Cecil Hubert CORLEY

Parents : Alva Oliver & Amelia Beam CORLEY

Siblings : Archie H & John Oliver

Source : Mike & Bushy Hartman

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  Sainte-Mère-Eglise #1 N°3584 

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

Born on October 19, 1921, Cecil Hubert Corley was the second son born to Alva and Amelia Corely. He had two older siblings, Dorothy and Archie, and two younger siblings, Robert and Ruth. They lived in Arizona but moved around due to Alva Corley’s trucking business. By the 1930s, the family moved to Long Beach, California, but returned to Arizona by 1940. U.S. Census records in 1940 revealed that Corley completed his final year of high school in Arizona.

Yearbook records revealed that Corley was extremely active in his school community. He served as the vice president of the National Honors Society and Student Council, president of the “D” sports management club while participating in basketball, football, track, and glee club.

In addition to being an active member of his community, Corley was an outstanding student and athlete, loved dearly by his classmates and school administration. What was unique about Corley’s success is that he was one of the first in his family to take advantage of his education and attend college, unlike the rest of his family, who were miners in Douglas. Records show that he attended the University of Arizona after high school.

Source : Nhdsilentheroes.org

While he was at the university, he played on the football team, leading them to victories across the nation. As a sophomore, he played the right tackle (#45), which is usually given to one of the strongest run blockers. In addition, Corley was a Founding Father and active member of the Beta Phi chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He advocated for activism in the Beta Phi Educational and Historical Foundation.

His draft card revealed he was a senior R.O.T.C. student at the University of Arizona.

Corley’s hometown of Douglas, Arizona, was home to Douglas Army Airfield and was used by the U.S. Army Air Forces for advanced flight training.

It was converted to a civilian airport after the war and is now known as Bisbee Douglas International Airport.

Second Lieutenant Corley enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 18, 1943, at 22. He was assigned to the U.S. Army's 4^th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Troop B, reorganized as a Horse-Mechanized Corps Reconnaissance Regiment.

As part of the 4^th Cavalry, Corley and the rest of the men witnessed the mechanization of the U.S. Army's cavalry. He trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

1942 - Université d'Arizona

Source :   Nhdsilentheroes.org

Source :   Nhdsilentheroes.org      

As part of a mission, his squadron was sent into the Cotentin peninsula on foot instead of in tanks. Going in under the dark cover of the morning sky at 0430 "E" minus 2 hours on June 10, 1944, Second Lieutenant Corley's platoon began their mission of linking up with the 82^nd Airborne Division near the town of St-Mère-Église.

After four days of reconnaissance missions and fighting in the hedgerows, Corley's platoon eliminated or captured over 500 German troops.

After penetrating enemy lines, the platoon was ambushed by German forces in the vicinity of a small village named Gourbesville, killing all in the platoon except for two wounded members who escaped in a Jeep.

After Second Lieutenant Corley was ambushed in the village of Gourbesville, it took nearly a month for his body to be recovered; he was listed as missing in action from June 11, 1944, to July 28, 1944. Forensic analysis indicated that Second Lieutenant Corley likely died quickly, which the family expressed relief over in their letters to the U.S. Army.

Correspondence between Mr. Alva O. Corley, Second Lieutenant Corley's Father, and the U.S. Quartermaster General revealed the Corley family's attempt to learn more about their son's death, but little information was provided in return.

Monument in memory of the men of the 4^th

Source : ShaneO