Military Roll Call: 91st Reconnaissance (Recon) Troop, 91st Infantry Division

 

Military Roll Call: Pictures from the South Pacific.

In a 2013 review of JD’s stash of photos and pictures supplied by JL, Rex and Mary Catherine were some military pictures. I had never seen some of these before, and they will all go into the book really well. I also received a picture of Raymond Savat in Korea from Sandra. After considerable research of the pictures from the South Pacific, we have found both where some of the pictures were taken, who some of the sailors were, and found other pictures.

2020 UPDATE: I discovered a comment dated March 31, 2018, at 9:27 PM, which was not appended to this post but to another, which led to it being overlooked the last 2 years. This comment eliminates any speculation about the bakery's location. As you can see, it eliminates Romblon Island as being relevant to the question of these pictures. Their location is obviously Manila. Unfortunately, the author of the comment (the son of the bakery's owners) left the comment anonymously and has not commented further.

The comment: 

"Anonymous-March 31, 2018 at 9:27 PM. Hi GlennDL - i saw your reply to my post about the Wong's Bakery in Romblon Island, Philippines 6 year ago. I somehow revisited the blog today after 8 yrs and saw your post. I think my grandparents established The Wongs Bakery in Romblon in the 1950s, so i dont think the photo was taken in Romblon. However, before the war and immediately after they owned the same Bakery in Magdalena St, Binondo, Manila, which is not far away from Taft Avenue, so there is a possibility that is the place where the photo was taken. It is also a place where there are Calesas(horse drawn carriage exist to this day). I will research if it is indeed their bakery in Binondo. Magdalena St is now Masangkay St. and pre-war was the site of St Lukes Hospital (established by American Jesuit Nuns). Many thanks for posting the photo with the Wongs Bakery in it, I will research more and post you another update if any."

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The picture in front of Wong’s Bakery:

Don’t know who the three in front are, but that’s JD standing in the carriage. The only clues to where this might be in the South Pacific:

• are the dress of JD and his ‘CB’  (SeaBee) buddies,
• Wong’s Bakery,
• a stained un-readable note on the back
• and the bottle in one sailor's hand.

Wong’s bakery would probably take some serious research, and I can’t imagine Wong's bakery would be significant enough outside of its location unless it had actually survived 66 years. I tried to focus and enhance the photo to identify the bottle, but the image was in too low of a resolution. The only thing that the sailors' dress might tell us is that they probably were in the vicinity of their duty station instead of on shore leave in New Zealand, Australia, or somewhere similar. (I don’t even know if that was an option for sailors in WWII). 
Note 1         What was a CB?

JD’s CB unit was in New Caledonia and the Fiji Islands; Tetere Beach, Guadalcanal, Emirau, New Guinea and then to Manus, New Guinea, then Manila, Philippines.

Hello! On a whim, after writing the above, I started to do a little research and discovered Wong’s Bakery in Romblon, Philippines, which is an island about 200+ miles from Manila. Wong is probably a popular name, but this was the only reference found in New Guinea, Guadalcanal, and the Philippines. This is a long shot, but the bakery was still in existence in the 60s and 70s. I’m sending an email to the blog that had this reference: The only thing readable on the back of the picture was JD’s name and “Taff Ave.”

Unfortunately, we have never gotten a response to the e-mail.

Hopefully, we might get JL to bring the picture to next year's reunion, and we can get a better scan.

The 1944 War film The Fighting Seabees, staring John Wayne, tells a heavily fictionalized story of the formation of the Seabees and their first taste of combat.

What follows is what we now know. 

Where was it taken:   We had speculated that JD might have been on the Romblin Island as part of the duties of a SeaBee. We have since discovered the following:

• JD was a Ship’s Cook 3rd class (“Hq” Company, 4th Platoon). His duties would not likely take him 200 miles away to the island of Romblon. It was not taken on Romblon Island.
  • The scribbled back of the picture was mostly unreadable. The only thing for sure was the identification of JD in the carriage and the words “Taff Ave.”

We had known there was a main thoroughfare in Manila named “Taft Ave,” but we were trying to exhaust the Romblin connection first.

• I pulled out dad’s pictures and discovered that some pictures in my already scanned box were missing from my computer—victim of one of many crashes over the years.
• In reviewing several pictures, I discovered the following:

Picture #1 So there is little doubt now that the picture was taken in the Manila Suburb of Pasay City on Taft Ave. The other 3 pictures were taken in the same suburb or Manila proper.

A picture of JD with two buddies in what appears to be a picture gallery. Another picture, on a different day, in the same location with JD and 3 other buddies. Another picture, in a bar, of JD and two buddies. On the back was written: “Talega Posay Manila P.I.” Originally, I thought Talega was a place name. It still might be, but it isn’t in my notes, so I will have to Google it. I also thought that Posay and Talega might be the misspelled names of the two buddies with JD, but an extensive search of the 63rd CB roster and unit book turn up no similarities. When in the Philippines, the 63rd CB’s were camped in Pasay (Pasay) city, a suburb of Manila. As it turns out, Posay was a misspelling of the place name Pasay. And right there, running right through Posay City, is Taft Ave.

When was it taken: Picture #1 above says 1944 on the back. Picture #2  below is dated June 25, 1945, on the back. Picture #3 below is dated 1943 on the back. All pictures indicate the Philippines; only picture #2 appears to be in the original handwriting. We have to rule out the dates for the other two pictures as being added later through a foggy memory because the 63rd CB's didn’t arrive in the Philippines until April of 1945 and departed July 24, 1945, for the USA.

So the original picture from JL that started this conversation, as well as the other three, were all taken between April and July of 1945.

Who’s in the picture(s) with JD? The picture in the carriage with JD standing:

• The sailor setting in front of JD is also in pictures #1 and #3.
• The sailor standing next to the carriage is also in pictures #2 and #3. 

The sailor in front of JD is Dave English of St. Louis. He was in Company “D” 5th Platoon. He was a lifelong friend of Dad’s after the war. He visited, and we met him in the 60s and 70s, but I was too young to remember what he looks like; Dad had written his name on the back of picture #1.

Picture #3 middle JD; right Dave English

I have not been able to Identify the sailor standing next to the carriage; we will call him Kilroy for now. On the back of picture #2, are four names listed, in hard to read, faded script. I will have to enhance the photo, but for now, this is what I make out:

Picture #2

Curley                   Oklahoma ????                       Missouri          (This would be our ‘Kilroy’) Deal                        Alabama J.D.                         Missouri Searching all pictures and the unit book, I could not find any Curley or any name similar to Oklahoma. Obviously a nickname, this is a total loss for now. We found a Deal in the company roster, Deal, D.L. of Northport, Alabama in Company C, 4th Platoon, 63rd CB's, and then found a picture that matches.

On the back of picture #1 with JD and Dave English, it says, “Ralph Uptgraff, St. Louis, MO..” Checked all Ralphs from Missouri, checked for Uptgraff with no success. I also looked at all the pictures in the unit book, and there were too many guys who could be this guy; none of their names were close. He could be a fellow Missourian that JD and Dave ran into from another unit? Possible Marine?

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The above information is from Military Roll Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2015:  40 / 113

The Littrell brothers Draft Cards World War II and Korea:

Redford Littrell: notice the description of residence “1/2 mile northwest of Anniston…” Maybe this can help us locate the farm they lived on out side of Anniston. Date: 2-16-1942, World War II.

John Daniel Littrell, JR: AKA Junior Dolan, AKA JD.  6-30-1942 the World War II draft. Issued In Union Co., KY

Leslie Albert Littrell: Uncle Les, 12-9-1946, the Korean War Draft.

*

Redford “NMN” Littrell: Notice the “(first name only)” notation for Uncle Red’s middle name above. The family story is that Red’s military records had the letters “NMN” in place of his middle name because he didn’t have one. This was not unusual as not everyone had a three-part name; first, middle, last. It wasn’t until the advent of Social Security that people were required to have a middle name. This was a dilemma for the Littrell family as middle names were not consistently used.

It appears that Rubin, Red, and maybe Les didn’t initially have middle names. We aren’t sure about Les as he was named after his Uncle Leslie A. Comer who may have been Leslie Albert Comer. This is speculative though as Leslie often went by LA Comer and some in the Comer family believe the “LA” stood for Lester A.

All the children of Kizzie & John may have had middle names but over the years just forgot them or since Kizzie and John didn’t use them they were not aware of them. This born out by the double initial names of JD and OJ. ( as late as the 1940 census JD and OJ are still referred to only by their initials.

When faced with the need for a full three-part name we know that Rubin made up his middle name (also Albert) and when signing up for the WPA CCC Camps OJ had to make up full names for himself and JD: Oliver James and Junior Dolan. We have no idea the authenticity of Oliver James, but we now believe we have found proof that JD was actually John Daniel which would have made him John Daniel Littrell, JR., thus OJ’s use of Junior. Where he got Dolan from is a mystery.

By the time JD did his draft card, he was already using Junior Dolan, even though this was a short time after being given that name by OJ… he is still working at the CCC camp in Breckinridge, Kentucky.

74

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NOTES:

This would not be the only connection between JD and Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky. After returning from Korea in 1952 he would be stationed there (in the Army) were his second son Glenn (me) was born.    more on Camp Breckinridge, KY.

See Red’s service

See a summary of JD’s Service

See Les’s service

The Boys of Anniston

see also Boydie Thurman’s draft card

see Grand Pa John & his brother’s WW I draft cards

MRC: Jesse Davis USS Cape Gloucester

Jessie Lee Davis was a son-in-law of John & Kizzie (Comer) Littrell, husband of Leatha Mae Littrell (Davis). He served aboard the Carrier Escort USS Cape Gloucester during World War II.

We have very little information on the service of Jessie during WW II other than what was past down as oral history. We are in need of additional information. Obviously any military records are crucial, but even the most insignificant memory, picture, or document would be of help. Please click this link for more information on how you can contribute to this serviceperson’s or any service person’s history: MRC: Putting Together Individual Histories of Service.

UPDATE: 5-31-2018:

UPDATE: 5-28-2018

Recently discovered World War II Draft Registration Card for Jessie Lee Davis:

The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Missouri, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 77

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see Crew Roster below for other updates to this article

ORIGINAL POST: 5-17-2018

The USS Cape Gloucester (name changed from Willapa Bay on 26 April 1944) was launched on 12 September 1944, commissioned on 5 March 1945, and reported to the Pacific Fleet.

The Cape Gloucester arrived at Leyte, Philippine Islands on 29 June 1945 to join the 3rd Fleet engaged in the Battle of Okinawa. Arriving as the battle was concluding the USS Cape Gloucester's planes flew combat air patrol fighting off Japanese kamikazes attempting to attack minesweepers operating east of Okinawa from 5–17 July. They then took part in air raids and photographic reconnaissance of shipping and airfields along the China coast until 7 August. During this time, her aircraft shot down several Japanese planes, and aided in damaging a 700-ton cargo ship.

After a period covering minesweeping along the Japanese coasts, and just two weeks after the Japanese formally surrendered, the Cape Gloucester sailed into Nagasaki, stripped of her planes, to serve as an early participant in the celebrated “Magic Carpet” fleet that returned thousands of ragged and half-starved prisoners of war from Australia, New Zealand, Britain and Holland, together with a handful of Americans, to their homes. Many of these POWs were from prison camps on Kyūshū. In that role, Cape Gloucester sailed to Okinawa to unload the allied POWs, and made four voyages returning U.S. servicemen from Okinawa and Pearl Harbor to the west coast.

USS Cape Gloucester (CVE-109) underway off the U.S. West Coast in 1945. USN photo.;

On a website for the USS Tyron I found a conversation that relates to the USS Gloucester and Operation Magic Carpet.

“My Dad was captured in Singapore and sent to work on the Burma/Siam railway, after this he was railed back to Singapore and shipped to Japan on the Rakuyo Maru, torpedoed by USS Sealion, rescued by the Japanese and continued to Japan to be interned in Fukoka 25b Branch Camp in Omuta near Nagasaki. After the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki the war ended and then he was liberated by the Americans (he was British). To my knowledge he sailed from Nagasaki to Okinawa on the USS Cape Gloucester and then sailed from Okinawa (45.09.21??) via Manila, Ulithi Atoll and Hawaii en route to San Francisco. Then on to New York and back home on the Queen Mary…” 

“…I am not 100% sure my Dad sailed to San Francisco aboard the Tryon. What I am sure of is that two other British POWs that were in the same camp as him were sent from Nagasaki to Okinawa on the Aircraft Carrier Cape Gloucester and then transferred to the Tryon some days later. With regard to the route, yes I am sure of this. I have a had written note from my Dad showing all the ‘ports of call’ from when he left England. This was written by him not long after he returned to England so I believe this is correct. The sailing date of Tryon from Okinawa is from the other two pow accounts. However I have found that many of these dates are inaccurate and can only be used as a guide…” from the son (David M.) of Sgt. Harold Madderson 848338, 135 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

• USS Cape Gloucester – Nagasaki to Okinawa
• “…transcription of the POW Diary of Fred Parham: “Left Nagasaki on U.S.S Gloucester (aircraft carrier)”  http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/p/html/parham-frederick-james.htm

By October 1945, Magic Carpet was operating worldwide with the Army, Navy and WSA pooling their resources to expedite the troop-lift. December 1945 became the peak month with almost 700,000 returning home from the Pacific. With the final arrival of 29 troop transports carrying more than 200,000 soldiers and sailors from the China-Burma-India theater in April 1946, Operation Magic Carpet came to its end. The last of the troops to return from the Pacific war zone (127,300) arrived home in September 1946.[4]

Within a month of the end of Operation Magic Carpet the escort carrier USS Cape Gloucester returned to Tacoma, Wash., 22 May 1946, and was placed out of commission in reserve there on 5 November 1946

USS Cape Gloucester (CVE-109)underway in 1945. By USN - U.S. Navy bureau of Ships photo 19-N-92916 from Navsource.org, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39408273

U.S.S. CAPE GLOUCESTER (CVE-109) CREW ROSTER

• Dale, Paul: Hemet, CA
• Beauregard,Robert: Leominster, MA
• Davis, Jesse: East Prairie, MO
• Carry Orcarrie: Newberryport, MA
• Cummings, Alvin: Omaha, NE
• Defenbaugh, Robert: Bardstown, IL**
• Rapp, Albert: Tacoma, WA
• Peat, Robert: North Hollywood, CA
• Runyan, Vernon: Was K.C., Mo
• Wolford, Charles: Omaha, NE
• Vanfossen, Dean: Smyrna, OH
• Hager, Lloyd: Duluth, MN**
• Smallwood, Ken: Miamisburg, OH
• Greenia, Fredrick Henry: Louisville, KY
• Hayes, Paul: Dillon, SC**
• Gregg, James: Harrisburg, PA
• Morrow, Robert: Oconto Falls, WI

Obviously there are many more crew members than the above list(1066 officers and men). Those listed above have been registered on the website http://www.hullnumber.com/CVE-109 by themselves or their families.

**I have sent inquiries to all the above. The following are responses received from them to date:

as of 5-18-2018

“My father Lloyd John Hager (dec) served aboard the USS CAPE GLOUCHESTER (CVE-109) in 1944-45. He was an electricians mate (EM). Before joining the ship he went to boot camp in Idaho and aviation electricians training in Florida. Given the crew of over a 1000 it is unlikely he knew your uncle. Other than information about the ship and its activities which can be found on numerous websites (use correct full name above to search) the only information I can add is that he once told me that the ship held boxing matches in the hanger bay in which he participated.
Note: the CAPE GLOUCHESTER was only in commission from late 1944 until decommissioned in 1946 so your uncle was probably onboard during that period.        Dennis L Hager, CAPT USN (ret)”

“I am writing in reference to My Fathers assignment on CVE-109 towards end of WWII. He is still alive and has some pics and a book on CVE-109. Whether or not they were active at same time you would have to contact him for that info. I registered him on this site long time ago but he does not use computer. His name is Robert G. Defenbaugh. He was a Gunners Mate and they were in Nagasaki area after bomb drop. You could give him a call for any info you might be able to acquire. He is located in Central Illinois telephone xxx-xxx-xxxx. Be aware he is hard of hearing, 90 years old and cantankerous. He loves to talk to anyone related to CVE-109. Please identify yourself when calling and I will let him know in advance of our contact. I believe he still may have contact with others from CVE-109. Not many left.                             Robert L. Defenbaugh”

“Dear Glenn, My father, Paul Hayes, USN passed away 5 years ago.  He was a proud member of USS Cape Gloucester.  The only information I have is that the ship sailed out of San Diego.  I wish I had more information to help you in your search. Blessings,    From Donnie Hayes, Vicar Christ Church Florence, SC”

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NOTES & SOURCES:

The Gloucester was commissioned late in the war on 3-5-1945 and decommissioned 11-5-1946. After the war It was later repurposed as a Helicopter Carrier (CVHE-109, then a Cargo Ship and Aircraft Ferry (AKV-9) and sold for scrap in 1971.

USS Cape Gloucester (CVE-109) anchored in mid-stream at Nagasaki, waiting to take aboard liberated Allied prisoners of war. Photographed by Private First Class L.F. DeRycke, 5 September 1945. Official U.S. Marine Corps Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 127-GW-1643-138641.

The Gloucester was a Commencement Bay-Class escort carrier built specifically for WWII.
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (US hull classification symbol CVE) was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used in World War II. They were typically half the length and a third the displacement of larger fleet carriers. While they were slower, carried fewer planes and were less well armed and armored, escort carriers were cheaper and could be built quickly, which was their principal advantage. However, the lack of protection made escort carriers particularly vulnerable and several were sunk with great loss of life.
Escort carriers were too slow to keep up with the main forces consisting of fleet carriers, battleships, and cruisers. Instead, they were used to escort convoys, defending them from enemy threats such as submarines and planes. In the invasions of mainland Europe and Pacific islands, escort carriers provided air support to ground forces during amphibious operations. Escort carriers also served as backup aircraft transports for fleet carriers and ferried aircraft of all military services to points of delivery.

From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escort_carrier>

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cape_Gloucester>

Note: After operational training at Pearl Harbor,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Magic_Carpet

Note: The navy hastily converted many of its warships into temporary transports, including aircraft carriers, where three-to five-tiered bunks were installed on the hangar decks to provide accommodation for several thousand men in relative comfort. The navy fleet of 369 ships included 222 assault transports, 6 battleships, 18 cruisers, 57 aircraft carriers and 12 hospital ships.[4]

https://usstryon.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/hello-world/

P.S.

In 2015 based on some information I obtained from Bill Davis I began trying to research his father's service during World War II. According to Bill, Jesse Davis served on a carrier escort in the South Pacific. Bill remember the name of the escort being the Gloucester. Unfortunately, Bill was not able to provide a copy of Jessie's discharge papers which would have provided more information. As a result, all I was able to do was established that there was a USS Gloucester and it was a carrier escort. Without the discharge papers, the next best option was to look for a cruise book but I was unable to find any. I attempted to also do an online search for military records for Jesse as well as any newspaper articles that might have included him but was unable to find any such information. That does not mean that such a book or information on Jessie Davis doesn't exist. A few days ago I received an email from a website called hullbuddy.com referencing Jesse Davis. With the arrival this email I restarted the research on Jessie to see what this website had come up with, unfortunately, it turns out that this was a newsletter sent from a website that I had registered Jessie on in the hopes of somebody would respond to it. The newsletter contained an article referencing Flight Deck operations for escort carriers and aircraft carriers but nothing specifically on the USS Gloucester or Jesse Davis. But I began backtracking on the 2015 research. Fortunately, it turns out that new information has made its way on the internet, but so for not anything specifically pertaining to Jesse Davis but a significant amount of information pertaining to the USS Gloucester. Primarily pictures of the ship and a short record of movements. I also found references that prove a cruise ship book for the USS Gloucester was published¹, but have not been able to find a reference to a known location of a copy of the book. But based on new information from various sources we can now piece together the above World War II record of the USS Gloucester.

¹ https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/cruise-books/wwii-cruise-books-biblography/ship-books.html Cape Gloucester (CVE 109): U.S.S. Cape Gloucester Album: A Pictorial Log. Anon. Chicago: Rogers Printing Co., [1945?]. 107 pp., 28 cm, photos, ports. Dornbusch 1950: 866, Smith: 7168. No known copy location.

18 / 136

Redford ‘Red’ Littrell: US Army

Red was a son of John & Kizzie Littrell.

Red reported for service October 14, 1942, just one month after his younger brother, JD, had enlisted in the Navy. Red reported to Camp White, Oregon and served throughout the war with the 91st Recon Troop, 91st Infantry Division. He was discharged at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri on October 22, 1945.
Red was assigned to the 91st Reconnaissance (Recon) Troop, 91st Infantry Division As we try to follow the probable movements of Red, as well as engagements with the enemy, we will by necessity follow the movements and engagements of the 91st Infantry Division.
Recon was constructed for fast, mobile operations, fanning out ahead of the Armored and Infantry divisions. Its somewhat light makeup proved less useful when, as was often the case for reconnaissance units, it found itself called upon to plug gaps in the line or hold terrain that would test an infantry battalion.
While it boasted

During the 271 days of Combat the 91st Division suffered 1,576 Killed in Action, and 7,169 wounded.

View Full Album

“The 91st Division was a single, coordinated fighting unit. It was the Division which captured Monticelli and Mount Calvi, and fought bitterly for Hills 840 and 844. It was the Division that advanced through rain and fog over steep and rocky terrain along the ridge line of the Apennines Mountains to the Santerno River. It was the whole Division which refused to be a holding force, but swept northward along Highway 65 and captured Futa Pass. Great credit is due to the mule pack groups who went where motors could not go; to the 791st Ordnance Company, the 91st Quartermaster Company, the 91st Signal Company, the 91st Reconnaissance Troop, who never faltered and refused to conceive of failure. Each man in the Division had acted as if he had “wanted to win the war all by himself,” and the tales of heroism and gallantry are legion. In twelve days it had reduced to nothing a year's work of thousands of impressed laborers and had decimated the best troops Hitler could put into the line against it.”

1944 "BOYS IN THE SERVICE" "Narrow Escape for Anniston Man" "With the 5th Army, Italy--Pvt. Redford Littrell of Anniston, Mo., escaped injury recently when German shells riddled the oil pan on the jeep he was using to deliver rations on the Fifth Army front in northern Italy. A member of the 91st Division's Reconnaissance Troop, Littrell had been traveling at night over a road under enemy observation to get supplies to observation post of his unit. Each night, a Jerry mortar would throw in shells. If the rations were brought up at 7 o'clock one night, the Krauts would shell the road at that hour the next night. Littrell varied his schedule, each night the Germans shelling the road at the hour he had passed the previous night. After several nights, however, the mortar shells landed nearby as Littrell was unloading his jeep. He hit the ground as shell fragments cut the air. When the shelling ceased, he discovered the shrapnel had riddled the oil pan of the vehicle."**

**Article [newspaper clipping] was contributed
by Janet Littrell~Silman, Red's daughter:

Red was a member of the 91st Division's Reconnaissance Troop, 91st Infantry Division in Italy during World War II.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2016:   102 / 149

MRC Generations: Jesse, Billy & Blaine Davis–Father, Son, & Great-Grandson

Jesse Davis, Billy Davis & Letha Mae Littrell Davis   Blaine is the son of Wayne Lee Davis and grandson of Billy & Alberta Davis and great grandson of Jesse & Letha Mae (Littrell) Davis and great-great-grandson of John & Kizzie. Jesse and Bill also served in the US Navy.	Bill Davis	Blaine Scott Davis While there have been several 2 generations of service combinations: Renny & Zachariah Belew (father-son)* Rodhom & Eli Literal (father-son) Robert, Rodhom & Eli Literal (father-son-grandson)  & Jesse, Bill, and Blaine served in three different conflicts.

*Renny Belew actually served at the same time as three of his son’s did. In the same unit during the American Revolution.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2015:   27 / 69

JD Littrell: US Navy and US Army (Retired)

Photos Only:

View Full Album

(JD (AKA Junior Dolan) was a son of John & Kizzie (Comer) Littrell)

63rd CBs at Guadalcanal, 1943. JD would serve 28 months in the South Pacific.
   He was discharged from the Navy in 1945. Later he would enlist in the Army.
Following his Discharge from the US Navy (World War II) JD returned to the ‘bootheel’ area of Southeast Missouri until his enlistment in the US Army, September 10, 1947. JD was stationed with the 7th Tank Battalion, 3rd Armored Division as a Platoon Sergeant until being assigned to C Company of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division in Ft. Lewis (1950). The 23rd Regiment would soon ship-out for Korea aboard the USS General Freeman.

The picture was provided by the Theresa [daughter of Nell Horn-Virgin [a niece of Jean’s]] 

Don’t know who the guy in front of Dad is, the note on the back just said:

  "on the France and Germany border lots of love to you and the boys your daddy".

The boys being Troy and I, Rick would be born in France.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2016:   76 /112

Military Role Call: Uncle Red in Italy

   Its a safe bet that this picture is not state-side. The only thing that could get four GI’s so interested in milking a cow would be a long-term shortage of milk.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2016:  33 / 65

MRC GENERATIONS: Bordie Thurman, Angela Cross & Joel Pfaff -- First Husband & Wife

Generations……a tribute to Father – Son service in the Military, but as information was compiled we discovered not just father and sons but also grandfather and grandsons, husband and wives and great-grandfathers and great-granddaughters. As a result of these discoveries we changed the name to “Generation” and present to you examples of continued multi-generational service.

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Pictures (especially in uniform), dd214, letters, duty stations, training, stories, post cards, accommodations & awards, dates of service, etc., What you can when you can, don’t hesitate.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2016:     38 / 76

MRC GENERATIONS: OJ & Wally Littrell–Father & Son

Generations…
…a tribute to Father – Son service in the Military, but as information was compiled we discovered not just father and sons but also grandfather and grandsons, husband and wives and great-grandfathers and great-granddaughters. As a result of these discoveries we changed the name to “Generation” and present to you examples of continued multi-generational service.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2015:  28 / 71

MRC Generations: JD, Troy and Glenn Littrell–Father & Sons

A career soldier, JD served in two conflicts, World War II and Korea; two branches, Navy and Army; and had two sons served in the Army, Troy and Glenn. JD was the first of John & Kizzie's to enlist and the family's first career soldier.

Generations…
…a tribute to Father – Son service in the Military, but as information was compiled we discovered not just father and sons but also grandfather and grandsons, husband and wives and great-grandfathers and great-granddaughters. As a result of these discoveries we changed the name to “Generation” and present to you examples of continued multi-generational service.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2015:   25 / 87

Before there was E-mail there was V-Mail:

V-mail, short for Victory Mail, was a process used during the World War II as a primary and secure method to correspond with soldiers stationed abroad. V-mail correspondence was on sheets, 7 by 9, that would go through mail censors before being photographed and transported as thumbnail-sized image in negative microfilm. Upon arrival to their destination, the negatives would be blown up to 60% their original size 4 ¼ in. by 5 3/16 in. and printed.

According to the National Postal Museum:

"V-mail ensured that thousands of tons of shipping space could be reserved for war materials. The 37 mail bags required to carry 150,000 one-page letters could be replaced by a single mail sack. The weight of that same amount of mail was reduced dramatically from 2,575 pounds to a mere 45."

This saved considerable weight and bulk in a time in which both were hard to manage in a combat zone.
In addition to postal censorship, V-mail also deterred espionage communications by foiling the use of invisible ink, microdots, and micro-printing, none of which would be reproduced in a photocopy.

In our family’s military history book we have several examples of V-Mail from World War II:

 

This V-Mail was sent from Emirau Island, 4-28-1944
To Mrs. Bert Curtis Tr Bld 45 P.O. Box 1711 Knoxville Tennessee
From J D Littrell 63 C.B. H-? N.P.O. 3220 F P.O San Francisco Calif April 28 – 1941

Dearest Sis,
Well I got your letter today. I sure was glad to hear from you I also heard from Mom today. Well at last I got a letter from Red, it is the first time in over 3 months, I sure hate to see him go across.
Say if Joe Bee, is a Jap prisoner, he is just the same as dead right now. I sure do feel sorry for him, but if he is a German prisoner that is not so bad. Just Where is he, is he over here in the Pacific or on the other side. I hope he is on the other side.
Say you get me a picture of Noble & his new wife. I sure like to see her, from what I here I wont get to see her much. Tell Dad hello, Bert.

Sis is Onene [Bert's Wife]. Onene, Red [Redford], and Noble are all older siblings of JD. All are children of John Daniel & Kizzie Zore Comer Littrell.

We assume that "Joe Bee" is a generic reference to 'any GI' in the Pacific. A way of speculating about why JD preferred that Red was in Europe and not the Pacific without actually talking about Red in a fearful way. The reference to Noble's new wife is Azalea, his second wife.                                      Gdl~2000

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V-Mail sent fro Red to Onene (his sister) in Knoxville Tennessee.
Probably sent in November or December of 1944, probably from the Tuscany Region of Italy.            

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Another Christmas card (V-Mail), but this one is from the JD in the Pacific to Onene.

“Love & Luck, JD”

For years we were unable to figure out what year and where this V-Mail was sent from, then while preparing the final draft for the book it hit me, “The Admiralties”. I had thought it might be some naval slang or a Christmas card from the Navy brass, but in searching for the picture of the SS Carlos Carrillo and a transport from Emirau to Manus we came across a reference to the Manus Islands as also being referred to as “The Admiralties”
JD and the 63rd CBs were indeed on the Manus Islands in December of 1944

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Martha Rae is JD’s niece, Onene’s daughter.

All these V-Mails are courtesy of Onene Littrell – Curtis. Thank heavens she saved these items over the year so we can have a glimpse at a family during war. One son (Red) in Europe and Africa, two more sons (JD & OJ) in the south Pacific… island hopping across the world, and two son in laws also serving.       Glenn Littrell

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2015:   37 / 89

Lindsay “Bordie” Thurman: US Army

Any descendant of John and Kizzie (including spouses and step-children) who served in the military is eligible to be included in the Military Roll Call book and website page, but I need you to provide that information. The book has already been published but it will be updated and reprinted every few years and the website is constantly updated.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 11-11-2016:  36 / 75

Oliver James 'OJ' Littrell: US Army

OJ was a son of John & Kizzie (Comer) Littrell

OJ was a Sergeant in the Medical Corps during World War II. He served in the South Pacific from August of 1945 to October of 1946 as a medic.

Shortly after the end of the war OJ was shipped stateside in October, reporting to Letterman General Hospital, at the Presidio in San Francisco, California. Where he was Honorably discharged, 4 days before his 20th birthday, on December 22.

Upon discharge OJ received the The Honorable Service Lapel Button sometimes called the Honorable Service Lapel Pin:

“...awarded to United States military service members who were discharged under honorable conditions during World War II. The award was sometimes 'slangily' called the Ruptured duck.

The award served several purposes. It served as proof that the wearer was an honorable discharged veteran returning from duty. Unofficially, it was also used as an identifier to railroad, bus, and other transportation companies who offered free or subsidized transportation to returning veterans.

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

reposted from 2017:  105 / 153

The Boys of Anniston, MO.

John and Kizzie lived most of the 40s in and around the little town of Anniston, Missouri. By the time they moved from Anniston into East Prairie all their children were grown and had moved out.  Bertha was the last Littrell (Thurman) to move from Anniston, taking her family to Charleston, Missouri. Several of John’s sons would list Anniston on their enlistment papers as their residence when enlisting for World War II and/or Korea.

reposted from 03/12/06

This spring I was in southeast Missouri doing some research for a family history on the family’s of my grandfather, John Daniel Littrell, and his brother James Carroll Littrell. The particular information I was looking for was the military service of their sons.  While visiting the libraries of Mississippi and New Madrid Counties I was amazed at the number of enlistees from the two counties during World War II and the Korean conflict.  During WW II virtually every issue of the area newspapers listed 50, 75, 100 local boys reporting for service.  The numbers were staggering when one considers that this was not a densely populated area. While contributing more than its fair share of young men to the war effort these numbers could not have been achieved without many families sending more than one son off to war.  In John Littrell’s family alone five sons and two son-in-laws served between 1941 and 1952.

The last stop on this particular trip was a visit to the cemetery located in Anniston, Missouri to obtain a photograph of Lindsie Prior “Bordie” Thurman’s headstone.  Bordie was an Army Air Corps Veteran of World War II and the husband of Bertha Ann Littrell, John Littrell’s third daughter.

While growing up I had spent several summer vacations with my grandparents John and Kizzie (Comer) Littrell in East Prairie, Missouri and lived for a short time in Marston, but was only vaguely familiar with those areas.  I had heard of Anniston and knew that my grandparents had lived there prior to settling in East Prairie but had never actually been there.  Upon arriving in Anniston it was obvious that the little town had seen more robust times, I probably had unrealistic expectations based on family stories from my youth.  Gone were the theater, school, and café that were prominent in those recollections.  

Upon finding the cemetery I began looking for Uncle Bordie’s headstone.  As I searched I became aware of two oddities concerning the little cemetery.   

The first oddity was that the population of the graveyard appeared to be close to or greater than the population of the town (288).  This by itself is not unique; I have visited hundreds of cemeteries in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri over the last ten years, and have seen many towns where the dead outnumbered the living.  What was different about Anniston though was that neither the town nor the cemetery appeared to be as old as the other towns that had this same situation.

The second oddity however was very unique.  As I wandered among the headstone it struck me that a large portion of the headstones had ‘Veteran Plaques’, eventually this realization was overwhelming so I started counting the headstones that were those of veterans.  By the time I found Bordie’s headstone it was apparent that anywhere from a fourth to a third of the occupants of Anniston Cemetery were veterans of WWII and Korea.  I have never seen such a large percentage of veterans in any post civil war cemetery.  If you figure that half of the occupants of the cemetery are females then that means more than half of the male population in the quaint little cemetery served their country.  Even if the population of Anniston during this time was twice as large as it is now the contribution of this little town was a significant portion of the male population when you consider that the cemetery only represents residents and former servicemen who chose to be buried there.  I myself know of at least 5 former residents (brothers) and veterans of this period who were not buried here: Les, Red, Rubin, OJ and JD Littrell.   

View Full Album

  As Veterans Day approaches and our thoughts are focused on veterans past and present the people of southeast Missouri should be proud of the contributions of the many families in the area during this century.  While John and Kizzie Littrell had five sons and two son-in-laws serve their country and at least 11 grandchildren do the same, it should be recognized that the service of their descendants and of communities such as Anniston is more representative of what patriotism is than the chest thumping and rabble rousing that all to often passes as patriotism.

Let us pray for our troops and pray against the conflicts that put them in harms way

Glenn Littrell   03/12/06

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The above information is from: Military Role Call: The Littrell Family of Mississippi County, Missouri, The Littrell Family Journals Volume IV. (click here)
also:  Littrell Family Veterans Video

Anniston Cemetery  

reposted from 2013: 216 / 244