Dale County AlArchives News.....Our Men & Women in Uniform December 14 1944 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Christine Thacker CGT714@AOL.com February 2, 2005, 3:08 pm The Southern Star 60 Years ago, Dec. 14, 1944 Reprinted Souther Star Dec. 15, 2004, pg 4B. News of Our Men and Women in Uniform. LT. MIXSON c. Byrd WOUNDED IN ACTION Mr. and Mrs. Edd Byrd of route . 2, Ozark, were notified by the Wllr Department on December 11th that their son, 2nd Lt. Mixson C. Byrd was slightly wounded in action in Germany on November 28. The same day Mr. and Mrs. Byrd received a letter from Mixson which was written Nov. 30th, stating that he was wounded in the right knee and was in a hospital in Belgium. Lt. Byrd's address Is: 2nd Lieut. Mixson C. Byrd (0-532124) 325th F. A. Bn., A. P. O. 84, care of Postmaster, New York, N. Y. General L. D. Clay. ~~~ OZARK GI IN NEW YORK oN BOND DRIVE DUTY Martell McGee, motor machinist first class, of Ozark, a veteran of PT action in the Pacific, is now serving his newest and strangest assignment aboard the battle-scared PT-39, stationed in the heart of New York City's financial district to help sell war bonds In the Sixth War Loan Drive. It was announced here today. With his fellow crew members"\ he will live aboard the boat until December 16th. McGee fought with Commander John Bulkeley's second squadron in New Guinea. ~~~~ MIDLAND CITY SOLDIER AWARDED OAK LEAF Technical Sergeant Doyle S. Adams, 23 son of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Adams of Midland City Route one, has been awarded the oak leaf cluster to the Air Medal, equivalent to the second award of the medal for courage, coolness and skill" displayed on bombing attacks over Germany, a release from the Public Relations Section of the Eighth AIr Force in England announced. Sergeant Adams Is a radio operator and gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress Bomb Group under the command of Colonel Frank P. Bostrom, Banger, Maine. Sgt. Adams entered the A1r Forces in August, 1942. ~~~~ LLOYD WARD REPORTED MIsSING IN ACTION Sgt. Lloyd Ward of Midland City, has been reported misslng in action since November 25 In France, the War Department has notified hiS mother, Mrs. Mattie Ward,of Midland. City route two. Inducted into service at camp 'Blanding, he was transferred to Camp Chaffee Ark., completing his training at Camp Cook., Calif., before going overseas in January. His brother, Private Grady Ward, who was wounded in actton in France, in August, is in a hospital in England recOvering from his wounds. ~~~~ ANOTHER DALE COunty BOY WOUNDED IN ACTION Mr. and Mrs. Max Herring receiver word Tuesday that their son, Tech Sgt. Hubert M. Herring, was wounded in action somewhere in Germany, November 29. The report said he was wounded in his right arm. Sgt. Herring has' been wounded before in his right arm, In March. 1943, In North, Africa. He has been overseas 30 months. He Is in the 7th, Army. ~~~~~ PFC. GEORGE C. LONG SERVING IN ITALY ALLIED FORCE HQ., ITALY Private FIrst Class George C. Long, son of Mr. and Mrs. Realus Long, rfd. 2, Skippervllle, Alabama is a medical corpseman With the unit controlling the Port of Leghorn. This outfit administers work that sends an average of nearly 10000 tons of war supplies to the Fifth Army front daily. Men of this unit operated the Port of Palermo. Sicily, before comIng to Italy. They sent detachments to the Anzlo Beachhead to assist in the handling of supplies for the Fifth Army In the early Weeks ot the fight there and later managed the embarkation of the entire Seventh Army for the invasion of Southem France. Last September, 1, the outfit's first group took over the operation of the Port of Leghorn while German artillery shells were still falling in the city. In addition to regular port functions, they set up alarge ship repair shop and a small craft- operating section to speed the unloading of Liberty Ships arriVIng with ammUnition and other high Priority sUpplies. The entire port was wrecked by retreating Germans and over 11,000 land mines were taken from the dock area in one day. Pfc. Long has been overseas 19 months find wears the Mediterranean Theater Ribbon with two battle Participation Stars and the Good Conduct Medal. ~~~~~ PFC.LEON LISENBY AWARED PURPLE HEART PFC. Leon Lisenby, son of Mrs. W. M. Lisenby, of Ariton, Ala. was recently awarded the PUrple Heart. Ptc. Lisenby has been in service 37 months. He sailed for overseas dUty December, 1942. He served with the 41st Infantry of the 2nd armored Division, In North Africa, and Sicily and was wounded In action In France August 25th. After recovering in a hospital in England he has returned to duty and is serving somewhere In France now. PFc. Lisenby has also been awarded the Good Conduct Medal. ~~~~~~ LT. LOCKE REDD AT HOME FOR THE WEEK-END First Lieut. and Mrs. Locke Redd and little daughter, Suzanne, were the guests of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. W. Redd the past week-end. Lt. Redd has Just completed his training at Columbus, Ohio, having received his second pair ot WingS and Was enroute to Lockbourne Field, Tampa., Fla. ~~~~~~ LT. NOEL M. DOWLING GETS NEW ASSIGNMENT Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Dowling of Pinckard have received word, that their son, Lt. Noel M. Dowling, has recently been assigned to the Quartermaster Officer Replacement Pool at the Memphis Army Service Forces Depot, Memphis, Tenn. Prior to entering the service on April 15, 1942, Lt. Dowling owned and operated the Dowling Company in Pinckard. He entered Quartermaster Officer Candidate School at Camp Lee, Virginia, on July 29, 1944, and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps on Nov. 24, 1944. Lt. Dowling is at present under going a comprehensive training course in Army supply procedure at the Memphis ASF Depot before receiving a permanent assignment. ~~~~~~ DALE COUNTY MEN WOUNDED IN ACTION Two men from Dale County, Pvt. Hildry Childree, son of William Childree; OZark route one, and Pvt. Robert E. L. Pladson, husband of Mrs. Annie L. Pladson, of Ozark, have been wounded in action in the European area, the War Department announced Sunday. ~~~~~~ NEWTON SOLDIER WOUNDED IN GERMANY A U. S. ARMY GENERAL HOSPITAL, England-While treating battle casualties on a battlefield inside Germany, Staff Sergeant Sam S. Kensaul, 24, of Route 2 Newton, Alabama, a medical soldier, was hit by shrapnel in the left leg. He Is now recuperating at this United States Army General hospital in England where he has been awarded the Purple Heart. His ward surgeon, First Lieutenant Stanley S. Kahn of Gadsden, Alabama, said, "Sgt. Kensaul's leg is Improving rapldlY and he will soon return to duty." Sgt. Kensaul landed in France in July as acting sergeant of his Medical Detachment and saw action in France, Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany. "The Germans opened up on our positions with a heavy artillery barrage," Sgt. Kensaul said. "We stayed in our foxholes until noon when the caSualties started coming in One of the Doctors and three enlisted men worked under fire caring for the wounded. I was hit by sharpnel in the left leg. Sgt. Kensaul's wound was dressed by his own men and he was sent on a hospital train to Paris and flown from there to England. Sgt. Kensaul is the husband of Mrs. Betty Kensaul of Newton. Two brothers, captain D. A. Kensaul and Lieutenant Coy L. Kensaul, are In the Merchant Marines. His brother, Aulburt Is in the Navy, and another brother, Fred Kensaul in the Army. ~~~~~~ SGT. DANNIE W. EZELL RETURNS TO CAMP Sgt. Dannie W. Ezell returns to Camp Stoneman, Calif., after spendIng 16 days at home with his wife and parents. His wife accompanied him back to camp to spend some time with him. ~~~~~~ S/SGT. PAUL C. KENNEDY APPRECIATES BALLOT Mrs. Paul C. Kennedy recently received the following letter from her husband, Staff Sergeant Paul C. Kennedy, with the AAF, now overseas: October 10, 1944: Dear Wife: I am Just fine tonight: and hope you are too. I have had a rather busy day today. It has been raining off and on all day. I mean everything is a mess. Mud, great goodness! All the dust that was created from the summer dry weather is turned to mud now. I received my ballot today, so I'll vote this time, suppose. It looks pretty complicated though, but I'll get it filled out some how or other. There are very few names on there that I am acquainted with. I was glad to see Frank Covington's name on there, for I'll never forget that one. For I have trotted, up and down too, many cotton rows behind one of his planters. I guess his motto Is "never skips a hill." Well I wish him the best of luck. It really makes me feel that I am still a part of the country when I have a chance to vote again. I think all the foreign service men should take advantage of the election. I'll do the best I can do to select the best-men for their respective offices. 1'11 sure be glad when the World Series are over so we can hear something else on the radio at night. I couldn't hear anything Sunday night when the real good programs are on for the dam ball game, but, lots of the GIs are pleased to hear them, so I guess they were an advantage after all. Lots of money was lost and won on the World Series over here, but OPC is betting on something bigger and better than any old ball game that will be the great finals. I love you all, Your Papa.. Sgt. Kennedy was born and raised in Dale County, the son of Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Kennedy, of Beat 8. He entered the service Sept. 5, 1939, received his basic training at Maxwell Field, and from there to Orlando Air Base, then to Beaumont, Texas and to Greenville. S. C. He has been overseas since January, 1944. Mrs. Kennedy is making her home with Sgt. Kennedy's parents while he is in the service. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/dale/newspapers/gnw278ourmenwo.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 10.6 Kb