CPT John R. Steel
Captain (CPT) John Reuben Steel, an Army Chaplain of Regimental Headquarters Company, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR), 101st Airborne Division, was born in Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma, to James E. and Rosa Mae (Walker) Steel on September 12, 1912. John had two brothers, Charles and James, and three sisters, May, Mary, and Doris M. Steel.
Charles was a Navy navigation instructor in San Diego during the war, and his sister, Doris, was a teletype operator in the Office of War Information in Washington, D.C.
John married Hazel Frances Balch in Hugo, Choctaw, Oklahoma, on September 8, 1936. Their marriage was blessed with two children, John Davis and Lillian Frances.
Chaplain Steel received his BA degree from Southeastern State College in Durant, Oklahoma, and his BD and AM degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
He registered for the draft in Boswell, Choctaw County, Oklahoma, on October 16, 1940, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 1942. CPT Steel was trained in Chaplain School at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, and received additional training in Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He went overseas in September 1943 and arrived in France with the forces of the 401st GIR that landed on the Normandy beaches at 1315 hours on June 6, 1944.
Shortly before Chaplain Steel was killed, he had a chat with LTC Ray C. Allen, the commander of the 401st GIR. Apparently, he said to Allen, “It’s just like maneuvers except that we have been issued live ammunition.”
Some time later during that night, Chaplain Steel was mistaken for a German infiltrator. He was killed by a member of his own unit when he tried to get back to their own lines together with a medic, named Homer H. Clappes (PVT Clappes was born in Wisconsin on January 13, 1922; he died at the age of 22).
What happened to both men is one of those regrettable incidents that occur in all wars when people are tense, jumpy, and scared. PVT Clappes' and Chaplain Steel's deaths were both tragic. Chaplain Steel was an officer highly respected by all men within the 401st.
Another two Screaming Eagles had soared to the ultimate height. 🦅
Chaplain John R. Steel was reported Killed in Action on June 6, 1944, and died at the age of 31. Besides his wife, Hazel, and two young children, he left behind his parents and five siblings. Chaplain Steel was first buried in an isolated grave. On August 29, 1944, he was reburied for the first time at the Temporary American Military Cemetery of Sainte-Mère-Église, #2, France, at Plot W, Row 7, Grave 131. In July 1948, he was again reburied at Rose Hill Cemetery, Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma, where Chaplain Steel rests eternally. May he rest in peace.
Happy Birthday in Heaven, John.
Lest we forget. 🇺🇸