I found Stanley J Teeples!
-
In reply to:
Re: Stanley J Teeples
1/02/02
Dear Kim-
My library is a gold member at Ancestry.com. On that site I found Stanley G. Teeples. It might be who you are looking for. Stanley was drafted from Michigan and held the rank of Private. He served in the 29th Division, 115th Infantry and died on June 12, 1944. He is buried in France and, I believe, his marker is in Veirville. "Saving Private Ryan" depicts some of the fighting around Veirville. Stanley was awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Below is a short write-up I down-loaded from the unit's web-site.
best of luck,
Bill
The 29th Infantry Division was a National Guard division that had been activated before the war and later sent to England to prepare for the cross-channel invasion. The 29th was composed of its original units from Virginia and Maryland plus replacements sent to England from all over the United States. These units spent months taking part in intensive training exercises as they prepared for their part in the great invasion of Normandy.
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Division's 116th Infantry Regiment made up one of the two initial assault forces on Omaha Beach (together with the 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division). The 29'ers experienced intense and deadly fire from well-positioned German troops on the bluffs above "Bloody Omaha" and the initial assault companies of the 116th experienced heavy losses from this deadly fire. Many groups were landed in wrong areas of the beach which added to the chaos and confusion of the battle. Several companies lost their officers and NCO's, leaving many enlisted men leaderless on the beach. Eventually, groups of men began to move off the beach and up the bluffs, taking deadly fire every step of the way. By mid-morning, the 115th Infantry Regiment landed in the follow-up wave and later the entire division came ashore and began the push inland After fearful casualties and savage fighting, the 29'ers had helped secure a hold for freedom on the European continent.
As the 29'ers became involved in the violent fighting in the hedgerows of Normandy, they took large numbers of causalities but proved to be a spirited and extremely effective fighting force. The division helped capture the important city of St. Lo in July, after a fierce and devastating battle. Later, the 29th helped take Brest in the Brittany Peninsula, and then fought its way across Western Europe into Germany by the end of the war. During their campaign in Normandy, the 29'ers won the respect and admiration of the French people and this good will is the basis and the motivation for Normandy Allies.