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name
STEELE, James Lowell - Date of
birth
6 December 1924 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Wayne, Wayne County, Nebraska -
Hometown
Multnomah County, Oregon
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
39334815 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
290th Infantry Regiment,
75th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
29 March 1945 - Place of
death
West of Hünxe, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| E | 5 | 7 |
Immediate family
-
Members
George Steele (father)
Christina F. (Hostetter) Steele (mother)
George Steele (brother)
Evelyn Steele (sister)
William Steele (brother)
Dorothy Steele (sister)
More information
S/Sgt James L. Steele attended Oregon State College for one year.He enlisted in Portland, Oregon on 3 July 1943. He first trained with the artillery.
Before he was sent overseas he was given the opportunity to transfer to the Air Corps, in which he always had hoped to serve. He passed the examinations and was sent to Cincinnati University Xavier School for four months. Due to the progress of the war calling for fewer aircrew and more ground troops, he was transferred again and sent to the infantry. He arrived in England on 2 November 1944 and two weeks later he arrived in France.
He was wounded in action on Christmas Eve and received care in Paris until he was able to return to the front. He was awarded his first Purple Heart for this wound.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, http://75thdivisiondad.com/kia_roster.htm#2, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census, WWII Draft Card, The Wayne Herald -19 Apr 1945
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, David Steele, Oregon State University Gold Star Project