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name
BATES, Homer Paul - Date of
birth
26 November 1918 -
Age
26 - Place of
birth
Petersburg, Boone County, Nebraska -
Hometown
Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
20755114 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
23rd Infantry Regiment,
2nd Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
13 April 1945 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Merseburg, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| L | 8 | 18 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Otto F. Bates (father)
Mammie A. (Breazile) Bates (mother)
Fannie Bates (sister)
Jack Bates (brother)
Otto Bates (brother)
Dewey L. Bates (brother)
Helen Bates (sister)
Martha Bates (sister)
Margarett Bates (sister)
Avis Bates (sister)
Geraldine E. Bates (wife)
More information
S/Sgt Homer P. Bates was a bartender when he joined the National Guard in Joplin, Missouri on 16 September 1944.He suffered back wounds when a slug of metal penetrated his body.
He was initially buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Breuna, Germany on 18 April 1945. He was evacuated to Margraten and first buried there on 21 July 1945. He was disinterred on 27 August 1948 and his remains were prepared and placed in a casket on 7 September 1948. S/Sgt Bates was given his final resting place on 1 March 1949.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Joplin Globe / Moberly Monitor-Index / 1930 Census / Family Tree, IDPF
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Moberly Monitor-Index