World War II Honoree

William Columbus Woolwine

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Roanoke, Virginia

Honored By

Family

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS WILLIAM C. WOOLWINE 125TH CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON 13TH CAVALRY MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL ASSIGNMENT – 2 MONTHS PFC PBT 521 MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL ASSIGNMENT – 12 MONTHS PFC RIFLEMAN 745 MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL ASSIGNMENT – 9 MONTHS PFC LIGHT TANK CREWMAN 1736 DATE OF ENTRY INTO SERVICE: JANUARY 18, 1943 DATE OF SEPARATION FROM SERVICE: DECEMBER 7, 1945 PLACE OF SEPARATION: FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND SUMMARY OF MILITARY OPERATIONS LIGHT TANK CREWMAN – OPERATED AS A MEMBER OF A LIGHT TANK MOUNTED ASSAULT GUN CREW DROVE A VEHICLE AND HANDLED AMMUNITION FOR 75MM GUN ASSISTED IN CLEANING AND MAKING MINOR REPAIRS TO GUNS TRAINING FOR WORLD WAR II TOOK THE REGIMENT TO CAMP BOWIE, THE MEXICAN BORDER, AND CAMP HOOD, TEXAS; AND TO CAMP LIVINGSTON AND CAMP POLK, LOUISIANA, AS WELL AS TO THREE LARGE-SCALE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS HE SERVED UNDER COLONEL WILLIAM S. BIDDLE OF PORTLAND, OREGON AND TRAINED FOR LONG DISTANCE RECONNAISSANCE TRANSFERRED TO ENGLAND FOR FURTHER TRAINING IN PREPARATION OF THE D-DAY INVASION OF NORMANDY LANDED ON OMAHA BEACH, NORMANDY, FRANCE IN THE D-DAY INVASION RED HORSE CAVALRY SAW ALL KINDS OF ACTION IN NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, AND GERMANY HE PARTICIPATED IN THE “BATTLE OF THE BULGE”, “THE D-DAY INVASION” AND THE “HEDGEROWS AT ST. LO” HIS DIVISION WON THREE WRITTEN ACCOMMODATIONS FROM THE COMMANDING GENERALS LATER THE 125TH AND 113TH CAVALRY WERE COMBINED HE WAS INJURED WITH SHRAPNEL WOUNDS IN HIS HAND