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name
KATES, Charles M Jr - Date of
birth
16 September 1919 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Key West, Dade County, Florida
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-534977 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
L Company,
3rd Battalion,
157th Infantry Regiment,
45th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
27 December 1944 - Place of
death
Near Utweiler, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 31 | 8 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Charles M. Kates (father)
Helen H. (Busser) Kates (mother)
Helen L. Kates (sister)
George W. Kates (brother)
Hazel (Martin) Kates (wife)
More information
Charles M. Kates Jr. graduated from Frankford high School in 1938 and aslo graduated from Florida University where he studied law.He enlisted at Camp Blanding, Florida on 31 July 1943.
Although he registered for service during his sophomore year of college in October 1940, he did not enlist until July 1943, when he left law school to join the Army as a commissioned officer. According to his family, Charles nearly missed qualifying for the service as he had poor eyesight. Eager to join the war effort, he memorized the eye exam to pass the Army medical.
In August 1943, Charles entered the Tank Destroyer Officer Candidate School at Camp Hood, Texas. In December 1943, he earned his commission as a second lieutenant. By the summer of 1944, Charles Kates married Hazel Martin and retrained at Camp Blanding, Florida, as an infantry officer in the Infantry Replacement Training Center (IRTC).
He joined his unit from the 3rd Replacement Battalion in December 1944.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Busser Family Tree / 1940 Census, http://www.45thdivision.org
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, https://projects.cah.ucf.edu