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| Pvt. LeRoy Sleeper, 6th Marine Division, earned the Navy Cross on the second day of the Battle of Okinawa. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/79399131/leroy-m-sleeper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Marine_Division_(United_States)#/media/File:Marines_land_on_Okinawa_shores.jpg |
LeRoy Melvene "Sleepy" Sleeper never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on November 1, 1919 in Guthrie, Oklahoma. His parents Arthur and Maria were born in Oklahoma and Kansas, respectively. His father worked as a greenhouse florist and later as a bottling works proprietor. His mother was a district court clerk. They divorced prior to 1940. LeRoy was an only child. By 1940 LeRoy had married Bernice Moore. He found work as a roofer. They had a daughter named Linda Lee.
He volunteered for the US Marines on July 3, 1944. He was sent to the Pacific on Christmas Day 1944. He became a private in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division. The 6th Marine Division was assigned to be part of the invasion of Okinawa.
Pvt. Sleeper's company landed on Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the first day of the battle. Resistance was less than expected, but by April 2, his company was called upon to cover the withdrawal of an infantry platoon that had been trapped by the enemy and was taking heavy casualties. Despite having no prior combat experience, Pvt. Sleeper stood out in the roll he played in rescuing the trapped platoon. It cost him his life and his sacrifice was recognized by a posthumous Navy Cross.
His Navy Cross citation reads as follows:
When his machine-gun squad was ordered to cover the withdrawal of an infantry platoon trapped by the enemy and suffering extremely heavy casualties, Private Sleeper, with his squad, took a position within fifty yards of the Japanese-infested caves concealed in the small ridges on both sides of a valley. On placing the gun in position, the squad was met with furious hostile machine-gun and rifle fire which wounded both the gunner and assistant gunner.
Determined to provide the cover necessary for the withdrawal of his comrades from their exposed position, Private Sleeper ran over the top of a ridge and, with the full volume of the enemy's fire concentrated on him, succeeded in hurling a white phosphorous smoke grenade before he himself was fatally struck down.
As a result of this heroic action, the units were able to withdraw with their wounded under the protective cover of smoke and continue the fight from a more advantageous position.
His courageous spirit of self-sacrifice and his devotion to duty sustained and enhanced the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
Thank you Pvt. Sleeper for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for LeRoy.
ALEDA LUTZ
With the exception of a Civil War era doctor, Aleda Lutz was the highest decorated woman in the history of the US military. She was killed in a plane crash 75 years ago today.
Aleda was born in Michigan to German immigrant parents on November 9, 1915. She was the youngest of ten children. She graduated from nursing school in 1937.
Aleda volunteered for the Army Nurse Corps in February 1942 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. She qualified to serve as a flight nurse. Fight nurses required special training and only 2% of WW2 nurses had this designation.
Lt. Lutz was in North Africa with the first campaign in November 1942. She served in six battle campaigns that included Tunisia, Italy, and France. During her service she helped evacuate 3,500 wounded men in 196 flights, often volunteering for flights in bad weather.
On November 1, 1944, the weather was poor when Lt. Lutz volunteered to be the nurse on an evacuation plane with 6 German and 9 American wounded that was to fly from France to Italy. The plane crashed into the side of Mt. Pilat. It was probably weather related, but it could have been shot down. There were no survivors. She is the first army nurse to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The hospital ship USAHS Aleda E. Lutz was named in her honor.
Last year on this date I profiled Dr. Fred Greenwell, US Navy Medical Corps. You can read about Fred 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.
Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
His grave is at Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma. His widow remarried and died in 1977.
ALEDA LUTZ
With the exception of a Civil War era doctor, Aleda Lutz was the highest decorated woman in the history of the US military. She was killed in a plane crash 75 years ago today.
Aleda was born in Michigan to German immigrant parents on November 9, 1915. She was the youngest of ten children. She graduated from nursing school in 1937.
Aleda volunteered for the Army Nurse Corps in February 1942 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. She qualified to serve as a flight nurse. Fight nurses required special training and only 2% of WW2 nurses had this designation.
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleda_E._Lutz |
On November 1, 1944, the weather was poor when Lt. Lutz volunteered to be the nurse on an evacuation plane with 6 German and 9 American wounded that was to fly from France to Italy. The plane crashed into the side of Mt. Pilat. It was probably weather related, but it could have been shot down. There were no survivors. She is the first army nurse to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The hospital ship USAHS Aleda E. Lutz was named in her honor.
Last year on this date I profiled Dr. Fred Greenwell, US Navy Medical Corps. You can read about Fred 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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