 World
War II
PVT Lester Dale O'Neal ARMY AIR FORCES  326th Service Group-460th Service Squadron - 9th Air Force. The 326th Service Group-"Supporting the Valiant" They flew B-17's 460th Service Squadron - "Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do." The Dates and the service groups come from his tombstone card, see below. DOW - Died of Wounds in France - 28 Jul 1944 Died 28 Jul 1944 in Basse-Normandie, France "He was killed at the invasion of the Normandy Beachhead." That was a battle on D-Day 6th June 1944. They meant 'because of' on his death certificate, I think. See it at the bottom of this page. The fighting in France was fierce and there were many casualty's thousands sometimes to capture a town. In late July 1944 they were at Saint-Lô 'The Hedgerow Battle'
HE DIED IN FRANCE, HIS BODY WAS BROUGHT HOME IN 1948. Reburied - WEST HILL Cemetery He doesn't have a military tombstone, but does have a tombstone order card processed in 1948. 
His WWII Registration Card  His Texas death certificate was made when his body was shipped to TX. I am sure this is a mistake, If he was 'killed' on D-Day, that was the 6th June 1944. He would have had to live wounded from that day till July 28th. It is possible because as soon as they 'took' an area a hospital would be created. But they are not far from England and it would seem he would at some point be transported there. They moved the badly wounded there after they were stable. His tombstone only has the year and no day.  Grayson County Military Page Susan Hawkins ©2025 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |
