PERRY COUNTY, KENTUCKY MILITARY LEGACY

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PERRY COUNTY, KENTUCKY MILITARY LEGACY

Written And Compiled By Waukesha Lowe Sammons

Copyright 2017           All Rights Reversed

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WORLD WAR II (1941 - 1945)

PERRY COUNTY, KENTUCKY SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMEN, MARINES

REMEMBER AND NAME, P -Q
     A World War II Introduction With Medal Of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross And Silver Star Medal Recipients           Were Placed In The A Section.

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PARKER

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PARKER, JOHN F. (circa 1912-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, S.S. LEOPOLDVILLE, TROOP TRANSPORT, ENGLISH CHANNEL, WWII.

Hometown:  BONNYMAN, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Other Residence:  1940, U. S. Military Reservation, 11th Cavalry, Troop B, U. S. Army, Monterey County, California.

Date of Birth:  circa 1912 in Tennessee.

Son of:  Pearl Henry and Fred Parker.

Entered Service From:  Kentucky.

Enlistment Date:  23 October 1941 in California.

Service Number:  6391316.

Rank:  Staff Sergeant.

Branch of Service:  Cavalry, U. S. Army.

Combat Organization:  262nd Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry “Panther” Division.

Date of Death:  Monday, 25 December 1944.

Place of Death:  GERMAN U-BOAT ATTACK SUNK THE S.S. LEOPOLDVILLE IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL, WWII.

Status:  MISSING, KILLED IN ACTION – LOST AT SEA.

Disposition:  NONRECOVERABLE.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Memorialized at:  Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, France, Departement du Calvados, Basse - Normandie, France.

Monument:  JOHN F. PARKER carved on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

U. S. Awards:  Purple Heart Medal.

Note:  “Dec. 24, 1944 ... the S.S. LEOPOLDVILLE, a Belgian passenger ship converted to a transport ... [was in] the English Channel.  In the troop compartment, 2500 men of the 262nd and 264th Regts, 66th Infantry Division [were aboard] ...  Ahead lay France and combat ...  At 1755 [5:55pm] ...  A torpedo launched by a German U-boat blasted the craft on the starboard side, ripped a gaping hole below water line ...  Hundreds of 66th Panthermen were still aboard at 2035 [8:35 pm], when the ship lurched heavily to starboard and sank swiftly, stern first.”  Source: “66th: The Story of the 66th Infantry Division”, G. I. Stories, Published by Stars & Stripes, Paris, 1944-1945.  Website: lonesentry.com.

NOTE:  OTIS FARLER, FROM FARLER, PERRY COUNTY, KENTUCKY, WAS ALSO ON BOARD THE SHIP AND WAS MISSING, LOST AT SEA, KILLED IN ACTION. 

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PATRICK

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PATRICK, BENJAMIN (1926-1945), KILLED IN ACTION, GERMANY, WWII.

Hometown:  ARY, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Date of Birth:  16 March 1926, Perry County, Kentucky.

Son of:  Shena Smith and Sylvester Patrick.

Entered Service From:  Kentucky.

Service Number:  35089225.

Rank:  Private First Class.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Army

Combat Organization:  232rd Infantry, 42nd Infantry “Rainbow” Division, WWII.

Date of Death:  Sunday, 8 April 1945, KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.

Place of Death:  GERMANY, WWII.

Status:  KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.

Disposition:  BURIED.

Burial:  Temporary Cemetery 3574.  Permanent Cemetery 3503.

Cemetery:  Lorraine American Cemetery Saint-Avold, Department de la Moselle, Lorraine, France.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Monument:  BENJAMIN PATRICK carved on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

U. S. Awards:  Purple Heart Medal.

Note:  “... the 42nd captured Wertheim am Main, 1 April [1945], and Wurzburg, 2-6 April, after a fierce battle.  Schweinfort fell next after hand-to-hand engagements, 9-12 April.”  Source: U.S. Militaria Forum.  Website: usmilitariaforum.com.

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PERKINS

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PERKINS, HASKELL ELMO (1921-1945), KILLED IN ACTION, OKINAWA, WWII.

Hometown:  GLOMAWR, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Date of Birth:  3 July 1921, Wise County, VIRGINIA.

Son of:  America Ellen Shepherd and Joseph Ira Perkins.

Entered Service From:  Virginia?  Perry County, Kentucky?  Should the state of Kentucky have been carved on his headstone?

Enlistment Date:  8 October 1942.

Service Number:  35664393.

Rank:  Private First Class.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Army.

Combat Organization:  G (Golf) Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.

Date of Death:  13 April 1945, Died On Active Duty.

Place of Death:  SKYLINE RIDGE AREA, OKINAWA, WWII.

Status:  KILLED IN ACTION.

Disposition:  BURIED.

Overseas Burial:  7th Infantry Division Cemetery, Ryukyr Retto, Okinawa.

Repatriated: 1949.  “WWII deceased returned from Okinawa 7th Division Cemetery, Ryukyu Retto.”  Source:  U. S. National Cemetery Internment Forms.

U. S. A. Cemetery:  Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Monument:  HASKEL ELMO PERKINS carved on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Campaigns:  Aleutian Island, Marshall Islands, The Philippines (Leyete) and on Okinawa.

Note:  “Next D-day for the Division was 1 April 1945, when it made an assault landing on Okinawa.  It drove from the west to east coast on the first day and engaged in a savage 51-day battle in the hills of south Okinawa.”  Source:  7th Infantry Division WWII Combat Chronicle; website:  army.mil.

Source:  Martina Perkins Donehoo.

NOTE:  I placed Haskell Elmo Perkins on my ~ Sammons Bradshaw Ferguson Wooton Castle Hopkins Daniel Spencer; McCoy Stafford Stanley May Rutherford Brashear Williamson Ball ~ In-law Tree, that I created on Ancestry. 

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PERKINS, JAMES GLADSTONE (1926-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, BURIED AT SEA, USS BEBAS, PACIFIC THEATRE, WWII.

Hometown:  DAISY, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Other Residence:  Irvin, Estill County, Kentucky.

Date of Birth:  5 January 1926 in Perry County, Kentucky.

Son of:  May Cornett and William Perkins.

Grandson of:  Ella Swafford and Lewis M. Perkins.

Grandson of:  Rachael Ison and James Dixon Cornett.

Great-grandson of:  Mary Polly Creech and Charles Lewis Cornett, Confederate States Army, American Civil War.

Great-great-grandson of:  Mary Polly Lewis and Roger Cornett.

Great-great-great-grandson of:  Mary Ann Everage and William Jesse Cornett, American Revolutionary War and War of 1812.

Entered Service From:  Kentucky.

Enlistment Date:  15 January 1942 in Houston, Texas.

Service Number:  3605636.

Rank:  Seaman Second Class.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Navy.

Combat Organization:  USS BEBAS (DE-10).

29 March 1943:  received on board USS. SABINE (A025) from USS ARTIC for duty.

7-8-1944:  received on board USS BEBAS (DE-10)

Date of Death:  16 September 1944, “Died At Sea By DROWNING, BURIED AT SEA.”

Place of Death:  PACIFIC THEATRE.

Status:  MISSING, DROWNED AT SEA, KILLED IN ACTION.

Disposition:  NONRECOVERABLE. 

Burial:  “Buried at Sea by Administrative Decision.”  Source:  U. S. Rosters of WWII Dead.

Memorialized at:  Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Monument:  JAMES G. PERKINS carved on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Note:  “...BEBAS...joined a ‘hunter-killer’ task group formed around the escort carrier USS HOGGATT BAY and provided support...”  Source:  Wikipedia.org.

NOTE:  I placed my fourth-cousin-1-time-removed, James Gladstone Perkins on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.

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PERRY

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PERRY, PERCY (1920-1942), DIED NON BATTLE, ALABAMA, USA, WWII.

Hometown:  Knott County, Kentucky, per U. S. WWII Enlistment Records.

Other Residence:  Marion, Perry County, Alabama.  Fairfield City, Jefferson County, Alabama.  Craig Field, Selma, Dallas County, Alabama.

Date of Birth:  19 July 1920 in Marion, Perry County, Alabama.

Son of:  Callie Jones and Howard Perry.

Entered Service From:  Knott County, Kentucky, the State of Residence.

Enlistment Date:  28 April 1942 in Huntington, West Virginia, per U. S. WWII Enlistment Records.

Service Number:  35428963, per National Archives and Records Administration.

Rank:  Private.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Army.

Combat Organization:  Unknown.

Date of Death:  20 September 1942.  Occupation, Soldier.

Place of Death:  Craig Field, Selma, Dallas County, Alabama.

Status:  DIED NON BATTLE.

Monument:  PERCY PERRY carved on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS Memorial in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. 

Note:  Data may not be correct.  Currently unable to place him in Perry County, Kentucky.

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POLLARD

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POLLARD, OSCAR (1922-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, FRANCE, WWII.

Hometown:  BLUE DIAMOND, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Date of Birth:  7 November 1922 in Perry County, Kentucky.

Son of:  Alpha Hudson and William Pollard.

Entered Service From:  Kentucky.

Service Number:  35681500.

Rank:  Private First Class.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Army.

Combat Organization:  Company A, 654th Tank Destroyer Battalion.

Date of Death:  Tuesday, 10 October 1944.

Place of Death:  FRANCE, WWII.

Status:  MISSING, KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.

Disposition:  NONRECOVERABLE.

Memorialized at:  Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold (Moselle), France.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Monument:  OSCAR POLLARD carved on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

U. S. Awards:  Purple Heart Medal.

Note:  “... on October 10, 1944, during an encounter with rear elements of the retreating German army ...”  Source:  134th infantry Regiment, 654th Tank Destroyer Battalion; website: coulthart.com.

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POPP

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POPP, RAYMOND (1927-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, FRANCE, WWII.

Hometown:  WILLARD, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Date of Birth:  30 August 1927 in Perry County, Kentucky.

Son of:  Martha Couch and John Popp (born Roumania, now spelled Romania).

Entered Service From:  Kentucky.

Enlistment Date:  12 August 1943.

Service Number:  35874074.

Rank:  Private.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Army.

Combat Organization:  Company C, 10th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, WWII.

Date of Death:  3 November 1944, Died on active duty, Death occurred overseas.

Place of Death:  FRANCE, WWII.

Status:  KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.

Disposition:  BURIED

Burial:  Limey-Toul, France.

Repatriated:  1949, Returned from Limey-Toul, France to Nancy, Kentucky.  Source:  U. S. National Cemetery Internment Control Forms.

Internment:  17 October 1949.

Cemetery:  Mill Springs National Cemetery, Nancy, Pulaski County, Kentucky.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Monument:  RAYMOND POPP carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Note:  “The Division ... prepared for the assault on Metz ... First attempts to take the fortress failed, 16 September – 16 October 1944, and the division withdrew ... Source:  5th Infantry Division WWII Combat Chronicle; website:  army.mil.

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PRATT

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PRATT, JUSTINE (1923-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, FRANCE, WWII.

Hometown:  PERRY COUNTY, Kentucky, USA.

Other Residence:  Jenkins, Letcher County, Kentucky.

Date of Birth:  4 July 1923 on Headstone Application and on Headstone.  Born on 26 June 1924 in Perry County, Kentucky on a birth record.    

Son of:  Mary Trusty and Homer Pratt. 

Entered Service From:  Kentucky.

Service Number:  35805798.

Rank:  Private.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Army.

Combat Organization:  Company G, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division, WWII.

Date of Death:  19 December 1944.

Place of Death:  FRANCE.

Status:  KILLED IN ACTION.

Disposition:  BURIED. 

Burial:  Battlefield Burial Unknown.

Repatriated:  1951.

Cemetery:  Hillgrove Cemetery, Miamisburg, Montgomery County, Ohio.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Monument:  JUSTINE PRATT carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Note:  C. R. Brough signed the headstone application on 23 April 1951.

U. S. Awards:  Bronze Star Medal.  Purple Heart Medal.

Note:  “The crossing operations commenced ... December 16 [1944] ... On the 17th the Regimental CP moved into Lauterberg ...  The operation ... [ran] into hot resistance ...  We had encountered the Siegfield line!”  Source:  “History Of The 313th Infantry In World War II.”  Website: archive.org.

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PULLIAM

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PULLIAM, EUGENE T. (1921-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, GERMANY, WWII.

Hometown:  GLOMAWR, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Date of Birth:  13 February 1921, McCreary County, Kentucky.

Son of:  Bonnie Bell Slaven and Henry Talmadge Pulliam.

Entered Service From:  Kentucky.

Enlistment Date:  17 September 1942.

Service Number: T-124451.

Rank:  Flight Officer.

Branch of Service:  U. S. Army Air Force.

Combat Organization:  351st Bombardment Group, 510th Bombardment Squadron, Air Corps.

Date of Death:  21 July 1944.

Place of Death:  GERMANY, WWII.

Status:  KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.

Disposition:  BURIED.

Burial:  Battlefield Burial Unknown.

Repatriated:  1949.

Cemetery:  Englewood Cemetery, Christopher, Perry County, Kentucky.

Memorial Plaque:  WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Monument:  EUGENE T. PULLIAM carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Note:  “351 BG (H), U. S. 8th Air Force ... based at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, England, during World War II.”  Source:  351st Bombardment Group, Heavy; website:  togetherweserved.com.

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