World War II Honoree

Lawrence Burgess Heffington

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Enola, Arkansas

Honored By

Chuk Heffington & Sandra Dodson

Relationship

Children

INDUCTED DECEMBER 1942. TRAINED AT CAMP WALTERS, TEXAS AND WAS A SHARPSHOOTER WITH THE M1 GARAND RIFLE. SERVED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC UNDER CLYDE L. BEETLER, 37TH ARMY DIVISION. STATIONED ON NEW HEBRIDES AND GUADALCANAL BEFORE GOING TO BOUGAINVILLE. HE WAS DECORATED WITH THE PURPLE HEART, COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE, PHILIPPINE LIBERATION RIBBON WITH TWO STARS, BRONZE ARROWHEAD, ASIATIC-PACIFIC RIBBON WITH ONE STAR, THE GOOD CONDUCT RIBBON AND RECOMMENDED FOR THE BRONZE STAR. HE RECEIVED THE PURPLE HEART AS A RESULT OF WOUNDS SUSTAINED DURING THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON ARMY POSITIONS ON HILL 129 AT BOUGAINVILLE IN MARCH 1944. HE WAS WOUNDED BY A MORTAR SHELL FRAGMENT. AN INFANTRY MORTAR SQUAD MEMBER, HE WAS ON DUTY AT A FORWARD POSITION AT THE TIME HE WAS INJURED. HE WAS GIVEN FIRST AID IN THE FIELD AND RETURNED TO DUTY THE SAME DAY. A TEMPLE, TEXAS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLE IN JULY 1945 MENTIONED HIS SECOND INJURY, A BAYONET WOUND TO THE LEG. HE WAS OFFERED ANOTHER PURPLE HEART FOR THIS INJURY, BUT TOLD HIS COMMANDERS HE ALREADY HAD ONE AND THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH. HE WAS DISCHARGED IN 1945 AS A RESULT OF HIS INJURY.