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| Captain Sheldon Dannelly commanded a company in the 127th Infantry Regiment in the Philippines with these troops. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92262305&ref=acom http://www.32nd-division.org/history/ww2/32ww2-11.html |
Sheldon M. Dannelly never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on November 16, 1917 in South Carolina. His parents Joseph and Delula were also both born in South Carolina. His father worked as a farmer. Sheldon had two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger brother. Two of his brothers also served in the army during the war. By 1940 Sheldon had completed four years at Wofford College and was living at home working as a school teacher and later as a school principal.
He enlisted in the army on February 11, 1942. He rose to the rank of captain and commanded Company A, 1st Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division (nicknamed Red Arrow Division). The 32nd Division saw action in New Guinea and Luzon.
Three of his enlisted men were recognized with the Medal of Honor. Captain Dannelly himself twice earned the Distinguished Service Cross.
On April 25, 1945 Captain Dannelly was killed in Luzon while trying to rescue some of his men trapped in a cave-in.
Here are the citations for his two DSC:
“for extraordinary heroism in action March 4 and 5, 1945. Capt. Dannelly, commanding Co. A, 127TH Infantry, skillfully attacked a heavily defended enemy position over open terrain defeating the enemy snipers and machine gunners. Throughout the engagement which lasted for 2 days, Capt. Dannelly, with utter disregard for his own safety, and in the face of heavy enemy artillery, mortar, and sniper fire, went from fox-hole to fox-hole giving encouragement and direction to his men.”
“for extraordinary heroism in action along the Philippine Islands April 25, 1945. As an infantry company was preparing to attack, a bomb suddenly smashed into the perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. The enemy immediately concentrated machinegun and rifle fire on the area where the bomb had landed. Capt. Dannelly, the company commander, seized an entrenching shovel and with complete disregard for his own safety, rushed forward across the 50 yards of open ground with bullets striking all about him. Although the enemy fire grew in intensity, he rose to his feet and, fully exposed, began digging into the rock and sand beneath which men were buried. As he undertook his self-imposed task, he was hit and killed by enemy fire. Capt. Dannelly, through gallant sacrifice of his own life, provided a lasting inspiration for the men with whom he served.”
His grave is at Ehrhardt Cemetery in South Carolina.
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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