JOYNER Oscar Lorenzo Jr

ARMY SERIAL NUMBER

O-387689

AGE

25 yo

DATE OF BIRTH

8 January 1919

STATE

Kernersville NORTH CAROLINA

FAMILY

Single
Parent: Oscar Lorenzo & Lucile Stafford JOYNER

RELIGION

Protestant

RANK

Captaine

FONCTION

Battalion Commander

JOB before ENLISTEMENT

DATE of ENLISTEMENT

20 February 1942

COMPANY

Headquarters

BATTALION

1^st Battalion

REGIMENT

22^ndInfantry Regiment

DIVISION

4^thInfantry Division
"Ivy Division"

DATE OF DEATH

22 June 1944

STATUS

KIA (Schrapnel Head and back)

PLACE OF DEATH

TEMPORARY CEMETERY

TEMPORARY CEMETERY from Ste MERE EGLISE N°2 - N°3586

Voir histoire des cimetières provisoires

GRAVE

Bloc	Rang	Tombe	D.D Number
B	2	25	--

CEMETERY

NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY

Plan du Normandy American Cemetery

GRAVE

Plot	Row	Grave
E	28	37

DECORATION

Silver Star
Purple Heart
Bronze Star
American Defense
American Campaign
Victory Medal
E.A.M.E. Campaign
Infantry Combat Badge

VIDEO

Captain Oscar JOYNER Jr was awarded the Legion of Honor here's the video:

Youtube

HISTOIRE

fort benning 1

The 4^th Infantry Division was reactivated at Fort Bennings (Georgie) on 1 June 1940 and began his entrainnement.

November 15, 1941, she was transferred to Camp Gordon (Georgia), where she came under the control of the 2^nd Army

It crosses the Atlantic in January 1944 to continue his training in Devon (UK) to be ready for the landing.

On the eve of June 6, 1944, the 4^th Infantry Division has 18,000 men.

She landed on Utah Beach June 6, 1944 in three waves.

Among the first men landed is the second in command of the division, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt.

On June 7, the process continues.

Part of the division made its junction with the 82^nd Airborne Division at Ste Mère Eglise while the other goes north towards St Marcouf batteries.

On June 18, the division involved with the VII Corps (of which it is the right wing) on the offensive to Cherbourg

Message from a son of Veteran For D-Day’s 70th Anniversary I thought I’d share with you a poem written by my father, William Joyner, entitled “For Freedom’s Sake.” He wrote this in the Summer of 1944 as a 19 year old infantryman in training at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, USA. His older brother, Capt. Oscar Joyner, had gone in at D-Day, but was killed in the hedgerows June 22, 1944. He knew that he himself would be following in a few weeks’ time. He subsequently went into France in September, 1944 and earned two Bronze Stars for valor in combat in France and Germany, came home still not old enough to vote and married the girl next door. Commemorating D-Day and honoring my father William Joyner, my uncle Captain Oscar Joyner, and all who served then and all who serve now. Best regards, Matt Joyner
	For freedom's sake The norman waves roll in tonight And ebbing leave their flotsam beached The bodies there now water-logged Which yesterday were quick with life Were sacrificed unselfishly, For freedom's sake. They walked the path where courage led They knew that path would end in death Or victory, most nobly won. And so, without a backward glance, They plunged ashore to wage their war For freedom's sake. Can we who live love freedom less Than they who died without a word Or hesitate to count the cost When asked by them to do our best? No, we must give, if needs, our all For freedom's sake. *William Joyner*

Message from a son of Veteran

For D-Day’s 70th Anniversary I thought I’d share with you a poem written by my father, William Joyner, entitled “For Freedom’s Sake.”

He wrote this in the Summer of 1944 as a 19 year old infantryman in training at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, USA.

His older brother, Capt. Oscar Joyner, had gone in at D-Day, but was killed in the hedgerows June 22, 1944.

He knew that he himself would be following in a few weeks’ time.

He subsequently went into France in September, 1944 and earned two Bronze Stars for valor in combat in France and Germany, came home still not old enough to vote and married the girl next door.

Commemorating D-Day and honoring my father William Joyner, my uncle Captain Oscar Joyner, and all who served then and all who serve now.

Best regards,

Matt Joyner

For freedom's sake

The norman waves roll in tonight
And ebbing leave their flotsam beached
The bodies there now water-logged
Which yesterday were quick with life
Were sacrificed unselfishly,
For freedom's sake.

They walked the path where courage led
They knew that path would end in death
Or victory, most nobly won.
And so, without a backward glance,
They plunged ashore to wage their war
For freedom's sake.

Can we who live love freedom less
Than they who died without a word
Or hesitate to count the cost
When asked by them to do our best?
No, we must give, if needs, our all
For freedom's sake.

William Joyner