Blackledge, William E. 'Eddie'

1909 - 1984  (75 years)

• Name	Blackledge, William E. 'Eddie'
  Birth	25 Aug 1909  [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	BLAC.W010
  _FGRAVE	34723635
  Military Service	World War II, Private First Class, Company C, 744th Railway Operating Battalion, United States Army  [1, 2]
  	Entered active service as a draftee on January 4, 1944 at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Selected for the Transportation Corps, completed basic training and qualified in the Military Occupational Specialty Of Railway Brakeman (033). Departed the U.S. on august 11, 1944 bound for The European Theater Of Operations. Assigned to served with Company C, 744th Railway Operating Battalion through The Northern France, Ardennes and Rhineland Campaigns. Earned The Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 bronze battle stars and The WWII Victory Medal. Honorably discharged as a Private First Class on December 16, 1945 at The Separation Center, Camp Grant, Illinois. (This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission.) Source: https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=2059979
  		World War II Honoree, Blackledge, William E. (1909-1984)
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		Private First Class, United States Army and United States Army Air Fores (Sep 1942-Aug 1948)
  		United States Army
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  Death	12 Dec 1984  [1]
  Burial	Elmwood Cemetery, Flora, Clay County, Illinois   [1]
  		Headstone, Blackledge, William E.j Displayed with permission of Lady in Black
  		Headstone, Blackledge, William E.
  Person ID	I43220	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	13 Jul 2023

  
  

  Family	Bailey, Norma,   b. 1911   d. 2009 (Age 98 years)
  Family ID	F16750	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S13559] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Blackledge, William E., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34723635/william-e_-blackledge), none. (Reliability: 2). [S15041] World War II Honoree, William E. Blackledge, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=2059979) (Reliability: 2).