 |
| PFC Earl Olmstead, shown above with his three children, served in the 35th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30848805/earl-george-olmstead http://www.35thinfdivassoc.com/Ardennes/Ardennes-Story-2.shtml |
Earl George Olmstead never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
Announcement: In just a few days we will be starting a project that will result in the stories of all 400,000 plus of the World War 2 fallen at one online location. There will be an accompanying smart phone app to allow users visiting any war memorial to scan the fallen serviceman's name and be linked to his story. Watch this blog or join the WW2 Fallen 100 Facebook page to learn of upcoming details.
He was born on February 7, 1920 in Ohio. His parents Harry and Georgia were born in Ohio and West Virginia, respectively. His father worked as a pottery clay shop foreman. Earl had one older sister, two older brothers, and one younger brother. By 1940 Earl had completed two years of high school. He had married his wife Hilda, five years his junior. They had three children.
He was drafted into the army in March 1944. He became a private first class in Company C, 1st Battalion, 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. The 35th ID arrived in Normandy the month after D-Day. It suffered 15,822 casualties during the war so it was in constant need of replacements. PFC Olmstead was likely one of them.
PFC Olmstead participated in the Battle of the Bulge when the 35th ID was part of the American effort to relieve Bastogne. It got there the day after Christmas 1944. Next the 35th ID was tasked with pushing the Germans out of nearby Villers-la-Bonne-Eue. It took 13 days, but the Germans were forced out by January 10, 1945. Throughout the battle PFC Olmstead and his fellow G.I.s had to deal with zero degree temperatures, waist deep snow, and fanatic SS panzer troops in excellent defensive positions. Every house, hill, and wood had to be taken separately. Captured SS troops were found with vials of acid they were suppose to throw on the faces of the Americans if captured. The brutal nature of the fighting resulted in many deaths. PFC Olmstead was one of them. He was killed on January 1, 1945.
His grave is at Spring Grove Cemetery in East Liverpool, Ohio. His widow never remarried and died in 1981. His three children may still be living.
AN WANG
The founder of Wang Laboratories, An Wang, was born on the same date as Earl Olmstead. Wang was born in Shanghai China. During the war he designed radio transmitters and receivers used by China in the war with Japan. After the war he was accepted to attend Harvard University and became a communications engineer. With China in communist hands, Wang stayed in the USA and became an American citizen.
 |
| https://www.notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/Wang-An.html |
Last year on this date I profiled Navy Cross hero Donald Wolf, 1st Marine Division and Medal of Honor hero Desmond Doss of Hacksaw Ridge fame. You can read about Donald 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
My Moms' first fiancee was killed during the Battle of the Bulge, but we never had any details of his loss. So many endured that battle and never came home. RIP PFC Olmstead.
ReplyDelete