Annotated on March 26, 2000
The Liberation Museum 1944 at Groesbeek (Holland) was asked to create a Roll of Honor for the 26th Infantry Division. This Roll of Honor will be in the history book, which will be published by Turner Publication in Kentucky. We work with the official Quartermaster Casualty Reports (QMCR) from 1946/1947. We also use the information from the American Battle Monuments Commission (for the cemeteries in Europe) and the National Cemeteries in the States. The QMCR only give the names of men killed in battle, but we want to mention the names of the men who died under non-battle circumstances as well.
Together with Gerrie Franken and Father Thuring I worked on the Roll. During my contacts with veterans of the "Yankee Division", I received word that during training in the States, men drowned during a river crossing exercise. I wanted to have the names of these men, since they should be mentioned in the Roll of Honor as well !, and nobody seemed to remember their names. Somebody wrote me to contact John J. Bulter from Florida, which I did and he provided me with a copy of the newspaper "Wilson County News" from 30 March 1944. John also included some letters he and Pierre A. Rinfret and Alexander Weiss A/104th) wrote about the tragedy, that took place on 22 March 1944. The location was near Averitt's Ferry, about 36 miles east of Nashville, Tennessee.
It was dark and the river was swollen and it was full of debris, including trunks of fallen trees. The exercise was to cross the river in a plywood boat. The boat was already occupied by members of A Company 104th Regiment and the men were ordered off the boat, so that men of B Company 104th . The boat started the crossing, but never reached the opposite shore. Men on the banks heard screaming, but nothing could be done. There were only two survivors, a Lieutenant and a Sergeant, their names are not known to me
The other men drowned. The names of these men are:
Pvt Grover R. Briggs from Guntown, Mississippi
Pfc Lee O. Criswell from Muney, Pennsylvania
Sgt Kenneth A. Doebler from Williamsport, Pennsylvania
1Lt John E. Dunski from North Chicago, Illinois
2Lt Richard P. Grosvernor from Winchester, Massachusetts
Pfc Felix A. Edlinski from Hopton, Pennsylvania
S/Sgt Bernard J. Jackimczyk from North Hampton, Massachusetts
Pfc James R. Kirk from Pocahontas, Tennessee
Pfc Leonard S. Kocaj from Nanticoke, Pennsylvania
Pvt Dominick V. Lavallo from New York City
T/3 Edward C. Monchick from Roxbury, Massachusetts
Pfc John F. Netto from North Hampton, Massachusetts
Sgt John J. Palsley from Wilmington, Delaware
Cpl William J. Petit from Providence, Rhode Island
S/Sgt Joseph F. Phiona from Gardner, Massachusetts
Sgt John Puclowski from South Boston, Massachusetts
Pfc Leonard M. Siclaki from Erle, Pennsylvania
Pfc Arthur Sikora from Syracuse, New York (536th Engineer Light Pontoon
Company - boat operator)
Pvt John F. Smallcomb from Exeter, Pennsylvania
T/5 Frederick A. Stille Jr, from Richmond, Virginia
Pvt Leroy C. Strand from San Antonio, Texas
On 4 April 1944 a ceremony was held at Ft Jackson, South Carolina, where the names of the dead were called out during a full regimental formation.
On behalf of the Liberation Museum 1944
Jan Bos E-mail circle82@wishmail.net
Dukaatstraat 5
6532 RE Nijmegen
Holland