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name
ARD, Essa L - Date of
birth
1 January 1921 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Amite, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana -
Hometown
Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
07080709 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
G Company,
2nd Battalion,
333rd Infantry Regiment,
84th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
12 January 1945 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Petites Tailles, south of Baraque Fraiture, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes - Tablets of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Ramsey Ard (father)
Edith Ard (mother)
Audrey Ard (sister)
Algia Ard (brother)
Edna Ard (sister)
Eva M. Ard (wife)
Essa L. Ard Jr. (son)
More information
S/Sgt Essa L. Ard joined the Regular Army on 18 June 1940.The citation for his Bronze Star stated:
"For heroic service in connection with military opearations against the enemy in Belgium, 12 January 1945. During an attack on a German-held town, S/Sgt Ard, by placing his mortar beyond the front line where he could observe the targets, gave effective support to the advancing platoons. Later, when deadly sniper fire from a group of houses was hindering the advance, S/Sgt Ard, together with two other soldiers, voluntarily making his way across an open field, captured one building and fourteen Germans. While attempting to clear another building of snipers, S/Sgt Ard lost his life when hit by fire from an enemy tank."
A field investigation conducted in the area on 19 August 1947 failed to locate the remains nor provide clues as to their ultimate disposition. Eventually it was concluded that S/Sgt Ard was killed on 12 January en that his remains were buried in an unrecorded location.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, Astrid van Erp, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com, IDPF, 1930 US Census
Photo source: Astrid van Erp