Iowa’s World War II Honor Roll
These Iowans, like the ones pictured in this section last Sunday, have given their lives for their country. They came from all sections of the state, from all walks of life, and they rest today in strange and far away but never-to-be forgotten places. The final line beneath each photograph tells the geographical area in which the man was serving. Additional pictures of Iowans who have been killed in combat will be carried on future Sundays.
Source: The Des Moines Register, Sunday, December 12, 1943 (photo included)
Everett Arthur Findley was born Oct. 14, 1923 to Claude C. and Retha Jane Woten FIndley. He died Nov. 22, 1942 and has a cenotaph in Hastings Cemetery, Hastings, IA.
Pvt. Findley served in World War II with the U.S. Army and was KIA as a result of gunshot wounds incurred while engaging the enemy at La Tuft, Algeria.
Capt. Robert F. Milligan wrote in his letter to Pvt. Findley’s parents, "He and the rest of the fellows were riding toward the front in a train when enemy planes bombed and strafed them. They were all ordered to take up defensive position and spread out. Everett took up his position and manned his automatic rifle, he fired continuously until a bullet silenced his gun, he died instantly with his finger still clutching the trigger. He was truly an American through and through. Time after time he could have crawled under the train or taken cover elsewhere. But not him. He sacrificed his life so that others with lesser weapons might have a chance. He was a soldier of the bravest degree."
Source: ancestry.com
