Since today it Memorial Day I thought it was only fitting to feature a family member who fought and died for freedom.
Sgt. Joseph "Henry" Plunkett was born June 4, 1919 in Lee County, MS. He was the sixth child of Jim and Beulah (Scruggs) Plunkett.
He joined the Army on November 5, 1942 and left for Camp Shelby just south of Hattiesburg, MS where he was assigned to the 90th Infantry Division. His brother, Curtis, and brother-in-law, Odell, also fought in WWII.
The 90th Infantry Division landed in England, 5 April 1944, and trained from 10 April to 4 June.
Henry's division saw action on D-Day, 6 June, on Utah Beach, Normandy, the remainder entering combat 10 June, cutting across the Merderet River to take Pont l'Abbe in heavy fighting. After fighting along the river Douve, the division attacked to clear the Foret de Mont-Castre (Hill 122), clearing it by 11 July, in spite of fierce resistance. In this action the Division suffered 5000 killed, wounded, or captured, one of the highest casualty rates suffered in WW II. Henry was one of these casualties, dying on July 13, 1944.
His remains were shipped back home and he was buried at Boguefala Cemetery in Mooreville, MS.
 |
| Utah Beach Landing |
 |
| Henry's Funeral |
Sources:
Combat Chronicles: "90th Infantry Division". – The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. – 1950. – pp. 510–592. Hosted at the United States Army Center of Military History.
Fold3, Page 1 - U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963,
U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005, Provo, UT, USA
No comments:
Post a Comment