Grave marker for Tom Housley
in Section M, Site 5768 of the Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery,
Knoxville (Knox county), Tennessee.
Tom enlisted in the Army
at Richmond, VA on 24 November 1942 and was assigned to Hq 3rd, 508 PIR.
Pvt Housley was promoted
to Pfc on 26 October 1943 and received the Good Conduct Medal on 16
November 1943.
Pfc Housley jumped into
Normandy on D-Day June 6 1944 and was taken prisoner that same day
although he was initially listed as just missing in action.
. This news article
from 26 July 1944 reads;
"Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Housley Sr. received a message this morning from the
War department stating that their son, Tom. Housley, with the
paratroopers in France, had been missing in action since invasion day,
June 6th. Pfc Housley has been in the service a little more than
two years."
Housley was liberated from Stalag 4D with a last reported date of 5 June 1945
although the release probably came in late April 1945 when US and
Soviet forces met on the Elbe at Torgau.
This news clipping lists a number of men who had been liberated,
although not necessarily from the same POW camp, Sgt Tom Housley is
amongst the group.
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