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name
SYKES, James Douglas - Date of
birth
14 November 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Los Angeles County, California -
Hometown
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-547157 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Platoon Commander -
Unit
A Company,
1st Battalion,
411th Infantry Regiment,
103rd Infantry Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
30 November 1944 - Place of
death
In the Andlau vicinity, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 14 | 37 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Herbert S. Sykes (father)
Octavia B. (Lockett) Sykes (mother)
Donanld L. Sykes (brother)
Joanne Sykes (sister)
Pauline (Shepard) Sykes (wife)
More information
2nd Lt James D. Sykes graduated Van Nuys High School in Winter '41 and Pomona College in Claremont for one year.He enlisted in Claremont, California on 22 September 1942 and was sent overseas in September, 1944.
Lt Sykes was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously. The citation stated:
“For gallantry in action. During the daylight hours of 30 November 1944, in the vicinity of Andlau, France, Lieutenant Sykes and his platoon were pinned down by intense enemy machine gun and small arms fire. Displaying magnificent courage with utter disregard for his own life, he crawled forward under intense fire over hazardous terrain to push the attack forward. At the head of his platoon he skilfully maneuvered them around the hostile fire, resulting in the opposing force being immediately routed. In the process of this operation Lt Sykes was the victim of enemy machine gun fire being instantly killed. Throughout the entire activity Lt Sykes’ actions were in accordance with the highest traditions of the military service”.
Source of information: André Koch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1930/1940 Census / Headstone and Interment Record, http://103divwwii.usm.edu/411th-regiment.html - Unit Journal for November 1944, http://103divwwii.usm.edu/assets/mr-411-a-by-name.pdf, www.findagrave.com - Unknown date and Newspaper clip added by Mary E. Childress
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Dwight “Andy” Anderson, Van Nuys High School 1940