Mike Parker: Fields of Honor Foundation seeking a photo of Lenoir County WWII soldier
Many of you may remember the PBS special titled “Thank You, Eddie Hart.” The special recounted the story of how a Dutch family adopted the grave of Pfc. Eddie Hart, who died in battle during World War II. His niece lives right here in Lenoir County. Her name is Debbie Hollomon.
The loving attention this Dutch family bestowed upon her uncle’s final resting place so deeply touched Debbie that she became involved in a project to honor the memories of more than 39,000 U.S. soldiers buried in various military cemeteries across Europe. This ambitious project is the Fields of Honor Foundation, which is based in the Netherlands.
The Fields of Honor – Database is a digital memorial that pays tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of others during World War II. At present, the database includes personal memorial pages for about 39,000 American soldiers who were buried in or listed at the Walls of the Missing at overseas cemeteries at Ardennes, Epinal, Henri-Chapelle, Lorraine, Luxembourg, and Margraten. Eddie Hart is buried in the American cemetery at Margraten.
“We have gathered photos of more than 21,000 of those soldiers,” Debbie wrote. “But one of the soldiers for whom we do not have a photo is Private Edward E. Johnson from Lenoir County, NC.”
Private Johnson, born June 11, 1924, is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Epinal American Military Cemetery. He served with the 314th Infantry Regiment. He died on December 6, 1945, near Bischwiller, France. He received both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
Private Johnson was not married. His parents were Leon Sewell Johnson and Nannie Barwick Johnson. He had nine siblings: Ivey William, Emma, Leon, Mildred, Doris, Ralph, Ray, Kenneth, and Carol.
“We are hoping that someone in the family, perhaps the children or grandchildren of his siblings, could provide a photo of Private Johnson to the Foundation,” Debbie said. “While we would love to have a military photo, we would be grateful to have any photo of Private Johnson.”
Private Johnson’s family lived in the Deep Run area in 1930. By the time of the 1940 census, the family lived on Neuse Road, north of the location of the Sand Hill Volunteer Fire Department. By 1946, the family was living on Route 1, Deep Run.
He attended high school for one year. He worked on a farm before he enlisted at Fort Bragg on September 21, 1943. He was officially declared deceased after he had been missing in action for one year and one day.
If you want to look up Private Johnson’s page in the foundation’s database, visit this link: JOHNSON, Edward E (fieldsofhonor-database.com). If you know someone whose remains rest in one of Europe’s seven American military cemeteries, please visit https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php.
The purpose of the foundation is simple. The foundation seeks to preserve the memories of these service personnel to ensure that current and future generations do not forget their sacrifices. The foundation strives to guarantee that every name in that database has a face.
Please help Debbie find the face of Private Edward E. Johnson of Lenoir County for his memorial page.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
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