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name
DUNHAM, Charles Frederick Jr - Date of
birth
1920 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Florida -
Hometown
Anderson County, South Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-414315 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
unknown -
Unit
K Company,
3rd Battalion,
28th Infantry Regiment,
8th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Bronze Star,
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
3 March 1945 - Place of
death
Cologne, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| H | 1 | 71 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Charles F. Dunham (father)
Alice S. Dunham (mother)
Mary E. Dunham (sister)
John A. Dunham (brother)
Frances Dunham (sister)
Alice T. Dunham (sister)
Ruth (Nunn) Dunham (wife)
Charles F. Dunham III (son)
More information
Captain Charles F. Dunham Jr. graduated from Boys High School in 1937 and Clemson College in 1941.He enlisted, right after his graduation and was sent overseas in December 1943.
He was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously. The citation cited: On 23 February, Capt Dunham led the first assault wave of infantrymen across the Roer river, continually exposing himself to heavy enemy fire, he moved among his men, organizing and encouraging them, and then leading the attack inland to successfully accomplish their objectives. On 2 March, in an attack on a strongly fortified town, the company became disorganized upon hitting an enemy minefield. Capt Dunham rushed forward through the minefield, reorganized the men, and led an attack until mortally wounded by an exploding mine.
In the 1960s, the Anderson County Army National Guard Building was named for him because he was the most decorated soldier from WWII from Anderson County.
Source of information: Terry Hirsch, Hannah Majewski - Gail Dunham Godfrey, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.findagrave.com, www.ancestry.com - 1930 census / U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, https://cualumni.clemson.edu/page.aspx?pid=1604
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Henriette Langius