Written And Compiled By Waukesha Lowe Sammons
Daughter of Daskum Combs (1917 - 2005) and Technical Sergeant, Albert Roy "Jake" Lowe (1917 - 1944),
who was awarded a Silver Star Medal for Action Taken on The Fourth of July 1944 in France,
and who was Killed In Action on September 16, 1944 in World War II.
Copyright 2017 ~ info@perrycountykentuckymilitarylegacy.com ~ All Rights Reserved
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WORLD WAR II (1941 - 1945)
PERRY COUNTY, KENTUCKY SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMEN, MARINES
REMEMBER AND NAME, COMBS - COOPER
A World War II Introduction With Medal Of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross And Silver Star Medal Recipients Were Placed In The A Section.
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COMBS
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COMBS, CECIL H. (1916-1944). DIED NON BATTLE, KENTUCKY, USA, WWII.
HOMETOWN: Avawam, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
DATE OF BIRTH: 25 July 1916 in Perry County, Kentucky, per Kentucky Birth Index. Born 21 July 1916, per Kentucky Death Record.
PARENTS: Dulcena Cornett and Alvis Huey Combs.
GRANDPARENTS: Sarah Adams and Shadrack “Shade” Combs.
GRANDPARENTS: Elizabeth Combs and Madison “Matt” Cornett.
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS: Cynthia Grigsby and Elijah Combs Cornett.
ENTERED SERVICE FROM: Kentucky.
ENLISTMENT DATE: 22 May 1942.
SERVICE NUMBER: 35501900.
RANK: Private.
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U. S. Army.
COMBAT ORGANIZATION: UNKNOWN.
DATE OF DEATH: 14 August 1944.
PLACE OF DEATH: Corbin, Whitley County, Kentucky, USA, Automobile Accident.
STATUS: DIED NON BATTLE, WWII.
DISPOSITION: BURIED. MEMORIAL PLAQUE: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. MONUMENT: CECIL H. COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. SOURCES:
NOTE: I placed my fourth-cousin-one-time-removed, Cecil H. Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, CHARLES SHEPARD (1914-2007), U. S. ARMY AIR CORPS, WORLD WAR II
HOMETOWN: Happy, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
DATE OF BIRTH: 11 November 1914 in Happy, Perry County, Kentucky.
PARENTS: Leoma Shepard and Colonel Dilce Combs.
SPOUSE: Nancy.
ENTERED SERVICE FROM: Perry County, Kentucky.
FIRST ENLISTMENT DATE: 10 August 1942. Released 14 April 1943.
SECOND ENLISTMENT DATE: 15 April 1943. Released 2 April 1946.
RANK: Captain.
BRANCH OF SERVICE: United States Army Air Corps.
COMBAT ORGANIZATION: Currently Unknown.
SPORTS: University of Kentucky Athlete for Four years, Coached by Adolph Rupp. Inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Coaches Hall of Fame.
OCCUPATION: Teacher. Principal. Administrator. Coach.
DATE OF DEATH: 28 October 2007.
PLACE OF DEATH: Kentucky.
CEMETERY: Rosehill Cemetery, Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky.
NOTE: I placed my fourth-cousin-one-time-removed, Charles Shepard Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, CURTIS (1914-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, PACIFIC THEATRE, WWII.
HOMETOWN: Glomawr, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 August 1914 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
PARENTS: Susan Jane Combs and Jack Combs.
SISTER: Victoria Combs.
STEP-FATHER: Tom H. Suttles.
SPOUSE: Mary Mosely.
CHILD: Tommy Allen Combs (1934-1983).
ENTERED SERVICE FROM: Perry County, Kentucky.
ENLISTMENT DATE: 17 January 1941.
SERVICE NUMBER: 8889609.
RANK: Second Lieutenant.
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U. S. Army.
COMBAT ORGANIZATION: UNKNOWN.
DATE OF DEATH: November 1944.
PLACE OF DEATH: PACIFIC THEATRE, WWII. Hazard Herald Newspaper clipping stated that he died at Leyte.
STATUS: KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.
DISPOSITION: BURIED.
BURIAL: Battlefield Burial Unknown.
REPATRIATED: YES.
CEMETERY: Englewood, Christopher, Perry County, Kentucky. MEMORIAL PLAQUE: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. MONUMENT: CURTIS COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. SOURCES: NOTE: I placed my sixth-cousin, Curtis Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, ELVIN (1923-2016), WWII
Hometown: HAPPY, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Berea, Madison County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 2 August 1923, Happy, Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Beatrice Combs and William B. Combs.
Maternal Grandson of: Sarah Jane Brewer and Robert William “Black Bob” Combs.
Paternal Grandson of: Catherine Sumner and Irvin Combs.
Paternal Great-grandson of: Susan Williams and Hanbill Combs.
Spouse: Bette Usher.
Entered Service From: Perry County, Kentucky.
Enlistment Date: 29 August 1942 at Fort Thomas, Newport, Kentucky.
Combat Organization: World War II.
Occupation: Berea College Athletics Equipment Manager for 41 years. Affectionately known as “Mr. Berea.”
Date of Death: 23 February 2016.
Place of Death: Kentucky.
Cemetery: Combs Family Cemetery, Madison County, Kentucky.
NOTE: I placed my third-cousin-1-time-removed, Elvin Combs, on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, GARRETT WILLIAM “WILLIE” JR. (1919-1945), DIED NON BATTLE, GERMANY, WWII.
Hometown: GLOMAWR, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Squabble Creek, Perry County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 23 January 1919, Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Elizabeth Feltner and Garrett William Combs, Sr.
Grandson of: Polly Brewer and Van Buren Combs.
Grandson of: Leah Dicy Stacy and Garrett Feltner.
Spouse: Mary Jo McIntosh.
Children: Herbert Combs.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Enlistment Date: 22 October 1942.
Service Number: 35664397.
Rank: Private First Class.
Branch of Service: U. S. Army.
Combat Organization: Company A, 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, WWII.
Date of Death: 25 April 1945.
Place of Death: GERMANY.
Status: DIED NON BATTLE, WWII.
Disposition: First Burial Unknown.
Repatriated: 1949.
Cemetery: Bill Hill Cemetery, Jeff, Perry County, Kentucky. Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: WILLIE COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
Note: “On 20th April [1945] the Battalion occupied areas in Rennerod, Frohnhausen, Frankenberg and Mandern within the 78th Division sector and were given mission of patrolling and protecting Army supply routes and ammunition dumps.” Source: 2 May 1945 Headquarterd 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion APO 230, U. S. Army ... After Action Report.” Website: tankdestroyer.net, Title, 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion. NOTE: I placed my fifth-cousin-2-times-removed, Garrett William “Willie” Combs, Jr. on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, GEORGE WASHINGTON JR. (1922-1944) KILLED IN ACTION, FRANCE, WWII.
Hometown: BIG BRANCH, Perry County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 7 December 1922.
Son of: Emily Sumner and George Washington Combs, Sr.
Maternal Grandson of: Elizabeth Jane “Betty” “Happy” Combs and John J. “Shank” Sumner.
Paternal Grandson of: Mary Alene Combs and John W. Remine Combs.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Enlistment Date: 10 May 1943.
Service Number: 35801235.
Rank: Private First Class.
Branch of Service: U. S. Army.
Note: MILITARY DATA INCONSISTENT! There may have been a mix up with the data, especially, if he died in France. The Headstone Application listed: 69th Infantry Division, 47 or 49th Infantry Regiment. More documentation needed.
Combat Organization: 9th Infantry Division, 47th Infantry Regiment, Company B, WWII?
Note: The 47th Infantry Regiment was part of the 9th Infantry Division. “The 9th Infantry Division ... hit Utah Beach 10 June 1944 (D plus 4) ... in July, the Division took part in the St. Lo break-through ...” Source: 9th InfantryDivision WW II Combat Chronicle, website; army.mil.
Note: “The 69th Infantry Division arrived in England, 12 December 1944 ... landed in Le Havre, France, 24 January 1945 ...” Source: 69th Infantry Division WWII Combat Chronicle; website: army.mil.
Date of Death: 10 August 1944.
Place of Death: UNKNOWN, WWII.
Status: KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.
Disposition: Buried.
Burial: Battlefield Burial Unknown. Repatriated: 1949.
Cemetery: Berea Cemetery, Berea, Madison County, Kentucky. Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: GEORGE W. COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
NOTE: I placed my third-cousin-1-time-removed, George Washington Combs, Jr. on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, HAROLD K. (1921-1945), KILLED IN ACTION, GERMANY, WWII.
Hometown: HAPPY, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Jeffersontown, Jefferson County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 25 June 1921, Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Mallie Combs and Samuel Clifton Combs.
Grandson of: Rebecca Combs and William Combs.
Grandson of: Abigail Brashear and John Samuel Combs.
Great-grandson of: Louann Baker and Clinton “Grizzler” Combs.
Great-grandson of: Martha Burton and Preacher Ira Combs.
First Cousin of: Grazia Kingsley Combs, First Principal of Dilce Combs Memorial High School, Jeff, Perry County, Kentucky.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Enlistment Date: 16 October 1942.
Service Number: 15319721.
Rank: Private First Class.
Branch of Service: U. S. Army.
Combat Organization: 146th Armored Signal Co, 6th Armored “Super Sixth” Division, USAGF, WWII.
Date of Death: 2 April 1945, WWII.
Place of Death: FRIEMEN, GERMANY, WWII.
Status: KILLED IN ACTION.
Booklet: “Dedicated to the memories of: Harry Frost, Matthews, Indiana; Willard Duhame, Champion, Michigan; Robert M. Lee, Wichita Falls, Texas, Harold K. Combs, Jeffersontown, Kentucky; J. C. Bonds, Corinth, Mississippi. And May Their Souls Rest In Peace. ... The Rhine: After crossing the Rhine River on March 25 [1945] ... the 6th Armored Div (HQ) moved fourteen times during the next three weeks ... arrived April 2, 1945, location, Friemen, Germany.” Source: The Signal Circuit, A History of the 146th Armored Signal Company in WWII, 1945 (a small booklet). website: super6th.org and website: army.mil.
Disposition: BURIED.
Burial: Battlefield Burial Unknown.
Repatriated: 1949.
Cemetery: Sampson B. Combs Cemetery, Jeff, Perry County, Kentucky. Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: HAROLD K. COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
NOTE: I placed my third-cousin-1-time-removed, Harold K. Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, JAMES GREEN (1925-1944), KILLED IN ACTION, HOLLAND, WWII.
Hometown: HAPPY, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Date of Birth: 9 June 1925, Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Sallie Plowman and Barnett Combs.
Grandson of: Susan Indora Combs and Green P. Combs.
Great-grandson of: Martha Burton and Preacher Ira Combs.
Nephew of: Yerkes Plowman (about 1903-1918), who was Killed In Action in France in WWI and repatriated to Arlington National Cemetery.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Service Number: 35875235.
Rank: Private.
Branch of Service: U. S. Army Air Forces.
Combat Organization: 327th Glider Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, WWII.
Date of Death: 13 October 1944.
Place of Death: HOLLAND, NETHERLANDS.
Status: KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.
Disposition: BURIED.
Burial: Cemetery 4601.
Cemetery: Netherlands American Cemetery, Margarten, Netherlands. Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: JAMES GREEN COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
U. S. Awards: Purple Heart Medal.
Note: “Actions: September 21, 1944 landed by glider near Son, Holland in Operation Market Garden ... On Oct 9th, particularly heavy attacks made by the Germans ...” Source: C Company 1st Battalion 327 GIR 101 BA. Website: msu.edu.
NOTE: I placed my fourth-cousin-1-time-removed, James Green Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, KIMBALL EAGER (1916-1982), USS INDIANAPOLIS, U. S. NAVY, WWII.
Hometown: VICCO, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Alabama. Knox County, Tennessee.
Date of Birth: 28 November in Alabama.
Son of: Melissa J. Collins and Chester Arthur Combs.
Spouse: Esther Jane Izard.
1935 Vicco High School Basketball Team: District Runners Up Trophy and Game Basketball; Regional Runners Up Trophy and Game Basketball. Team Captain, Kimball Eager Combs.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
FIRST ENLISTMENT DATE: 26 October 1938 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.
Discharge Date: 6 June 1958.
28 February 1939: First Received on board the USS INDIANAPOLIS.
29 February 1940: Transferred to Sound Motion Picture School, San Diego, California.
19 May 1940: Received on board the USS INDIANAPOLIS.
21 November 1940: Transferred to the USS RELIEF (patients list).
20 December 1940: Received on board the USS RELIEF (patients list).
13 May 1940: Crew member on board the USS MEMPHIS, sailed from San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii.
WWII MILITARY SERVICE:
Service Number: 2872743.
Rank: EM1c.
Branch of Service: U. S. Navy.
Combat Organization: USS INDIANAPOLIS CA-35. USS JARVIS DD-799.
5 December 1941: USS INDIANAPOLIS, docked at Pearl Harbor, received an order to get underway in one hour, causing many of the crew, who were off-the-ship-on-shore-leave to be left behind.
7 December 1941: When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the USS INDIANAPOLIS was docked at Johnson Island, about 700 miles away. Was Kimball Combs on the USS INDIANAPOLIS, or left behind at Pearl Harbor or someplace else?
31 December 1941: Kimball Combs, a crew member on the USS INDIANAPOLIS.
26 October 1942: USS INDIANAPOLIS. Extended Enlistment for 2 full years.
21 December 1942: USS INDIANAPOLIS. EM1c, Transferred R/S Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii.
1943, 1944 and 1945: Where was Kimball?
30 July 1945: The USS INDIANAPOLIS was Torpedoed by the Japanese; sunk in 12 minutes, sharks attacked. Kimball was not listed on board.
January 1946: Kimball Combs was a crew member on the USS JARVIS DD 799.
Date of Death: 28 May 1982 in Powell, Knox County, Tennessee.
Cemetery: Rest Haven, Jeff, Perry County, Kentucky.
NOTE: I placed my first-cousin-1-time-removed, Kimball Eager Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, LEONARD ELWOOD (1924-1945), MISSING IN ACTION, MARIANAS, WWII.
Hometown: LOTHAIR, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Date of Birth: 21 or 24 December 1924, Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Merza / Miesia Combs and McKinley Combs, Sr.
Grandson of: Susan Combs and Grant Combs.
Grandson of: Maggie Walker and Henry D. Combs.
Spouse: Betty Crabtree.
Daughter: Joy Carol Combs.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Service Number: 8559254.
Rank: Seaman First Class.
Branch of Service: U. S. Naval Reserve.
Combat Organization: UNKNOWN.
Date of Death: 20 June 1945.
Place of Death: MARIANAS, PACIFIC THEATRE, WWII.
Status: MISSING IN ACTION.
Disposition: NONRECOVERABLE.
Memorialized at: Tablets of the Missing, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: LEONARD COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
NOTE: I placed my fifth-cousin-2-times-removed, Leonard Elwood Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, OSCAR AETIUS, M.D. (1900-1975), U. S. NAVY DENTIST, WWII.
Hometown: HAZARD, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Lebanon, Marion County, Kentucky. Jefferson County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 8 December 1900.
Son of: Rebecca Combs and William Combs.
Paternal Grandson of: Louann Baker Combs and Clinton “Grizzler” Combs.
Maternal Grandson of: Martha Burton Combs and Rev. Ira Combs, Union Army, American Civil War.
Spouse: Margaret.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
FIRST ENLISTMENT DATE: Before 10 July 1942.
Service Number: Unknown.
Signal Number: 32813. Running Mate’s Signal Number: 5718
Date of Rank of First Commission: 10 July 1942.
Rank: Lieutenant. LCDR on 20 July 1945.
Branch of Service: U. S. Navy. CORPS: DCXR.
Combat Organization: Dentist, Unknown.
POST WWII ENLISTMENT DATE: 22 November 1948. Release Date: 25 September 1961.
Date of Death: 6 April 1975.
Source: U. S. Select Military Registers, 1862-1985.
NOTE: I placed my third-cousin-4-times-removed, Oscar Aetius Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, ULYSSES GRANT, JR. (1924-1957), USS SAMUEL S. MILES, WWII.
Hometown: VICCO, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Kodak, Perry County, Kentucky. Cooperstown, Fayette County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 13 January 1924 in Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Juda Brashear and Ulysses Grant Combs, Sr., who served in the Philippine – Moro War.
Brother of: Vernon “Jack” Combs, MM2c, USS OAHU, WWII.
Grandson of: Clarinda Collins Combs and Taylor C. Combs.
Grandson of: Mary Jane Woods and William Campbell “Frosty Bill” Brashear.
Great-grandson of: Sarah Sumner and George Washington Combs.
Great-grandson of: Dianah Collins and Samuel Combs.
Great-grandson of: Sarah Campbell and Elijah Brashear.
Great-grandson of: Juda Cornett and Theophilus Asher Woods, Union Army, American Civil War.
Spouse: Joan Luttrell, daughter of Phoebe Myrtle Jones and Charles Richard Luttrell; granddaughter of Sceatta Jennie Goodman and James Claybourn ‘Claibe’ Jones, notorious Kentucky feudist and Knott County Jailer. Citizens Military Training Camp, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana, August 1938: Grant Junior’s brother, Vernon “Jack” Combs had signed up for CMTC, but he joined the Navy on 2 August 1938 and could not attend. Recognizing a chance for an adventure, Grant took his brother’s place by pretending to be Vernon. Despite being three years too young to qualify for the program, fourteen-year-old Grant was allowed to stay and placed second in a boxing competition. He received CMTC Certificates in 1938, 1939 and 1940, but Vernon’s name was listed on them. The substitution situation became a story of pride and humor as it was passed along to others.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Enlistment Date: 21 January 1943 at Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
Discharge Date: 6 November 1945 at Great lakes, Illinois, Honorable.
Service Number: 867 18 36.
Rank: Gunner’s Mate Third Class.
Branch of Service: United States Navy Reserve.
Service Schools: Gunner’s Mate School, Great Lakes, 16 weeks. GM School, San Diego, California, 12 weeks.
Service (vessels and stations served on): NRS, Louisville, Kentucky. US Naval Training School, Great Lakes, Illinois. Service School, Great Lakes, Illinois. Naval Training School No b, Norfolk, Virginia. USS MILES (DE 183), fsschs US NAV, Repair Base, San Diego, California, NTS, Newport Rhode Island.
Combat Organization: USS SAMUEL S. MILES (DE-183), Destroyer Escort. The ship was nicknamed “Sad Sack” in honor of a cartoon character with the same initials as the ship.
3 November 1943: Combs was received on board on the USS SAMUEL S. MILES. 4 November 1943, Commission Day: Ulysses Grant Combs, Jr. became a Plank Owner, a member of the Commissioning Crew.
2 February 1944: Combs sailed from Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii to Unknown.
8 March 1944: Combs sailed from Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands to Unknown. Grant wrote a V-mail to Daskum. “There was a sailor, who died day-before-yesterday on one of our ships. They had all of the flags at half-mast. It sure made me feel funny (strange). I don’t believe I would care half so bad, if I knew that I would be at home when I died.”
18 June 1944: The USS MILES downed two enemy planes.
3 October 1944: The USS Miles sunk a Japanese Submarine, I J N-177 near Palau.
12 October 1944, Southwest Pacific: Grant wrote a letter to his sister, Daskum Combs Lowe. He did not know that her husband, Technical Sergeant Albert Lowe had been killed in action on 16 September 1944. “Dear Daskum, ... I sure was glad to hear that Alb won a medal (Silver Star), but what he is doing (fighting to win the war) is worth more than all of the medals they can give him. Tell him that I’m rooting for him and to take good care of himself ...”
4 November 1944, USS MILES’ First Anniversary Celebration: During the ship’s First Anniversary Celebration, Grant received a letter from his sister, Dixie, telling him of their brother-in-law, Albert’s death. His grief was evident in the crew photographs that were taken that day.
19 February – 26 March 1945, THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA: The USS MILES guarded the invasion force at Iwo Jima.
20 March 1945: Combs was Transferred to R/S Navy 30aa fft FSSCH, Advanced Gunner’s Mate & Electrian Hydrolic Repair Base, San Diego, California.
26 March 1945: Combs was Received on board the USS ONEIDA (APA-221).
27 March 1945: USS ONEIDA sailed from Guam, carrying survivors of the USS FRANKLIN (CV-13).
28 March 1945: USS ONEIDA discharged the USS FRANKLIN survivors, picked up casualties from the Battle of Iwo Jima and sailed for Pearl Harbor.
USS SAMUEL S. MILES HISTORY FROM COMMISSIONING DAY THROUGH THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA: While Combs was a crew member, The MILES served as an escort ship in the Marshall Islands. Protected fleet oilers during air strikes against the Caroline Islands, The Hollandia and New Guinea area in April 1944. Guarded Oilers during the capture of Saipan and Tinia and downed 2 enemy planes on 18 June 1944. On 3 October 1944, sank Japanese Submarine (I-177) near Polar Islands. Supported the Leyte and Luzon Campaigns in late 1944 and early 1945. Guarded the invasion force at Iwo Jima in February 1945. Combs was transferred off the ship before the Battle of Okinawa, which occurred from 1 April to 22 June 1945.
Battles, Campaigns, Theatre: Pacific Campaigns: Pearl Harbor; Marshall Islands; Admiralty Islands; Asiatic-Pacific Raids of Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai; New Guinea; Mariana Islands; Western Caroline Islands; Leyte Operation; Iwo Jima. American Theatre. Pacific Theater.
U. S. Awards: American Area Medal. Asiatic-Pacific Medal with 3 Service Stars, Philippine Liberation Certificate. WWII Victory Medal.
Civilian Occupation: Vicco Grade School 8th Grade Teacher and Basketball Coach, Fall of 1954-Spring of 1955. M. C. Napier Teacher and Basketball Coach, Fall of 1955-Spring of 1957. Spring of 1955, Perry County, Kentucky: When Ulysses Grant Combs, Jr. graduated from the University of Kentucky, he was given his first assignment as teacher and basketball coach at Vicco Grade School. Under his guidance, the Vicco Team won the Perry County Grade School Basketball Tournament and Winning Championship Trophy in the Spring of 1955. He and the town of Vicco gifted the team with new uniforms.
Date of Death: 3 June 1957.
Place of Death: Vicco, Perry County, Kentucky. Grant died at his mother’s home, surrounded by family.
Cemetery: George Washington Combs Cemetery, Kodak, on Montgomery Creek, Perry County, Kentucky.
Sources: “U. S. S. SAMUEL S. MILES DE 183, FIRST ANNIVESARY, NOVEMBER 4, 1944 (Pamphlet). “Welcome Aboard The USS SAMUEL S. MILES (DE183), NAVY DAY, 27 October 1945, Norfolk Navy Yard (Pamphlet). U. S. Navy Muster Rolls. WWII Letters. Interviews.
NOTE: I placed my maternal uncle, Ulysses Grant Combs, Jr. on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, VERNON “JACK,” UNITED STATES NAVY, USS OAHU, WWII.
Hometown: VICCO, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Big Branch and Kodak, Perry County, Kentucky. Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana.
Date of Birth: in Fusonia, Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Juda Brashear and Ulysses Grant Combs, Sr., Philippine – Moro War.
Brother of: Ulysses Grant Combs, Jr., GM3c USS SAMUEL S. MILES, WWII.
Grandson of: Clarinda Collins Combs and Taylor C. Combs.
Grandson of: Mary Jane Woods and William Campbell “Frosty Bill” Brashear.
Great-grandson of: Sarah Sumner and George Washington Combs.
Great-grandson of: Dianah Collins and Samuel Combs.
Great-grandson of: Sarah Campbell and Elijah Brashear.
Great-grandson of: Juda Cornett and Theophilus Asher Woods, Union Army, American Civil War.
Spouses: (1) Wilma Jean Gibson, who married second, Justin Gilbert and married third, Broadway Producer, David Merrick. (2) Marie “Tomboy” “Tom” Townes. (3) Pauline Elias. (4) Wanda Maudlin.
Civilian Occupation: Truck Business. Owner of Combs Liquor Store in Vicco, Perry County, Kentucky. Refrigerator Engineer. Industrial Plant Boiler Operator, Durkee Food Plant, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
FIRST ENLISTMENT DATE: 2 August 1938 in Louisville, KY. Vernon Combs began his Navy Service at Naval Training Station in Norfolk, Virginia as an Apprentice Seaman (AS).
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. First Discharge Date: 26 December 1941. 2 August 1938 – 26 December 1941 Military Organization: USS WYOMING (BB-32/AG-17), Battleship to Gunnery Training Ship. USS HELENA (CL-17), a St. Louis Class-Light Cruiser. USS POLARIS (AF-11), an Aldebaran class stores ship.
< 31 December 1938: First Received on Board the USS WYOMING, Fireman Third Class.
< 30 December 1939: First Received on Board the USS HELENA for further transfer to NAVSTA GUANTANAMO.
< 7 December 1941: The Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor, Day 1 of the United States in WWII.
< 8 December 1941: First Received on Board the USS POLARIS for Transfer to Norfolk Virginia for Discharge.
FIRST DISCHARGE DATE: 26 December 1941, WWII.
SECOND ENLISTMENT DATE, WWII: 27 December 1941.
SECOND DISCHARGE DATE: 3 January 1946 at US Navy Personnel Separation Center, Great Lakes, Illinois.
Service Number:
Rank: Machinist Mate, Second Class.
Branch of Service: U. S. Navy.
Combat Organization: USS PC-462, Patrol Craft, Submarine Chaser. USS SC 1065, Submarine Chaser, Class supply ship. USS SC 1283, Submarine Chaser. USS OAHU (ARG-5), I C E Auxiliary Repair and Supply Ship.
14 March 1942: Vernon Combs Transferred to Miami, Florida to Sub Chaser Training Center for Training and Ultimate Assignment PC – 462.
15 April 1942, Commission Day, USS PC-462, Patrol Craft, Submarine Chaser: Vernon Combs was first received on board and became a Plank Owner, a member of the Commissioning Crew. In an interview by Waukesha Lowe Sammons, Vernon stated, “The USS PC-462 was a Submarine Chaser. It had about a half-dozen officers, about 50 crew members, a couple of mounted guns, a couple of rocket launchers, depth charge tracks and projectiles. But we were not equipped for fighting in battles. We were positioned on the outskirts of a fleet or battle in a lookout position. We hunted enemy submarines. At night we dropped depth charges and hoped to make a direct hit on a German sub.”
15 May 1942, USS PC-462: Vernon Combs was transferred to U. S. Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia for the removal of his tonsils.
1 January 1943, Commission Day, USS SC 1065, Submarine Chaser: Vernon Combs was first received on board and became a Plank Owner, a member of the Commissioning Crew. Vernon stated, “Our ship was a supply ship, sailing from Elizabeth City, North Carolina to Miami, Florida. We escorted convoys up and down the Atlantic Coast and from the Atlantic Ocean to South American. Near Haiti we rescued survivors from a sunken ship. In addition to guarding the Liberty Ship Convoys, we also dropped depth charges on German submarines.”
2 February 1943, USS SC 1065, Submarine Chaser: Vernon Combs was transferred to Naval Hospital, Key West, Florida. Vernon recalled, “In the dead of night, something hit the ship. The impact threw the crew from their beds and stations and caused injuries. My back was seriously hurt. Although we could not see anything in the blackness, we believed that another ship had hit us. I was treated at the Naval Hospital in Key West.”
7 June 1943, USS SC 1283, Submarine Chaser: Vernon Combs was first received on board. The ship sailed from Newport, Rhode Island to Baltimore, Marylannd. Vernon remembered, “Early in the war the Germans were sinking our ships in the Atlantic Ocean faster than we could build them. The American people were not told the truth about the U. S. Navy and Allied disasters at sea in order to prevent panic. When we sailed up and down the coast and were close enough to see the ocean waves hitting land, the evidence was hard to view. Ship masts from our sunken ships were sticking up out of the water. The masts appeared to be a long picket fence, extending for miles and miles along the Atlantic coastline of the United States.”
“When there were not enough ships for all the sailors, we would be given other temporary jobs. While waiting for a ship to be built, launched and ready for a crew, I was a Military Policeman for six weeks in the PX at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and a Master-at-Arms for another six weeks in a Boston hotel.”
4 April 1944, Commission Day, USS OAHU (ARG-5): Vernon Combs was first received on board and became a Plank Owner, a member of the Commissioning Crew of the OAHU. He declared, “The USS OAHU was an Internal Combustion Engine Auxiliary Repair and Supply Ship. My ship had about 570 men on board, and we had the ship’s shakedown in Chesapeake Bay. We left the Atlantic Ocean, sailed through the Panama Canal to California to Hawaii and into the Pacific War Theatre. We were stationed near Eniwetok Attol, Marshall Islands. I repaired refrigerators, machines, boilers and engines. We repaired and assisted about one thousand ships each year, because we helped any Allied ship or merchant ship, as well as our Navy ships, who were in need in the Pacific. ”
9 – 24 September 1944, USS OAHU: “Day and night the crew of the U.S.S. OAHU worked on many ships preparing for the Philippine Invasion. As many as 14 ships tied along side for repairs. They received a commendation for the expedient and efficient work preparing for the assaults on the Philippine Islands.” --- Ship’s Log, U.S.S. OAHU (ARG-5).
17 October 1944 aboard the USS OAHU: Vernon had received a letter from his sister, Dixie, announcing that their brother-in-law, Technical Sergeant Albert R. Lowe had been Killed In Action on 16 September 1944 in France. Vernon wrote a letter to Daskum, “My Dearest Sis, The hardest job that I have ever tried to do is write you this letter. I will always remember Albert as a boy, who was clean and decent, who loved to play baseball. And he would always play a little better [than others] and with more determination to win, without arguing or trying to cheat.”
1944, USS OAHU: Vernon said, “Our ship was disabled for 24 hours in the Pacific Ocean near Johnston Island. We were dead in the water and totally helpless if attacked. Another seaman and I had to make a bearing and repair the engine, before the ship could get underway again. Fear, of being hit by Japanese bombs or German torpedoes, gripped us as we worked. What a relief to hear the starting of the engine and to feel the ship moving again.”
1944 or 1945, V-mail Not Dated: While in the Pacific Theatre on board the USS OAHU, Vernon “Jack” Combs wrote to his sister, Daskum Comb Lowe, “Five papers from the Hazard Herald arrived today. I see where Virginia’s husband [Curtis Colwell of Vicco] gets a medal presented to him from General Eisenhower. I had to laugh about the little space down in the corner, where they had tried to hide it. If he lived in Hazard, they would have put it on the front page for six weeks in succession.”
2 – 6 February 1945, USS OAHU: The crew of the USS Oahu worked 24 hours a day preparing ships for the Iwo Jima Invasion.
11 March 1945, USS OAHU: “The U.S.S. OAHU (ARG-5) was anchored at Ulithi. The crew were topside enjoying a movie. Three Jap Planes were sighted overhead. The enemy planes passed by the OAHU. But the U.S.S. Randolph (CV-15), an Aircraft Carrier, took a Kamikazi direct hit.” --- Ships Log, USS OAHU ARG-5. 4 April 1945, Pacific War Theatre: The USS OAHU First Anniversary Celebration. The sailors were given a printed birthday menu with a Reminiscing section. A sketch of a cake with one candle and a girl in a hula skirt was on the cover of the folded page.
6 December 1945, USS OAHU: Departed the Pacific, destination USA. Source: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
25 December 1945, Christmas, USS OAHU: Docked at San Pedro, California. Source: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
On his return home from the war, Vernon Combs was mugged in San Pedro by the Military Police, who robbed him of all of his money. In the next leg of his journey, he prepared to leave California and head east. He was placed on a 100-year-old train with no heat and a hole in the floor for a bathroom facility. On the 3rd of January 1946 at the U. S. Navy Personnel Separation Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, he was discharged from service. When Vernon Combs was reunited with his family in Vicco, he only weighed 128 pounds. Source: Vernon Combs.
Battles, Campaigns, Theatres: Battle of the Philippines. American Theater. American Defense. Asiatic-Pacific Theater.
U. S. Awards: 1 Star for the Asiatic Pacific Participation. Presidential Unit Citation for the Battle of the Philippines. World War II Victory Medal.
USS OAHU (ARG-5) Awards: Awarded 1 Battle Star for the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign of the Western Caroline Islands Operation. 9 – 24 September 1944: Assaults on the Philippine Islands.
NOTE: I placed my maternal uncle, Vernon “Jack” Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COMBS, WARREN G. HARDEN (1921-1945), DIED NON BATTLE, GERMANY, WWII.
Hometown: ACUP, Perry County, Kentucky.
Other Residence: HAPPY Precinct on Acup Creek, Perry County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 23 January 1921, Perry County, Kentucky.
Son of: Nancy “Nannie” Morgan and Edward W. “Black Edd” Combs.
Grandson of: Anna Williams and Massingill Birx Combs.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Enlistment Date: 30 December 1941.
Service Number: 35260414.
Rank: Private First Class.
Branch of Service: U. S. Army.
Combat Organization: Company C, 377th Infantry, 95th Division, WWII.
Date of Death: 29 March 1945.
Place of Death: GERMANY, WWII.
Status: DIED NON BATTLE.
Disposition: BURIED.
Burial: First Burial Unknown.
Repatriated: 1948.
Cemetery: Warren Combs Cemetery aka Black Hawk Cemetery, which has an old section and a new section, Happy, Perry County, Kentucky. Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: WARREN G. COMBS carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
Note: “On 2 February 1945, the Division began moving to the Maastricht area in Holland ... From 12 March, the 95th established defenses in the vicinity of Neuss.” Source: 95th Infantry Division WWII Combat Chronicle, website: army.mil.
NOTE: I placed my third-cousin-2-times-removed, Warren G. Harden Combs on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COOK
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COOK, VIRGLE C. (1919-1943), DIED NON BATTLE, UNITED STATES, WWII. Hometown: HAZARD, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: War Eagle, Mingo County, West Virginia. Coburn Fork, Huddy and Toler in Pike County, Kentucky. Attended school in the community of Canada in Pike County, KY.
Date of Birth: 5 May 1919 in War Eagle, Mingo County, West Virginia.
Son of: Myrtle Rowe and David Cook.
Grandson of: Ella Jane Griffey and Joseph A. Cook. Ella Jane also married Greenville McCoy, son of Lucinda Adkins and William McCoy.
Grandson of: Vicy and W. A. Rowe.
Step-son of: George Washington Reed, whose first wife was Mary Belle Collins.
Half-brother of: Bernon Reed of Belfry, Pike County, Kentucky, who served in the U. S. Army in WWII and survived the war.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
1935: Lived in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
1940 Census: Soldier, Hardin County, Kentucky, Fort Knox, U. S. Army.
Service Number: 6985815.
Rank: Technician Fifth Grade in WWII Memorial Registry. Corporal on Headstone. Sergeant in the book, WWII Young American Patriots.
Branch of Service: U. S. Army.
Combat Organization: Company A, 605th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Stationed at Fort Knox, Hardin County, Kentucky, WWII.
Date of Death: 7 May 1943.
Place of Death: Camp Hood, Bell County, Texas, USA.
Status: DIED NON BATTLE, while training at Camp Hood in a motorcycle accident.
Disposition: BURIED.
Cemetery: Stone Cemetery, Stone, Pike County, Kentucky. Headstone Inscription: “His memory is blessed.” Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: VIRGLE COOK carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
PHOTOGRAPH: WWII YOUNG AMERICAN PATRIOTS, 1941-1945. (Book)
Note: I placed Virgle C. Cook on my ~ Sammons Bradshaw Ferguson Wooton Castle Hopkins Daniel Spencer; McCoy Stafford Stanley May Rutherford Brashear Williamson Ball ~ In-law Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COOK, WALTER (1921-1945), KILLED IN ACTION, LUZON, WWII.
Hometown: CLEMONS, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Other Residence: Liberty on First Creek Road and Blue Diamond in Perry County, Kentucky.
Date of Birth: 25 August 1921.
Son of: Dicie Stacy and Robert Lee Cook.
Grandson of: Polly Fields and Shadrach “Shade” Stacy.
Spouse: Kathleen Clara Lawrence.
Children: Robert Dewey Cook (1939-2008).
1940 Census, Perry County, Kentucky: Walter was counted twice on different days: in Clemons with his parents and in Blue Diamond with his wife and son.
Entered Service From: Kentucky.
Enlistment Date: 20 October 1944.
Service Number: 35819115.
Rank: Private.
Branch of Service: U. S. Army.
Combat Organization: Regiment Headquarter Company, 172nd Infantry Regiment, 43rd Infantry Division.
Date of Death: 25 May 1945.
Place of Death: LUZON, WWII.
Status: KILLED IN ACTION, WWII.
Disposition: BURIED.
Burial: Battlefield Burial Unknown.
Repatriated: 1948.
Cemetery: Riverside Cemetery, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Memorial Plaque: WWII Memorial Plaque, first displayed at the Bobby Davis Living Memorial; currently displayed at Memorial Gym in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. Monument: WALTER COOK carved within the WWII military section on PLACE OF THE PATRIOTS, a memorial located in Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
Note: “On 9 January 1945 the 43rd [Infantry Division] made an assault landing in the San Fabian area, Lingayen Gulf, Luzon ... On 6 May 1945, the attack continued in the Bulucan area. Ipo Dam was secured and enemy opposition smashed ... 19 May. Mopping-up activities continued ...” Source: U.S. Militaria Forum, 43rd Infantry Division, combat Chronicle, Luzon, website: usmilitariaforum.com.
NOTE: I placed my fourth-cousin-4-times removed, Walter Cook on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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COOPER
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COOPER, CLAUDE VERNON (1923-2007), U. S. NAVY AIR CORPS, WORLD WAR II.
Hometown: HAZARD, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.
Date of Birth: 7 November 1923.
Son of: Elizabeth Daniels and Claude Vernon Cooper, Sr.
Grandson of: Susan Ison and Robert Lee Daniel.
Great-grandson of: Matilda Cornett and Jonah Ison.
Spouse: Nell Louisa Evans.
Entered Service From: Kentucky
Enlistment Date: January 1943. Discharge Date: January 1946.
Branch of Service: U. S. Navy Air Corps.
Combat Organization: Gunner and Radioman. CASU 3 (Combat Aircraft Service Unit)
Boot Camp: Trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Company 145, Navy Chief Carruthers. In his company were Perry County men known to him: Jack Brashear of Hazard, Ivon Brown “Cotton” Brashear of Viper and Carlo (Mac) Whitaker of Mason’s Creek.
Next Duty, Tennessee: Cotton Brashear and Cooper went to Millington Naval Air Technical Training Center. Became Avaition Radiomen and Aerial Gunners. Graduated, Honor Man of the Class.
Next Duty, Florida: Lake City Naval Air Station.
Next Duty, South Carolina: Beaufort Naval Air Station.
Next Duty, Florida: Cecil Field Training Base, where Chief Keith Hall was Chief Gunner Instructor, and his brother, Bob Hall was a neighbor of mine and lived on Poplar Street in Hazard.
Next Duty, California: Traveled by train to San Francisco. Next at Treasure Island Naval Base.
Next Duty, U. S. S. WEST POINT: sailed to Noumea, New Caldeonia, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands. More training at Lugan Field.
South Pacific Offensive: Henderson Field. Guadalcanal. Vella Lavella as a replacement in CASU "Black Sheep" Squadron, Commanded by Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. Cooper’s friend, Bill Farler of Bulan, Kentucky was there.
3 January 1944: Assisted in pre-flight of Major Boyington’s plane. His plane was shot down that day, and he became a Prisoner of War. The Black Sheep were disbanded and we were sent back to Guadalcanal, later to Samar, Philippine Island, on to Clark Air Base.
<“I was standing before the gates of Santo Tomas University, when the gates were opened and the American prisoners were taken out in open truck. Most of them looked like skeletons”, stated Vernon Cooper.
Return Home On Leave: Landed at Alameda Naval Air Station, San Francisco, California. On leave Cooper ran into Paul Brown of Lothair, Kentucky, who was a Navy Hospital Corpsman stationed at Nob Hill Naval Hospital. Next was a train ride to Lexington, Kentucky, followed by a Greyhound Bus to Hazard.
Next Duty, California: Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. Chief Paul A. Brinegar of the Communication Office, sent me to Farragut, Idaho for officers school. He became Wishbone, the cook on the TV series, Rawhide.
Battles, Campaigns, Theatres: Guadalcanal. Pacific Theatre.
Date of Death: 7 February 2007.
Place of Death: Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
Cemetery: David Young Combs Cemetery, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.
Source: “World War II Remembered” by Dr. C. Vernon Cooper, Jr.
NOTE: I placed my fourth-cousin-1-time-removed, Claude Vernon Cooper, Jr. on my ~ Combs Collins Sumner Adams Holbrook Caudill Kelley Mullins; Brashear Young Campbell Cornett Woods Dorton Asher Bowling Sizemore ~ Maternal Family Tree, that I created on Ancestry.
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MILITARY LEGACY OF PERRY COUNTY, KENTUCKY AND BEYOND
GENEALOGY ~ PHOTOGRAPHS ~ LETTERS ~ HISTORY