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name
TURNER, James Wilford Jr - Date of
birth
8 December 1924 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
Pickton, Hopkins County, Texas -
Hometown
Altus, Jackson County, Oklahoma
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
39579498 -
Rank
Private -
Function
unknown -
Unit
G Company,
2nd Battalion,
112th Infantry Regiment,
28th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Bronze Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
9 November 1944 - Place of
death
Near Vossenack, Hürtgen Forest, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten -
Walls of the Missing
* This soldier has been accounted for. A rosette has been placed next to his name.
Immediate family
-
Members
James W. Turner (father)
Jewell O. (James) Turner (mother)
Marie J. Turner (sister)
David Turner (brother)
Jesse R. Turner (brother)
Russell V. Turner (brother)
Daniel Turner (brother)
Mae Turner (sister)
Leona Turner (sister)
Ada L. Turner (sister)
Lorena (Lockwood) Turner (wife)
More information
Pvt James W. Turnerenlisted on 22 March 1944 at Fort MacArthur, California.He was reported missing in action near Vossenack on 9 November 1944 while on duty as a lookout.
In 2005, a German citizen who was searching for wartime relics in the Hürtgen Forest, near Vossenack, found human remains and other items, including Turner's military identification tag.
The remains and items were turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) for further analysis. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Turner's remains.
On 9 September 2008 The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced that his remains had been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Pvt Turner was laid to rest with full military honors on 11 September 2008 at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia.
His former wife and four of his surviving siblings attended his service.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com – James Felty Family Tree / U.S. Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, Obituary Jesse R. Turner / 1930 Census, www.findagrave.com - Sue
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Edward (Ted) Tyler, Peter Schouteten, Southern Prairie Library System (Altus, OK) - Melissa Lahue