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name
LAVENTURE, Francis O - Date of
birth
19 October 1922 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Leicester, Worcester County, Massachusetts -
Hometown
Spencer, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
20110181 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
Medical Detachment,
357th Infantry Regiment,
90th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Bronze Star,
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
7 September 1944 - Place of
death
Briey, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 23 | 63 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William O. Laventure (father)
Lena E. (Mousette) Laventure (mother)
William Laventure (brother)
Kenneth E. Laventure (brother)
More information
Pfc. Francis O. Laventure attended high school for 1 year before he joined the National Guard in Worcester, Massachusetts on 16 January 1941.Being a medic he had to be right there on the front lines, taking care of all the wounded.
He was truly a war hero at its best. On that fateful day in September of 1944, his detachment had been caught up by heavy German machine gun fire on a nearby ridge. They were all trapped. All were told to retreat, even the medics. But Pfc Laventure ran to the front lines, saving many lives by treating them and bringing them back over to the secure area. On one of the trips back over he was caught up in the firing, and was fatally shot.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Champigneul, France.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com - Jacob Goyette, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1930 Census, www.findagrave.com - Jacob Goyette
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Andy, www.ancestry.com - Wamac