World War II Honoree

Lelus Jack Baucum

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Spokane, Washington

Honored By

Bend Heroes Foundation

HE JOINED THE ARMY ON 2 APRIL 1943 IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. HIS UNIT, THE 246TH COMBAT ENGINEER BATTALION, WAS INVOLVED IN THE NORMANDY, FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, AND GERMANY CAMPAIGNS. AS A LINE CORPORAL, HE SERVED AS A DEMOLITIONS SPECIALIST AND SPENT 61 DAYS AS THE ASSISTANT SQUAD LEADER. THE 246TH WAS MOVED NEAR AACHEN, GERMANY ON 10 OCTOBER 1944. HE WAS WOUNDED BY LANDMINE IN THE HUERTGEN FOREST JUST TWO DAYS LATER. AFTER HIS 1.5 YEARS IN THE SERVICE, HE WAS AWARDED ALL THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS CAMPAIGN MEDALS, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, PURPLE HEART WITH OAK LEAF CLUSTER, BRONZE STAR AND HIS UNIT EARNED THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION.