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name
COLSTON, Benjamin Franklin - Date of
birth
24 December 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina -
Hometown
Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina -
Ethnicity
African American
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
34119666 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
Lineman -
Unit
K Company,
3rd Battalion,
18th Infantry Regiment,
1st Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Died of Wounds - Date of
death
31 March 1945 - Place of
death
Airstrip Y-71
Bad Honnef, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 20 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John Colston (father)
Laura Colston (mother)
John Colston (brother)
Maelyne Colston (sister)
Marshal Colston (brother)
Howard Colston (brother)
William Colston (brother)
More information
Ben F. Colston worked as a waiter at the Pee Dee Lunch room.He enlisted at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on 26 August 1941 and after training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he served several months on a tour of duty in Panama. He returned to the States and left for overseas duty at the end of 1943.
He was initially reported missing in action on 19 March 1945.
Pfc Colston died of a shotgun wound in the right and left temple at the 5th Evacuation Hospital. At that time, this hospital was stationed next to Airstrip Y-71, which was a former Luftwaffe airfield. It is now called Flugplatz Eudenbach.
He was initially buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery of Ittenbach #1, Germany on 3 April 1945. After being disinterred he was buried in a temporary grave at Margraten on 26 August 1945. After being disinterred and after the cemetery was given a permanent status, he was given his final resting place on 16 December 1948.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, National Archives, ABMC, National Archives, Find A Grave, Stanly County Public Library, Census US 1930 / Fold3, www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/ww2list.html, www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar, IDPF
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, www.ancestry.com - Morton Kaplan