HESTON, Cpl. Dorrance LaVerne 1918 - 1943

HESTON, COUNTRYMAN

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 3/20/2006 at 17:17:29

Fairfield Ledger
Tuesday Nov. 23, 1943
Pg. 1, Col. 6

1st MEDIC DEAD OF WOUNDS IN ENEMY ACTION

Cpl. LaVerne HESTON succumbs to wounds in Italian campaign, Nov. 6

Cpl. LaVerne HESTON,24, son of Mr. and Mrs. Emil HESTON, 1006 West Stone St., is dead of wounds received in the Italian campaign, according to an official telegram received from the war department this morning by his parents.

The message stated Cpl. HESTON died November 6 as a result of his wounds. A letter will follow giving further details it was said.

Cpl. HESTON, a member of the local national Guard unit for a number of years, left Fairfield with the regiment for Camp Claiborne , La., in January '41, and was with the first A.F.F. convoy to land in North Ireland in January '42. He had been in the North African theater of war since November of last year.

In the last letter, dated October 30, received by the HESTONs from their son only a few days ago, he stated he was in the thick of the fighting.

Besides his parents, he is survived by six brothers and one sister, Miss Earlene HESTON, employed in Rockford, Ill. Three of the brothers are in the army. One, Max, is thought to be enroute overseas having embarked recently from a west coast base.

Mrs. Eloise Allison KAUSE, cousin of Cpl. HESTON, yesterday received a letter dated November 4, from her husband, Leon KAUSE, with the local service company now in Italy , which stated the men had been caught in a heavy artillery barrage two days previous and that the day before (Nov. 3) they had been bombed by the Germans. It is thought Cpl. HESTON may have received his wounds in one or the other of the actions.

Note: Full given name was Dorrence LaVerne HESTON. While he died Nov. 6, 1943, according to Evergreen Cemetery plat listings he was not physically buried in 2nd.264 until October 7, 1948. It is likely that his family made a request for his remains to be returned to this cemetery for final burial and the process took some time to accomplish.

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
Monday, October 4, 1948

FUNERAL FOR CPL. HESTON ON THURSDAY

Military Services for Cpl. Dorrance L. HESTON, the ninth of Jefferson county's war dead to be returned home for burial, will be held in Evergreen cemetery at 3:00 p.m. Thursday.

The flag-draped casket is expected to arrive in Fairfield at 12:50 a.m. Thursday and will be taken to the Hoskins funeral home. There will be no services other than those conducted at the cemetery.

Members of the Medical Detachment, National Guard, the unit with which he was serving when he lost his life, will serve as pallbearers during the military rites Thursday. Col. Ludwig Gittler, who was Cpl. HESTON's commanding officer while overseas, will present the flag to the deceased veteran's parents during the services.

Officers and members of the Medical Detachment will be in charge of the military services with Rev. S. P. Williamson officiating.

Cpl. HESTON died November 6, 1943, at Prettela, Italy, from wounds he received in the Italian campaign. His parents received word of his death on November 23.

He had enlisted in the Medical Detachment here at Fairfield in October, 1940, and accompanied the unit to Camp Clairborne when it was inducted into federal service prior to the outbreak of World War II. He was with the American troops that landed at Belfast, Ireland, in January 1942. He later took part in the North African campaign.

Dorrence LaVerne HESTON was born December 4, 1918, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Emil HESTON. He was reared in Fairfield and attended the public schools here.

He is survived by the following brothers and sisters: Merle, Burlington; Sherman Earl, Davenport; Mrs. Cliff COUNTRYMAN, Moline; Eldon, Emil, Jr., Donald and Kenneth, all at home.

Cpl. HESTON was awarded the Silver Star medal posthumously for gallantry in action. His body arrived at New York on August 23

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes. I am not related to the person(s) mentioned.