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name
BATES, Joseph Craton - Date of
birth
24 February 1916 -
Age
29 - Place of
birth
Dime, Franklin County, Alabama -
Hometown
Fresno, Fresno County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-1287987 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Platoon Commander -
Unit
A Company,
1st Battalion,
331st Infantry Regiment,
83rd Infantry Division
-
Awards
Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
1 March 1945 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Büderich, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| O | 4 | 9 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Joseph C. Bates (father)
Lora L. Bates (mother)
Terry Bates (brother)
Bernard G. Bates (brother)
Richard Bates (brother)
Vance Bates (brother)
Myrtle Bates (sister)
Edith Bates (sister)
Oma Bates (sister)
Katherine M. (Edgeworth) Bates (wife)
Michael E. Bates (son)
More information
1st Lt Joseph C. Bates attended high school for four years and was a salesman.He joined the National Guard in Fresno, California on 3 March 1941.
According to the memoirs of Frank Monan of his company, 1st Bates was original cadre for A Company, which is correct. According to the morning reports Lt Bates joined the company in Tarporley, Uk on 7 June 1944.
He was reported severly wounded on 5 July 1944 and evacuated to the 128th Evacuation Hospital. He was awarded the Purple Heart Medal a first time for this wound.
Per James Sparks:
My father (Russell Sparks), who was three years older than Lt Bates, was standing right next to him when an incoming artillery shell hit the tree they were standing under, spraying them with shrapnel. They both hit the ground, but while my father was badly wounded in the shoulder (effectively ending his war), Bates was killed. My father was very fond of his Lieutenant, and told me this story many times. Russell Sparks died in 2007 at the age of 94.
Source of information: Terry Hirsch, www.archives.gov, www.findagrave.com, www.newspapers.com - The Fresno Bee The Republican, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men
Photo source: Luc van der Sterren, www.newspapers.com - The Fresno Bee The Republican