WW2 Fallen - Lewis Walker, 44th Infantry Division

PFC Lewis Walker served in the 44th Infantry Division.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195467772/lewis-franklin-walker
http://www.combatreels.com/44th_infantry_division_1944-1945_dvd.cfm 

Lewis Franklin Walker never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database. We are going to need a lot of volunteers. Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

    

Lewis was born on July 7, 1920 in Ohio. His parents Leis and Amelia were also both born in Ohio. His father worked as a coal miner. Lewis had two older sisters and one younger brother. By 1940 Lewis was still living at home. He had completed four years of high school and worked as a coal miner.

He was drafted into the army in February 1943. He became a private first class in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 324th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division. The 44th ID was sent to Europe in September 1944. It joined the 7th Army's engagement with the enemy in the Vosges Mountains one month later.

The 44th ID fought the Germans in area of the old Maginot Line in December 1944. After six days of fighting it captured Fort Simserhof on December 20. It was then on the defensive to keep the Germans from crossing the Blies River. PFC Walker was killed during this engagement on December 22, 1944. PFC Walker was one of more than 1,000 men from the 44th ID killed or missing during the war.

His grave is at Beech Grove Cemetery in Pomeroy, Ohio.

Thank you PFC Walker for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Lewis.

This is one of the final 100 stories (58) to be written as part of this project which ends on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. At that time more than 1,370 men and women will have been profiled. The project will live on in an expanded program to write the stories of all 400,000+ US World War II fallen. Visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org to learn more. We welcome your continued support and interest and encourage you to help write some of these stories.

Last year on this date I profiled P-51 pilot Norman McDonald. You can read about Norman 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

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org