the date of his enlistment.
His grave is at Gilmore Township Cemetery in Michigan. His widow remarried after his death and died in 2004. His brothers both survived the war.
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.
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100
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