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Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas, is named after the Jewish cemetery in Israel. “Mount Olivet” means “Mount of Olives”; the Jewish cemetery is of ancient origin, famous for its many biblical associations, and still in use today.

More than 60,000 souls lay at rest at its central Texas namesake in Tarrant County. Among them are fifty-two men who gave their lives for our freedom in World War 2.

In late 2010, a private citizen – a hospital administrator and local resident, no relation to any in the group – contacted me regarding research on a Private Donald Stanfield, a soldier killed in World War 2, whose headstone this citizen had noticed while walking through Mount Olivet Cemetery. After I completed the research (we found that Private Stanfield had been killed during the Battle of the Bulge), I was again in touch with my client.

Intrigued, he decided to survey the entire cemetery, and research all the servicemen there who had made the ultimate sacrifice during World War 2. Every few months, he would send me a list of 8-10 more names, along with whatever little information he had on each man. There were numerous problems along the way, including misspelled names, confusion over the branch of service, as well as the usual bureaucratic challenges put in place by the government agencies that hold many of the records on our military war dead from World War 2.

By early 2014, this project was complete. Here, in chronological order of their deaths, are the stories of these men.

The first man to be lost was Fire Controlman 1^st Class Carl B. Ashing, who was killed when his ship, the destroyer USS Pillsbury, was sunk in Manila Bay on December 10, 1941, only three days after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.

Four of the Mount Olivet men died in 1942. The first was Carpenters Mate John L. Howard, of the 16^th Naval District. He was killed in a non-battle airplane crash on Mindanao in the Philippines on April 16, 1942. Master Sergeant Odell B. Lee of the 75th Ordnance Company died as a POW of the Japanese due to causes unknown on April 30, 1942, probably on the Bataan Death March. The next was Private Enrigue G. Tellez. His unit, the 200^th Coastal Artillery Command, had been nearly destroyed in the fall of the Philippines, and he was taken prisoner of war. On October 4, he died of disease while held at Camp Cabanatuan.On November 28, Staff Sergeant Virgil E. Bingham, of the 73^rd Bomb Squadron, was killed when his personnel transfer flight crashed near Iliamna Lake, Alaska. The final death was Aviation Cadet Charles M. Earle, of Naval Air Training Command. While on a practice flight, he crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on December 24.

The first to die in 1943 was Private First Class Eddie F. Neal, who died of illness at the Air Corps training base at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, on January 31^st.

Electrician’s Mate 2^nd Class Mark A. Hovenkamp became the second navy man to be killed, when his vessel, the LST-473, was sunk after a Japanese attack off the coast of Morobe, New Guinea, on September 4^th. On July 4^th, another naval man was killed. He was Aviation Pilot 1^st Class Preston Bright, of Naval Patrol Squadron 62. He was killed when his aircraft crashed on Adak Island in the Aleutians. Another naval flyer was killed on September 12, when Seaman 2^nd Class Ronald W. Johnston died on a training flight near Corpus Christi, Texas.

The last two deaths of 1943 happened only four days apart. On December 27, 2^nd Lieutenant Earl Lanham was the instructor-pilot of a B-17 that crashed in bad weather near Hendricks Field, Sebring, Florida. On the 31^st, 1^st Lieutenant L.V. Allen, of the 704^th Bomb Squadron, became the first Air Corps flyer to be killed in combat when his bomber was downed over Mimizan, France.

1944 proved to be a terrible year for the men of Mount Olivet. On January 17, Air Corps flyer 1^st Lieutenant William W. Lane was the pilot of a plane that crashed on an administrative flight to Washington, D.C., near Bearwallow Mountain, North Carolina. On February 21, Private Leonard J. Hall, of the 179^th Infantry Regiment, was killed at Anzio, Italy. The next day, Staff Sergeant Oran K. Cannon, of the 515^th Bomb Squadron, was downed over Regensburg, Germany. In the Pacific Theatre, Private First Class Blas G. Pacheco, of the 129^th Infantry Regiment, was killed on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, on March 24^th.

Two Air Corps flyers were killed in training accidents in May. They were Flight Officer Luther H.L. Hockett, of the 810^th Army Air Force Base Unit, killed in glider training at Maxton, North Carolina, on the 2^nd, and Aviation Cadet Virgle L. Stephens, killed at Ellington Field, Texas, on the 6^th.

One other death occurred in May, when 1^st Lieutenant William T. Bright, of the 5307^th Composite Group (also known as “Merrill’s Marauders”) died of illness at Margherito, Assam, India on the 18^th.

On June 3^rd, Technician 5^th Grade Lloyd E. Tywater, of the 36^th Signal Company, was killed in action at Lemi, Italy, on June 3^rd.

With the D-Day landings, casualties mounted greatly. On the day of the landing, June 6^th, two of the Mount Olivet men were killed in France. They were Staff Sergeant Frank R. Johnson, of the 16^th Infantry, and Staff Sergeant Milton E. Jones, of the 77^th Troop Carrier Squadron, killed in a crash near Etienville. The next day, Private Candelario J. Trevino, of the 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment, was killed in Normandy. Six days later, Private First Class James Toogood, of the 358^th Infantry Regiment, was killed there. Two days after this, on the 15^th, Technician 5^th Grade Alex Polly, also of the 358^th, was killed in Normandy. The last deaths in France occurred on August 25^th, when Private Larry J. Ducote, of the 509^th Parachute Infantry, was killed in action at Theoule, and on October 1, when 2^nd Lieutenant Harry P. Curl, of the 313^th Infantry, was killed at Foret de Parroy.

Meanwhile, the war continued outside of France. On June 13, 2^nd Lieutenant Dennis H. Griggs, of the 831^st Bomb Squadron, was shot down 10 miles east of Munich, Germany. On July 25^th, 2^nd Lieutenant Gene M. Youngblood was killed when his aircraft, preparing to fly overseas, crashed into San Pablo Bay, California. In another non-combat death, Marine 2^nd Lieutenant Raymond E. Morris was killed in a mortar-training accident at Quantico, Virginia, on August 8^th. On the 16^th of the month, Major Thomas F. Vickers was killed on a maintenance test flight near Patterson Field, Ohio.

On October 12^th, 2^nd Lieutenant Billy L. Adams, of the 64^th Fighter Squadron, was killed in action over Treviglio, Italy. On the 23^rd, 2^nd Lieutenant Grady L. Carter, of the 331^st Army Air Force Base Unit, was killed in a training crash near Canfield, Arkansas. The next month, 1^st Lieutenant Harry L. Steinsultz, of the 767^th Tank Destroyer Battalion, died of wounds in Hollandia, New Guinea on November 7^th. The last death in the Pacific area happened on December 2, when Staff Sergeant Joseph R. Cheek, of the 675^th Bomb Squadron, was killed when his plane crashed on Noemboor Island, New Guinea.

Three of the men died in December. On the 2^nd, Private Louis Gosson, Jr., of the 405^th Infantry, was killed in action at Waurichen, Germany. On the 29^th, Technician 5^th Grade Thomas J. Block, of the 338^th Field Artillery Battalion, was killed at Frassineta, Italy. Two days later, Private Donald W. Stanfield of the 393^rd Infantry, was killed during the Battle of the Bulge at Krinkelt, Belgium.

Another Mount Olivet man died in the Battle of the Bulge. He was Technician 5^th Grade Joseph Svoger, Jr., of the 16^th Infantry, killed in action at Faymonville, Belgium, on January 19, 1945. The final death associated with the Battle of the Bulge was that of Lieutenant Colonel William J. Boydstun, of the 317^th Infantry, killed at Ringel, Luxembourg, on January 22.

The last three deaths in the European Theatre occurred in March and April. On the 8^th, Private First Class Earl D. Wynns, of the 311^th Infantry, was killed at Unkel, Germany. On the 22^nd, Sergeant Billy J. Irwin, of the 783^rd Bomb Squadron, was downed over Vienna, Austria. The last death in this area occurred on April 1, when 1^st Lieutenant John F. Frazier, of the 61^st Fighter Squadron, was killed in a training crash near Steeple, Essex, United Kingdom.

In the Pacific, the War continued to its ultimate crescendo. On February 19^th, Private Edmund T. Sorrells, Jr., of the 27^th Marine Regiment, was killed on Iwo Jima. Eleven days later, Private First Class Harvey A. Lee, Jr., of the 5^th Marine Division, was also killed there.

On March 26^th, Air Corps Sergeant John R. Nesmith died as a POW from pneumonia at Camp Fukuoka, Japan. Technician 5^th Grade Alfred H. Grey, of the 117^th Combat Engineers, died of malaria on Luzon on April 30^th.

Four of the Mount Olivet men died in the Battle of Okinawa. On April 19, Private First Class Henry G. Barnett of the 381^st Infantry was killed at Kakazu. Two days later, Private First Class Jose Robledo, also of the 381^st, was killed in the same area.

The last two of the Mount Olivet men to die in World War 2 were also lost on this Pacific island. On May 3rd, Technician 5^th Grade Wallace R. Turner, of the 361^st Field Artillery Battalion, was killed near Fuenzan; the next day, Hospital Apprentice Mate Minter G. Anderson, Jr., attached to the 5^th Marines, met his end.

***

Once the project for the men of the Mount Olivet was complete, my client visited nearby People’s Burial Park, a segregated cemetery where African Americans were interred. He located five men killed in World War 2 that were buried there, and asked me to research them, as well.

The first of these men to die in World War 2 was Private James L. Brooks. He was serving with the 4185^th Quartermaster Service Company when his unit was strafed by German aircraft near Leon, France, on December 26^th, 1944.

Two were killed in February of 1945. The first was Staff Sergeant Rubin J. Wheat, of the 365^th Infantry, killed near Monte Lama, Italy, on the 5^th. Three days later, Sergeant Eubie E. Lawson, of the 370^th Infantry, was killed in action near Strettoia, Italy.

On April 21, 1945, Private First Class Lawyer T. Edwards, also of the 370^th Infantry, was killed near Poeri Petroganamo, Italy. The last to die was Private First Class Osborne Haggerty, of the 2805^th Engineer Service Battalion. He was killed on October 18, 1945, months after the war ended, in a truck accident on the island of Saipan.

Photo credits: Headstones for Carl B. Ashing, Virgil E. Bingham, and Preston Bright by Allen Wheatley; Harry Steinsulz courtesy of Kevin Boldt;  Mt. Olivet Cemetery with flags by June Coker; Mt. Olivet Cemetery gate photo by Paula Logan on Find A Grave, Mt. Olivet plaque by Nicolas Henderson, used by permission under Creative Commons license.

Correction: An earlier version of this article featured famed WAFS flyer Cornelia Clark Fort as being buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, TX. Cornelia Fort was from a prominent family from Nashville, so I asked my readers if anyone knew why she was buried in Texas. Thanks to David Braeutigam, who subscribes to my newsletter, who pointed out that Cornelia Fort is buried alongside her parents in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, TN. You can read a new article dedicated to Cornelia Clark Fort here.