World War II Honoree

Arley O. Page

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Brushyknob, Missouri

Honored By

Richard Page, Edwin Page, Arla Page Melzer and Kathy Page

Relationship

Children

Born in Brushyknob, Missouri on April 20, 1923, he was drafted into the U.S. Army at the age of 19 in 1942. He joined the famed all-draftee 88th Infantry “Blue Devils” Division and completed basic training with the Division at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma between 1942-1943. On November 23, 1943, he - as a Private First Class in Company F, 350th Infantry Regiment - shipped overseas to North Africa then Italy. The Division landed first at Casablanca, Morocco, then moved to Oran and Magenta, Algeria, until finally entering combat in Italy, landing at Naples, in February 1944. He was a sharpshooter in Company F, and spent 20 months in the Italian Theater, participating in all of the 88th’s campaigns: the Rome-Arno Campaign (January-September 1944), the North Apennines Campaign (September 1944-April 1945) and the Po Valley Campaign (April 1945-May-1945). In early May 1944, as the Division was preparing for an attack along the Minturno Line in the Mount Damiano area, he was wounded and received a Purple Heart after being struck by a German bullet which penetrated his helmet and injured his forehead. He recovered and re-joined his unit in time for the liberation of Rome in June 1944. One of his most cherished memories was being showered in confetti thrown by Italians from their windows as he and his Company marched through Rome. He was also awarded the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal and the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. After returning to the U.S., he served in the 3785th Quartermaster Truck Company in Camp Beale, California and was honorably discharged on April 12, 1946.