Ward, Duane Palmer PFC 422nd Company L - My Great Uncle

[jordanward]

   I wanted to share my story about my great Uncle in hopes that it may be of use to someone else, or someone could help me better understand what happened to him during the Battle of the Bulge.

   My family has always known of my Grandpa's half brother Duane that died in WW2. Other than that, and one photo of him, we haven't known much else. My grandpa died in 2006 and nobody knew anything of Duane's his mom or what he was like.  Three years ago or so my father was talking about flying the family over to Henri Chapelle because nobody from our family has ever been to his gravesite. It didn't end up happening as my wife and I were pregnant with our son and she couldn't fly. Since then I have taken an even bigger interest in learning more about Duane. I had joined a few Henri Chapelle and 106th Facebook groups and would post pictures of his gravestone on Memorial Day. This past memorial day (2018) I received some comments on my post and came to find that man in Belgium named Cedric, who takes a great interest in the 106th, adopted my great uncle's grave in 2012 and has been caring for it and visiting it in remembrance since then.  After exchanging messages I sent him a picture of Duane and told him everything I knew.  He mentioned to me that he was at Duane's Grave on memorial day and was thinking about how he would never know what Duane looked like or what kind of a man he was, and that he was OK with that. He also gave me kind words from his Grandmother about how important the American contribution to WW2 was and that he has instructions from her to always thank an American soldier.  Needless to say it really means a lot to me and my family what Cedric has done for us.
  Cedric wrote to the US Army and got the burial records for Duane that he shared with me. In the records was a letter from Duane's mother... we didn't even know her name before that. From that information I started doing more research and found that she had a big family and some of their descendants still live near us.  I was able to contact Duane's cousin and just last weekend met her and her husband for breakfast. She was as happy to meet me as I was to meet her and had tears in her eyes much of breakfast. For context: Duane was born when his mom was 17 and my Great Grandpa was 23, and they divorced 3 months after Duane was born. My Great Grandpa remarried and had two sons, and Duane's Mom moved out of state for her career so I think Duane was largely raised by his Grandma and his many aunts and uncles. Despite the challenges he may have faced Duane's cousin Lois said that he loved his Grandma and was happy living with them. I hope this is just the beginning of this part of the story as Lois is working on getting more info and pictures of Duane for me. I will certainly update them here if anyone is interested.

   Duane was born on Feb 17th 1922 in Minneapolis area and grew up here. He enlisted on 16th of October 1942 in Tacoma Washington.   I don't know why or for how long he was in Washington State, but I do know his Mother was living in Pasadena CA at the time, and at the time of his death he had an ID on him with an address near hers in California, maybe even the same address she was living at at that time.  He also had one photograph in his billfold, but we won't ever know what/who was in the photograph because most of his personal affects were too rotten and moldy and had to be thrown away.

   If anyone alive was in 422nd Company L with Duane or knows of him, any info about his time in WW2 would mean a lot to my family. We don't know a lot about how he was killed and there isn't a lot of information about L Company online.

   All The Best   - Jordan Ward

[connie]

Jordan,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your Great Uncle's story and your quest for more information.

I have been to Henri Chapelle and witnessed one of the annual grave adoption ceremonies there. It was a memorable place and time. I have also witnessed the gratitude of the Belgian people. There was a 106th soldier traveling with us when we visited and I witnessed people come up on the street, hug him, and thank him for his service with tears in their eyes. ( My link to the division is through my father who was in the Field Artillery).

Interesting that he enlisted in Tacoma, WA... That is not far from what was Fort Lewis (now a joint Army/ Air Force base: Lewis McChord (Sp?). Wonder if he ended up doing his basic training there...

I'll check in again...

Connie

PS. You might have some interest in this "source" document for the Indiana Military Site's 106th Infantry Division Roster. While a scan did not find any specific details on the circumstances of Duane Palmer Ward's death, it does give some details on the action of the 422nd and does list his name among the casualties: www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Rosters/REFERENCES/102-422/102.htm

Here's a less historic, but more legible copy of the same document posted on the 106th Division Association Site: www.106thinfdivassn.org/the422.html

[connie]

Jorden,

Hope you spotted my limited reply. I have now posted links to your note in the Site Soldier index and in the board announcements.

You might check the "site soldier index" on the 422nd to see if you can find links to other posts which may help you.

Connie

[connie]

Just a quick note, in case you check in, to let you know that you are not forgotten. I am thinking of you and keeping my eye open for any information that I run across that can help you learn more about your uncle.

I know this is information you already have, but I am attaching a copy of the info given on a burial search on the American Battle Monuments site. Click to enlarge:


I have visited Henri Chapelle American Cemetery & witnessed a grave adoption ceremony there. I assume you know by now that the American Battle Momnuments are beautiful, well-maintained places.

The state where he enlisted is also listed here. You have mentioned that also... with your question about why he was living in or near Tacoma, Washington at the time of his enlistment...


And here from the National Archives is his enlistment info, again all things that you already know

[connie]

Please know that my interest in Duane's story continues, as evidenced by the screen shots above.

As you may note the enlistment records shown above show there was an option to see a larger document. I bit and got some clues into his work background prior to enlistment. Have you seen this document?

The reason the work background interested me was because of speculation about why he was in Tacoma at the time of his enlistment at age 20. My father, too, was away from family addresses when he enlisted. He had completed college and was trying to get a job with a particular company when he moved to the area that became his enlistment site. The work skill set noted for Duane does not seem like one that would draw him far from home to a particular area. So this leads me to speculate. These we still depression era times. I'm wondering if maybe family had lived (or was living) in the Tacoma area when he got a job & he decided to stay with his work until he enlisted.

At the time he enlisted (16 October 1942) the draft age was still 21. but on November 11, the draft age was lowered to 18. So he apparently enlisted before that happened. www.history.com/this-day-in-history/draft-age-is-lowered-to-18

Anyway... just speculating. But interested...

Connie

[jrwentz]

Just speculating a little myself: Washington is the largest apple producing area in the country - maybe the world - and a lot of people went there in the fall for work - August to November. My grandfather went to Washington for a while and Dad told me people went out there to work in the orchards.

[connie]

J.R.

I am enjoying having a partner in speculation. It's much more interesting. Your father's and grandfather's recollections on seasonal employment in Washington's apple orchards are something that hadn't crossed the radar screen of someone who grew up in the mid-atlantic states. Whether or not this proves useful in Duane Palmer Ward's case, it adds to my awareness & may be helpful to someone in tracking a family member's movements.

Having some familiarity with Western Washington State, I am aware of the presence of vast apple orchards east of the Cascade mountains. A brief bit of googling last night seemed to affirm that this location of the apple orchards was also true before the 1940's. While this location of the apples doesn't rule out apple picking possibilities as a draw (came to Washington to pick apples one August & after crossing the Cascades again on a return trip to California stopped in Tacoma to look for more permanent work?), it probably lowers that as a reason for being in Tacoma in October of 42.

Tacoma is definitely in Western Washington and even in the 1940's was a growing city along the waters of Commencement Bay on the Puget Sound.

Here's a screen shot of a portion of Duane P. Ward's enlistment records.



Clicking to enlarge this piece of the documents is not deeply revealing. But it does show that his Civilian Occupation falls into category # 785:" semiskilled laborers & carwashers & greasers" -- sort of a broad and not well defined, but seems to lean toward vehicle mechanical work? If Duane was living in the Tacoma area at the time of his enlistment, this might give a clue to the income source of this 20-year-old...

Again the clues are pretty slim at this point... just more speculation...

[jrwentz]

Thanks Connie. My speculations should come with a warning because they usually turn out to be wrong.

[connie]

When it comes to speculation, I guess that is the case for most of us!

Time to get back to looking for anything real we can find in the military history that might be helpful...