D_Dutch Posted October 18, 2012 Share #1 Posted October 18, 2012 Hello everybody, I recently bought another Purple Heart Medal, and although I am not finished with researching it I wanted to share it here. I have requested his IDPF and I already received a lot of help from the Indianapolis Public Library, who even managed to trace one the soldier's sisters who could still be alive. I was given her address and have written her a letter. The story starts in Indianapolis, Indiana, where in 1917 Hayes was born. He had three brothers and four sisters. Before the Second World War he was employed by the Shell Oil Company and the Standard Oil Company. Hayes entered the service in August 1941 and served as an infantry instructor at Ft. Benning, Georgia. In March 1944, three months before D-Day, his brother Harvey was taken as a Prisoner of War in Italy and was detained in Stalag 7A Moosburg, Bavaria, Germany until the end of the war in Europe. Hayes eventually became a Private First Class and served with the 121st Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division. On the 12th of August 1944 he was killed in action in France. At the time of his death he was 26 years old. He is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France. Hayes was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal. With kind regards, Koen. The front side of the Purple Heart Medal. The back side of the Purple Heart Medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_Dutch Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share #2 Posted October 18, 2012 The Purple Heart Medal in it's case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_Dutch Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share #3 Posted October 18, 2012 His Enlistment Record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_Dutch Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share #4 Posted October 18, 2012 A newspaper article which also mentioned the death of Hayes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooseandspoons Posted October 18, 2012 Share #5 Posted October 18, 2012 You got a great start on the research of this soldier. Let us know what you find out from the sister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_Dutch Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share #6 Posted October 18, 2012 The After Action Report for the 12th of August 1944. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_Dutch Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted October 18, 2012 His memorial page on the website of the American Battle Monuments Commission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_Dutch Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share #8 Posted October 18, 2012 You got a great start on the research of this soldier. Let us know what you find out from the sister. Thanks for your kind message! His sister would be ninety now, unfortunately the library couldn't say if she was still alive, but I did find a video on Youtube of someone who interviewed her last year so who knows! Would be great if she is still alive and interested in having contact! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted October 18, 2012 Share #9 Posted October 18, 2012 Very nice write-up, good luck with the rest of your research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanmc1114 Posted October 18, 2012 Share #10 Posted October 18, 2012 This may be the source of your after action report, but the following website has lots of information on the 121st in WWII: http://www.fatherswa..._main page.html The 121st was and still is a Georgia National Guard unit that was part of the 30th Infantry Division when it was federalized in WWII. It was later assigned to the 8th Infantry Division with which it served in combat. After WWII, it was assigned to the 48th Infantry Division of the Georgia National Guard in which my grandfather led a platoon of Company B. The 1st and 2nd Battalions are now part of the 48th Infantry Brigade and have served in both Iraq and Afghanistan during the Global War on terrorism. The regiment has a very unique DUI which might not be easily recognized as a military insignia - the "Old Gray Bonnet". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_Dutch Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share #11 Posted October 20, 2012 This may be the source of your after action report, but the following website has lots of information on the 121st in WWII: http://www.fatherswa..._main page.html The 121st was and still is a Georgia National Guard unit that was part of the 30th Infantry Division when it was federalized in WWII. It was later assigned to the 8th Infantry Division with which it served in combat. After WWII, it was assigned to the 48th Infantry Division of the Georgia National Guard in which my grandfather led a platoon of Company B. The 1st and 2nd Battalions are now part of the 48th Infantry Brigade and have served in both Iraq and Afghanistan during the Global War on terrorism. The regiment has a very unique DUI which might not be easily recognized as a military insignia - the "Old Gray Bonnet". I indeed found the After Action Report from that website, it helped a lot as it seems there is not a lot of information to be found about the 121st Infantry Regiment during the Second World War. Also thanks for the other information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwightPruitt Posted October 21, 2012 Share #12 Posted October 21, 2012 I live in Indianapolis. If there is anything I can do to help you in your research, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now