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name
BRINKLEY, Lonnie William - Date of
birth
19 April 1920 -
Age
24 -
Place of birth
Norfolk, Virginia -
Hometown
Norfolk, Virginia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33852760 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
HQ & HQ Company,
1st Battalion,
142nd Infantry Regiment,
36th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
21 March 1945 - Place of
death
Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| E | 11 | 37 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Alonzo Brinkley (father)
Adeline M. (Cherry) Brinkley (mother)
Evelyn M. Brinkley (sister)
More information
Pfc Lonnie W. Brinkley enlisted in Richmond, Virginia on 8 January 1944.He was rewarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously. The citation reads as follows: For gallantry in action on 9 February 1945 in France. Braving heavy enemy small arms, mortar and artillery fire, Pfc Brinkley, a wireman, skillfully repaired the wire line between the battalion command post and one of the forward rifle companies re-establishing the vital communications. Upon completing this mission, he spotted one of the snipers who had been firing at him. By the prompt and effective use of his carbine, Pfc Brinkley killed the sniper and captured six other Germans. Then telephone communications with another company were disturbed, he again braved hostile artillery and tank fire to repair the line. His heroic actions in restoring the vital communications aided materially in repelling an enemy counterattack.
Pfc Brinkley was killed during a subsequent engagement.
Source of information: André Koch, Carla Mans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1930/1940 Census / Headstone and Interment Record / U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men / Virginia, Birth Records, 1912-2015, Delayed Birth Records, 1721-1911, https://36th-id.frb.io
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Denise Kellam, www.newspapers.com - The Portsmouth Star 25 November 1945