John Alden CHAPPELL

 

CHAPPELL_John_A

NUMBER OF SERVICE37606459
AGE20 yo
DATE OF BIRTH2 January 1924
ENLISTMENT STATENew Madrid MISSOURI
FAMILYParents : Pearly & John CHAPPELL
RANKPrivate
FONCTIONInfantry Man
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENTFarm hands, general farms MISSOURI
DATE of ENLISTEMENT9 March 1943 Jefferson Barracks MISSOURI
COMPANYCompany
REGIMENT  119th Infantry Regiment
DIVISION 30th Infantry Division
DATE OF DEATH28 July 1944

CHAPPELL_John_A

Source : F Lavernhe

STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATHNear St Lo
CEMETERY TEMPORARY

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of La Cambe N°3539

La Cambe

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

CEMETERYNORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY of Colleville

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
I2211
DECORATION

Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster

World War II Victory Medal 

Combat Infantryman Badge

 

Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster

victory medal

combat infantryman badge

 

us army div 30 div 30 1 119ri
STORY

John Alden Chappell grew up in Parma, Missouri, a small town in New Madrid County. His family worked as sharecroppers. Sharecropping meant the family had very little money, so the Chappell family lived without electricity, plumbing, or other conveniences we consider essential for living today.

His parents, Pearly and John, had seven children. Chappell was the second oldest child in his family. His four brothers also served in the military. John served in the U.S. Army. Two brothers served in the Army Air Forces, and a fourth brother served in the U.S. Navy. Their father, John, served in World War I, and their grandfather, Wyatt Jackson Chappell, fought with the Tennessee volunteers for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

Chappell had a close relationship with his mother, Pearly Bell. They sang and danced to the Grand Ole Opry that played on the radio. Pearly died of cancer two months before John was drafted. John was also engaged to be married to Nina Cox. Sadly, they never got married, but she received his Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster.

He was known for his good looks, great smile, and musical abilities. He sang, played the guitar and the French Harp, and even wrote music. The valedictorian of his eighth-grade class, he later left school to work on the farm, helping to bring in crops to support his family.

He intended to join the Civilian Conservation Corps before being drafted into the U.S. Army.

Life in Parma, Missouri, was somewhat different during wartime. Many of the young men gone in the area meant many people on the homefront stepped up to take their jobs. The local newspapers included the names of the young service members who died overseas. Many people learned about these deaths through the newspaper.

Chappell’s younger sister, Lula, recalled the day that two men came to their house and told her father about her brother’s death. She remembered how this news crushed her dad. 

Private John Alden Chappell served in the 119th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division. The 30th Infantry Division, composed primarily of men from southern states, was nicknamed “Old Hickory.”  The 119th Infantry Regiment was activated on September 10, 1942. The unit trained at Camp Blanding, Florida, and Camp Atterbury, Indiana, before moving to Boston. The division sailed for Europe in February 1944, and the 119th Infantry Regiment trained in Liverpool, England, before the invasion. They landed in France on June 15, 1944, and served in combat until April 1945.

The division was ordered to advance toward the town of Saint-Lô. The 30th Infantry Division was a part of Operation Cobra, an allied offensive against the Germans to advance beyond the Norman hedgerows. The battle was brutal, and confusion and wind changes led to friendly fire attacks that made the operation more challenging. Private Chappell died in Operation Cobra on July 28, 1944.

We are here today to honor the memory of John Alden Chappell. On July 28, 1944, John was a 20-year-old soldier when he was killed near Saint-Lô defending his country and liberating France. What an honor it is to stand here today and reflect on John’s life and his contributions to the invasion of Normandy.

John grew up in the bootheel of Missouri in a small sharecropping community known as Parma. He was known for his good looks, his great smile, and musical abilities.

In March 1943, John became the third generation of Chappell men to have served. His grandfather, Wyatt Jackson Chappell was a Civil War Veteran fighting as a Tennessee Volunteer for the Confederacy. His father, John Allen Chappell served his country during World War I. Three of John’s brothers also served their country during World War II - two served in the Army Air Forces and one in the U.S. Navy.

John left behind his father, brothers and sisters, and his fiancée, Nina Cox. He was preceded in death by his loving mother, Pearly. John and his mom had a very close relationship. Before John was drafted, they could be found listening to the radio, dancing, and singing to the songs on the Grand Ole Opry together.

John received the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster for his service and sacrifice. Even though Mrs. Allison and I never got the chance to meet him I know I speak for us both when I say he is our hero and will live on forever in our hearts. John’s sister, Lou, has never been able to make the trip to pay her respects to the older brother who she remembers so fondly. Lou asked us to look at his grave for her and to pay the respects that she never had the opportunity to do so. We are humbled to take a moment to do so.

The Bible verse, John 15:13, reads, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” We recognize and honor the valor that he showed on the battlefield and the love for his country and family. May the memory of Private John Alden Chappell rest with all of us. 

div 30

30th  INFANTRY DIVISION - OLD HICKORY

 

Activated/Activé

 Normandy/Normandie

16 Sep 1940  Days of Combat/Jour de Combat  282
   Casualties/Victimes  18 446

Entered Combat/Entré au combat

 
11 Jun 44 Normandy  

Commanding Generals/Commandants généraux

Maj. Gen. Henry D. Russell (Sep 40 - Apr 42)
Maj. Gen. William H. Simpson (May 42 - Jul 42)
Maj. Gen. Leland S. Hobbs (Sep 42 - Sep 45)

Campaigns/Campagnes

Normandy (6 Jun 44 - 24 Jul 44)
Northern France (25 Jul 44 - 14 Sep 44)
Rhineland (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45)
Ardennes-Alsace (16 Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45)
Central Europe (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45)

   

PLAN DE ROUTE DE LA CAMPAGNE - CAMPAIGN ROUTE MAP

carte campagne europe

DIVISION CHRONICLE


The 30th Infantry Division arrived in England, 22 February 1944, and trained until June. It landed at Omaha Beach, Normandy, 15 June 1944, secured the Vire-et-Taute Canal, crossed the Vire River, 7 July, and, beginning on 25 July spearheaded the St. Lo break-through. The day after the Division relieved the 1st Infantry Division near Mortain on 6 August, the German drive to Avranches began. Fighting in place with all available personnel, the 30th frustrated enemy plans and broke the enemy spearhead in a week of violent struggle, 7 to 12 August. The Division drove east through Belgium, crossing the Meuse River at Vise and Liege, 10 September. Elements entered Holland on the 12th, and Maastricht fell the next day. Taking up positions along the Wurm River, the 30th launched its attack on the Siegfried Line, 2 October 1944, and succeeded in contacting the 1st Division, 16 October, and encircling Aachen. After a rest period, the Division eliminated an enemy salient northeast of Aachen, 16 November, pushed to the Inde River at Altdorf, 28 November, then moved to rest areas. On 17 December the Division rushed south to the Malmedy-Stavelot area to help block the powerful enemy drive in the Battle of the Ardennes. It launched a counteroffensive on 13 January 1945 and reached a point 2 miles south of St. Vith, 26 January, before leaving the Battle of the Bulge and moving to an assembly area near Lierneux, 27 January, and to another near Aachen to prepare for the Roer offensive. The Roer River was crossed, 23 February 1945, near Julich. The 30th moved back for training and rehabilitation, 6 March, and on 24 March made its assault crossing of the Rhine. It pursued the enemy across Germany, mopping up enemy pockets of resistance, took Hamelin, 7 April, Braunschweig on the 12th, and helped reduce Magdeburg on the 17th. The Russians were contacted at Grunewald on the Elbe River. After a short occupation period, the 30th began moving for home, arriving 19 August 1945.

CHRONIQUE DE DIVISION


La 30th Infantry Division arrive en Angleterre le 22 février 1944 et s'entraîne jusqu'en juin. Il débarqua à Omaha Beach, en Normandie, le 15 juin 1944, sécurisa le canal de Vire-et-Taute, traversa la Vire, le 7 juillet, et, à partir du 25 juillet, fut le fer de lance de la percée de Saint-Lo. Le lendemain de la relève de la 1re division d'infanterie près de Mortain, le 6 août, la division allemande a commencé à Avranches. Combattant avec tout le personnel disponible, le 30ème ennemi frustré projette et brise le fer de lance ennemi dans une semaine de lutte violente, du 7 au 12 août. La Division a traversé la Belgique en traversant la Meuse à Vise et Liège, le 10 septembre. Les éléments sont entrés en Hollande le 12 et Maastricht est tombé le lendemain. Prenant position le long de la rivière Wurm, le 30 a lancé son attaque sur la ligne Siegfried, le 2 octobre 1944, et a réussi à contacter la 1re Division, le 16 octobre, et à encercler Aix-la-Chapelle. Après une période de repos, la Division a éliminé un saillant ennemi au nord-est d'Aix-la-Chapelle, le 16 novembre, a été poussée sur l'Inde à Altdorf, le 28 novembre, puis s'est déplacée vers des aires de repos. Le 17 décembre, la Division s'est précipitée vers le sud, dans la région de Malmedy-Stavelot, pour bloquer la puissante campagne ennemie de la bataille des Ardennes. Il lança une contre-offensive le 13 janvier 1945 et atteignit un point situé à 2 milles au sud de Saint-Vith, le 26 janvier, avant de quitter la bataille des Ardennes et de se rendre dans une zone de rassemblement près de Lierneux le 27 janvier. l'offensive Roer. La rivière Roer fut traversée, le 23 février 1945, près de Julich. Le 30 mars est revenu à l'entraînement et à la réhabilitation, le 6 mars, et le 24 mars, il a effectué son assaut en traversant le Rhin. Il a poursuivi l'ennemi à travers l'Allemagne, nettoyé les poches de résistance ennemies, pris Hamelin, le 7 avril, Braunschweig le 12, et aidé à réduire Magdeburg le 17. Les Russes ont été contactés à Grunewald sur l'Elbe. Après une courte période d'occupation, le 30 a commencé à déménager pour la maison, arrivant le 19 août 1945.

 

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