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name
CORDES, William J Jr - Date of
birth
26 September 1923 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Massachusetts -
Hometown
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-553020 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Platoon Commander -
Unit
387th Infantry Regiment,
97th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
13 April 1945 - Place of
death
Gummersbach, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| I | 9 | 5 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William J. Cordes (father)
Marian M. (Marsh) Cordes (mother)
Mary L. Cordes (sister)
Philip B. Cordes (brother)
Gilbert M. Cordes (brother)
Roger L. Cordes (brother)
Betty Cordes (sister)
Nan (Paxton) Cordes (wife)
More information
2nd Lt. William J. Cordes Jr. attended Georgia Tech University with the Class of 1944 where ee worked on the school newspaper.He joined the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia on 15 March 1943.
He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for swimming over a flooding over a river near Frankfort, so the regiment could cross.
He was killed by sniper fire while on patrol.
Lt Cordes is remembered at the Decatur Cemetery in Decatur, Georgia.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, Betty Cordes,
www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com, 1930 Census, United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946; Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, 1945
Photo source: Des Philippet, www.findagrave.com, http://billiongraves.com, Charlene, Georgia Tech University, 1943, The Atlanta Constitution 2 May 1945