carbinephalen Posted December 23, 2017 Share #1 Posted December 23, 2017 Stuart W. P-R-A-T-T was born in Wisconsin in 1914. On July 29, 1941 he enlisted in the US Army and on December 15, 1942 he was commissioned as an Infantry Officer. He served in combat with the 127th Infantry Regiment in the 32nd Infantry Division in the Leyte, Luzon, and New Guinea Campaigns. On August 4th, 1945 his life would change forever. Two days before the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, then Lt Pratt was critically wounded on the island of Luzon. Shrapnel to the abdomen and machine gun rounds to his right leg resulted in his leg being amputated mid-thigh and a FIVE year stay in various military medical facilities.Five years this brave Captain was in the struggle of his life battling gangrene, a colostomy, and learning to live with the loss of his leg.He was finally discharged on June 23, 1949 and returned home to his wife in Wisconsin.Mr. P-R-A-T-T lived out his final years in Sun City, Arizona passing away at the young age of 58.This uniform came all original straight from the family and included a box of uniform insignia.The CIB is an interesting variant with a raised musket. Thanks for looking and if there are any 32nd specialists that could assist me with any research that would be awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheskett Posted December 23, 2017 Share #2 Posted December 23, 2017 Just looked, he is not listed in the Index to the General Orders of the 32nd Div. It looks like he was not in the 32nd Div book that lists all the guys called up in 1940. Nice uniform. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share #3 Posted December 23, 2017 I believe that since he got out after 1947, the Bronze Star Medal was for the CIB conversion. Many thanks for checking though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share #4 Posted December 23, 2017 I also realize that the ribbons aren’t in the correct order however this is how they were when it came from the family. By the wear/marks/oxidation they appear to have been in this particular position for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted December 23, 2017 Share #5 Posted December 23, 2017 That is really tragic to have been so critically wounded that close to the end of the war. At least he made it out alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellasilva Posted December 23, 2017 Share #6 Posted December 23, 2017 Beautiful uniform and a tragic story. Horrible to hear that this brave man only made it to 58. Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share #7 Posted December 23, 2017 Thanks for the comments gents. I wouldnt be surprised if his early passing wasnt a result of his severe wounding somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panzer 1 Posted December 23, 2017 Share #8 Posted December 23, 2017 What a tragic story.... Thanks for telling us his story... Romain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor M. Larson Posted December 26, 2017 Share #9 Posted December 26, 2017 First of all this is a fantastic uniform and touching memorial to this brave man. The 32nd division actually got 2 battle stars for their fighting in new guneia but he would have had to have been with them before January 43. Seeing how there's only a single star on his PTO ribbon when he should have at least 3 if not 4 is pretty neat. I'd wager with his early enlistment date he was probally in for that early campaign. I really like seeing 32nd div items. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted December 26, 2017 Author Share #10 Posted December 26, 2017 First of all this is a fantastic uniform and touching memorial to this brave man. The 32nd division actually got 2 battle stars for their fighting in new guneia but he would have had to have been with them before January 43. Seeing how there's only a single star on his PTO ribbon when he should have at least 3 if not 4 is pretty neat. I'd wager with his early enlistment date he was probally in for that early campaign. I really like seeing 32nd div items. Thanks for sharing! Thanks for your comments! PTO items have always fascinated me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted December 26, 2017 Share #11 Posted December 26, 2017 That is a great uniform.Tragic that he was so severely wounded but wonderful that he came home to a family, a profession and hopefully a good life. Always interested to see 32nd Div. items as my Dad was a medic with the 32nd from '42 to '46. Also, I always like to mention that the 32nd had more days in combat than any other division in the War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted December 26, 2017 Share #12 Posted December 26, 2017 Coincidentally I too have a uniform from a 32nd division veteran that spent time in the Percy Jones hospital Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted December 26, 2017 Author Share #13 Posted December 26, 2017 That is a great uniform.Tragic that he was so severely wounded but wonderful that he came home to a family, a profession and hopefully a good life. Always interested to see 32nd Div. items as my Dad was a medic with the 32nd from '42 to '46. Also, I always like to mention that the 32nd had more days in combat than any other division in the War. Ive truly enjoyed researching this vet and learning more about the 32nd. So much emphasis is put on the ETO units, the PTO boys are often overlooked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted December 26, 2017 Share #14 Posted December 26, 2017 Am I missing something? Doesn't the obit say Capt. Pratt died at age 47? Sad also that, per the 6-22-46 article, he lost a brother in the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted December 27, 2017 Author Share #15 Posted December 27, 2017 It is a fault on the newspaper article (or poor reporting by a family member. Birth Date: 1 Dec 1914 Death Date: 7 Feb 1972 It is actually 57...not 58 as I said previously. He was just shy of 58. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted December 27, 2017 Share #16 Posted December 27, 2017 Ahhh - ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share #17 Posted January 20, 2018 This brave vet was in F-Co, 127th Inf, 32nd Div and he wasn't the only casualty that day in his platoon. I am excited to research the day and see what the parameters of the battle were. Thank you for your service Capt Stuart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2marine Posted January 21, 2018 Share #18 Posted January 21, 2018 Ive truly enjoyed researching this vet and learning more about the 32nd. So much emphasis is put on the ETO units, the PTO boys are often overlooked! This. the fighting in the PTO was so brutal. Virtually no quarter asked or given. Kill or be killed. Thanks for sharing this man's story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted January 21, 2018 Share #19 Posted January 21, 2018 Not to mention the weather and disease they had to contend with. My Dad said sometimes, while in the Pacific, he felt he would never be dry again. He also got malaria which affected him his whole life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted January 25, 2018 Share #20 Posted January 25, 2018 Did the family mention whether they were keeping anything - perhaps some Japanese bring backs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share #21 Posted January 26, 2018 Just a box of insignia. I am sure with him spending 4 years in a hospital, the bringbacks were limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted January 26, 2018 Share #22 Posted January 26, 2018 Good point. In any event it's a great looking uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share #23 Posted January 26, 2018 Thanks for the comments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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