Samuel Rounds Gibbs “KIA” WWII “Battle of the Bulge” Company G, 290th Infantry, 75th Infantry Division, U.S. Army

Question

Samuel served as a Staff Sergeant, Company G, 290th Infantry, 75th Infantry Division, U.S. Army during World War II.

He resided in Windham County, Vermont prior to the war.

He enlisted in the Army on March 18, 1943 in Rutland, Vermont. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Farm Hand and also as Single, without dependents.

Samuel was "Killed In Action" in Belgium during the war.

He was awarded the Purple Heart.

Service # 31254663

We need help categorizing him and with the World War II sticker to be added. In what battle was he killed? Any obituary? Any help would be appreciated

If anyone with newspaper access could post his obituary it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you wikitree family

Answer 1

I found an article in the Brattleboro Reformer (Brattleboro, Vermont), 29 Jun 1949, pg 1:

SOLDIER'S BODY EN ROUTE HOME:  So. Windham Couple Gets Word on S.Sgt Samuel Gibbs

Mr and Mrs Leon E Gibbs of South Windham have received word that the body of their son, S/Sgt. Samuel R. Gibbs, is being returned to this country for burial.  Staff Sargeant Gibbs was killed in Belgium December 29, 1944  while serving with the First Army. He enlisted in March 1943, and had been overseas about three months at the time of his death.

Besides his parents, he is survived by three sisters:  Mrs. Walter Wall of West Chesterfield, NH; Mrs. Ira Shaw of Chesterfield, NH, Mrs. Theron Fisher of Grafton; three brothers, Elmer, of Grafton; Glenn and Leon Gibbs, Jr., both of Windham.

**In case you were not aware, casualties of WWII were buried in temporary cemeteries, and in 1948, the American Graves Registration meticulously went through every burial, disinterred each, and verified (to their best ability) them prior to giving the family the option to have them buried in an American Military Cemetery overseas, or have the body repatriated for burial in a local cemetery.  **

Comments

Thank you Barbara!! This is it. Excellent work! I didn’t know that about Burial

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You are very welcome, Andrew.  I also uploaded a newspaper clipping that was printed soon after his death, with a photo.  If you'd like the original, you can go to my profile page and send me a private message, and I'll attach the file to an email for you.   (Mrenna-1).

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A lot of people don’t know is that due to a high casualty rate many of the German and American soldiers were buried together side by side,, in 1958 the Army started to dig up the graves with German counterpart. Americans were moved to  Luxenberg. And Germans remained. I saw some of the cemetery’s a couple years later.

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That seems the case for Samuel was returned a few years later

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For the person about the cemetery,  they started in 1948 to move the body’s to German and American.cemetery’s. How ever there were two cemeteries in Belgium that were not finished and it was 1958 when the American soldiers were moved.  I discovered the grave yards when I was looking for General Patton’s grave driving Thur the countryside. Patton is at the head of his troops in the big one in Luxemburg.  One of the two cemeteries with German and American solders. One was about a Two Acres the other bigger. Ones the American are removed the Germans moved there men to the other and closed the small one.

Answer 2

You have his death year as 1943, but I believe it was 1944 and he likely died in the Battle of the Bulge.

Comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge

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Sorry it was a typo. He died December 29, 1943

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Omg! My great uncle Bill his 2nd cousin I put on his profile died in same battle. Any other correlations between the cousins??