Missing information?
Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?
Submit- Full
name
MC ILWINEN, John H - Date of
birth
14 March 1913 -
Age
31 - Place of
birth
Cumberland County, North Carolina -
Hometown
Cumberland County, North Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O1285981 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
A Company,
1st Battalion,
309th Infantry Regiment,
78th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
13 December 1944 - Place of
death
Vicinity of Witzerath, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 17 | 29 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Annie Mc Ilwinen (mother)
Annie H. Mc Ilwinen (sister)
Billie Mc Ilwinen (brother)
Louisa (Rankin) Mc Ilwinen (wife)
More information
1st Lt John H. Mc Ilwinen enlisted in Fort Bragg, North Carolina on 29 May 1941.He was first buried at Block OO, Row 7, Grave 127.
John was enrolled at the University of 1931-32. He was employed by the Unemployment Compensation Bureau in Fayetteville when he was inducted into the service in January 1942. He served as an instructor at the Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga. After completing the officers advanced course at Fort Benning, he went overseas as commander of A Company, 309th Regiment, 78th Division. On 13 December 1944 he was advancing with his men through darkness and heavy fog in the vicinity of Paustenbach when they came under heavy fire from German defensive positions. He rallied his men and led them in a frontal assault on the town of Witzerath, Germany. He was fatally wounded while neutralizing an enemy dugout. John was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for this action.
Source of information: Astrid van Erp, Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.findagrave.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Peter Schouteten