William Mitchell

MITCHELL GRUBER HERSHEY SOMERS HICKLIN

Posted By: Patricia Strot (email)
Date: 12/3/2004 at 09:02:20

OKINAWA BATTLE TAKES LIFE OF LOCAL YOUTH

PFC. WILLIAM L. MITCHELL KILLED IN ACTION APRIL 28

Word of the death of another Spirit Lake youth on the Okinawa battlefield was received in Spirit Lake Saturday, when a telephone call from Oakland, California brought the sad news that Pfc. William L. Mitchell had been killed in action April 28. The youth's wife and three children, his mother, Mrs. Lee Mitchell and a sister, Mrs. Woodrow Gruber are living in Oakland, California and called the message here Saturday to another sister, Mrs. Harry Hershey.

They had received the government message Saturday morning. They had recently received a letter from the youth which was written on the same day he was killed.

William Mitchell was born August 13, 1921 in Spirit Lake and attended and was graduated from the Spirit Lake schools. His father preceded him in death Oct., 1939.

Before his induction into the service Oct. 19, 1942, the youth was employed on an ice route in Spirit Lake and at Vick's place in Triboji Beach.

...[part is missing but continues from this]
Miss Mildred Somers of Arnolds Park. They were married in Esterville. The couple has three small children, Judy, aged 4, Patricia, aged 2 and Bonnie Jean, born October 4 1944, whom the father has not seen. He had received a picture of the baby his family learned.

After his induction the youth trained on the west coast at Camp Adair, and other camps where the 96th division was trained for combat. He was fighting with the 96th division when he was killed. He went overseas and was with the 96th when it invaded the Phillipines at Leyte. While there he was taken ill and was moved to the Mariana Islands for medical care, later rejoining his outfit and went in with them on April 1, 1945 when they invaded Okinawa.

Pfc. Mitchell's sister, Mrs. Hershey expects to leave sometime this week with her family to join her mother and sister and sister-in-law in Oakland. Mrs. Chas. Hicklin of Spirit Lake is an aunt of the youth.
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This obituary was clipped from a local paper and put into a family bible. The name of the newspaper is unknown. I believe that Willial Mitchell is not a family member but was a neighbor of my Great-Grandparents - John and Ellen Jane West.