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| Pvt. Benjamin Jackson served in the 545th Field Artillery Battalion which used massive 240mm howitzers. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18005420/bill-franklin-jackson/photo https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2017/06/03/wwii-us-army-heavy-medium-field-artillery/ |
Benjamin Franklin "Bill" Jackson never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on August 5, 1918 in Georgia. His parents John and Fannie were also both born in Georgia. His father worked as a cotton mill doffer. Bill had three younger sisters. By 1930, Bill's father was no longer living with the family, but census records do not show a divorce. He had three other children born between 1926 and 1942. By 1940 Bill had completed six years of schooling and was working as a mechanic while living with his mother and sisters.
He was drafted into the army in April 1941. He became a private in Battery B, 545th Field Artillery Battalion. This unit was equipped with 240mm howitzers. This was the most powerful gun deployed in the field by the US Army during WW2. Each shell weighed 360 pounds and could be fired nearly five miles.
I wasn't able to find much information about the 545th FAB except that it was in action in the Philippines in 1945. Pvt. Jackson was killed in an accident on March 30, 1945 in Hawaii when he fell under the wheels of a military vehicle.
His grave is at Air Line Baptist Church Cemetery in Gainesville, Georgia.
Last year on this date I profiled baseball pitcher Henry Linville, 3rd Marine Division, who fought on Iwo Jima. You can read about Henry 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.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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