World War II Honoree

Dale D. Watts

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Central Islip, New York

Honored By

Michael McTiernan

On August 31, 1943 he was called to Army service and received his basic training at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, with the 222nd infantry Regiment, 42nd Rainbow Division. He was transferred to Camp Phillips, Kansas and then went overseas. He went to England in April 1944 and then to France, where he served in Cherbourg. On August 3, 1944, he received a shrapnel wound in his right arm. For this injury he was hospitalized for two and a half months in England and then return to duty October 17, 1944 with the 79th Infantry Division. On December 19, 1944, he was reported missing in action in Germany. No word was received until October 4, 1945 when he was reported killed in action on December 19, 1944, the date he was previously reported missing. The report stated that his unit was attacking the Siegfried Line under heavy fire, when he was hit by a burst of machine gun fire and killed instantly in the vicinity of Berg, Germany. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, a Service Ribbon, two medals for distinguished service and the Purple Heart.