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name
GIFFORD, Elmer William "Bill" - Date of
birth
3 March 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Wisconsin -
Hometown
Racine County, Wisconsin
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
36286725 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
301st Infantry Regiment,
94th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
19 February 1945 - Place of
death
Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 31 | 44 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Everett K. Gifford (father)
Leona M. (Vyvyan) Gifford (mother)
Joan Gifford (sister)
More information
T/Sgt Elmer W. Gifford enlisted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 30 November 1942.He was a graduate of Union Grove High School, class of '40 and worked for the Electric Motor Corporation when he joined the army infantry in 1942. In September, 1944, he received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds, and the oak leaf cluster to the medal on February 12, when he was wounded again.
He was serving with the 94th Division of Patton's Third army when he became a casualty. His mother received several letters from his buddies and had a visit from a medical technician who was with Bill when he died.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Astrid van Erp, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Hunter-Bauer Family Tree, www.94thinfdiv.com, www.newspaperarchive.com - Racine Journal Times
Photo source: Jac Engels, www.newspaperarchive.com - Racine Journal Times