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name
CURTIS, James Norman Jr - Date of
birth
12 February 1924 -
Age
21 - Place of
birth
Naylor, Ripley County, Missouri -
Hometown
Jackson County, Missouri
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
37527794 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
342nd Infantry Regiment,
86th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
10 April 1945 - Place of
death
Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 9 | 18 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James N. Curtis (father)
Edith (Orrick) Curtis (mother)
More information
Pfc James N. Curtis, Jr graduated from Central High School in 1943. He served as cheer leader for three years and as an assistant editor of the Luminary, the school paper. His father was an industrial arts teacher at East High School.Handicapped by a weak heart, he was unable to participate in high school athletics but he passed air force examinations. Later he was transferred to the Infantry.
Otto F. Dubach, principal of Central, said Pvt Curtis was the seventy-third former graduate and student of the school to be killed in this war. About 2,900 former graduates and students of the school were in military service.
Pfc. Curtis was pinned down with his platoon by machine gun and sniper fire, when he volunteered to move to the rear of the enemy to attract fire while his platoon attacked the installation from the front. Pfc. Curtis led to the success of his platoon’s mission but he fell mortally wounded when struck by a mortar shell.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com 1940 census / Family Treasures, www.findagrave.com, The Kansas City Times, Monday, April 23, 1945
Photo source: www.findagrave.com Des Philippet, www.ancestry.com - Central High school, 1941, 1942, 1943