PVT William F. Lierly
Today we honor and remember PVT William F. Lierly of the 101st Airborne Division.
Private (PVT) William “Bill” Franklin Lierly of Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 101st Airborne Division, was born in Moberly, Randolph County, Missouri, to James F. and Blanch (Gipson) Lierly on July 28, 1923. William was their only child.
William Lierly received most of his elementary education at West Park school. He was prominent in both track and football during his high school years and throughout his three-and one-half years at the Moberly Junior College. William was a blocking back on the college Greyhound football team, as well as the captain of the college track team, president of the senior class, member of Brothers Ox honorary organization, and of the M Club.
During his senior year at the Moberly Junior College, William was employed in the offices of Woodland Hospital. He registered for the draft on June 29, 1942. He enlisted at the end of the first semester during his senior year at the college on February 3, 1943. After receiving an intensive 17-week basic infantry training program at Camp Roberts, California, he volunteered for service as a paratrooper. He would be assigned to the 501st and received additional training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Camp Mackall, North Carolina, before being sent abroad.
The last time his parents saw him was when he made a furlough visit home in November of 1943.
William sailed to England aboard the USNS George W. Goethals, arriving in the United Kingdom on January 30, 1944. While in England, he received more hard and realistic training, increasingly oriented toward an airborne assault into German-held Europe. He made his first combat jump on D-Day, returning to England unscathed, and enjoyed a well deserved furlough starting on July 16, 1944.
He made his second combat jump into the Netherlands on September 17, 1944, and was killed in action a week later under unknown circumstances. Several paratroopers from Baker and Charlie Company were also killed that day when a truck exploded in the town of Eerde while unloading ammunition out of it, but William was not mentioned among the men who were killed as a result of that explosion.
PVT William Lierly lost his life on September 24, 1944. Another Screaming Eagle had soared to the ultimate height. 🦅
PVT Lierly rests eternally at Oakland Cemetery in his hometown Moberly, Missouri, where he was reburied in the winter of 1949. At the time of his death, besides his parents, he left behind his paternal grandmother, Mrs. Anna Mead of Moberly, and his fiancé, Miss Lois Fitzsimmons. May he rest in peace.
Happy Birthday in Heaven, William.
Lest we forget. 🇺🇸
Sources
Rendezvous with Destiny (by Rapport and Norwood)
Moberly Monitor-Index, Moberly, Missouri; Wednesday, October 11, 1944
Awesome post Jos!! I share them always 🫡🇺🇸🫡