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JOE T. LEWELLEN

Home On Leave

Master Sgt. Joe Lewellen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lewellen of near Gaston is home on furlough, before reporting to Fort Benning, Ga., to enter officer training school. Lewellen has been in active service since January of 1941.
[
Muncie Evening Press (Muncie, Indiana) · 18 Mar 1943, Thu · Page 22]

GASTON SOLDIER WEDS
   Lieut. . Joe Lewellen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lewellen, of Gaston, and Miss Lorraine Reibeling, daughter : of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Reibeling, of Hartford. City, were married Tuesday . evening.
   Lieut Lewellen Is stationed at Ft. Benning Ga.
(Note the "BUY. WAR STAMPS AND BONDS" following the announcement.)

[T
he Alexandria Times-Tribune, Alexandria, IN, 15 Jul 1943, Thu, Page 3]

Flight Manifest (pg 2)
shows 2nd Lt Joe Lewellen on line #21 on this Medical  Evacuation flight from Prestwick, Scotland to La Guardia, New York, NY on 23 July 1944.

Joe had his right thumb shot off and was destined for a hospital in the U.S. for further treatment.

He received a medical discharge in April 1945.

 

IN THE PRESS OF THINGS
LT. JOE LEWELLEN
of Gaston, who jumped with the paratroopers when the invasion of France started June 6, had a worse time last Sunday night than any he experienced during the 10 days and nights he was hiding in German territory after his thumb had been shot off by roving Nazi patrols.
   As you probably know. Lewellen landed 10 miles in France three hours before the Allies landed and was wounded by a group of three Germans who fired on him at a distance of three feet, wounding him in the neck and blasting off his thumb.
   But all the trials and tribulations of the Gaston officer were nothing compared to stepping before a microphone in Chicago and speaking to some 6,000,000 persons. Lewellen appeared on the "Quiz Kids," managed managed by his brother, John Lewellen. former Muncie Press reporter. He had only to read a short message pleading with youngsters to give up their war jobs and finish their high school training.
   I was never half so scared during the invasion as when I walked up to that mike," declared Joe, sweat breaking out on his forehead and his knees clicking together.
[Muncie Evening Press (Muncie, Indiana) · 30 Aug 1944, Wed · Page 12]

MILK EXTINGUISHES TRUCK MOTOR FIRE
 Special to The Indianapolis News
   HARTFORD CITY, Ind., July 18 --- Milk was used Wednesday to extinguish a fire about the engine of a truck owned by Joe Lewellen, Purple Heart veteran of World War II, when the truck was crowded from a road southwest of here by a passing car and overturned, More than 7,000 pounds of whole milk was lost in the accident. The rural fire truck was called, but Lewellen and his helper extinguished the fire.

[The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, IN, 18 Jul 1946, Thu, Page 14]

 


[courtesy of Sondra Kennedy]

Grave marker for Joe and Lorraine Lewellen in Union Cemetery, Eaton (Delaware county), Indiana.

National Guardsman Joe T. Lewellen enlisted in the Regular Army as a Corporal in Muncie, IN on 17 January 1941.  He had 1 year of college under his belt. 

His prior military experience and level of education made him an ideal candidate for OCS.

He volunteered for parachutist duty but it is unknown whether that occurred before or after he was commissioned.

After he completed jump school, 2nd Lieutenant Lewellen was shipped overseas to the 82nd Airborne Division's Replacement Depot in England. He was subsequently transferred to Company B, 508th PIR as an Assistant Platoon Leader on 7 April1944.  He was later transferred to Company A in the same role.

Joe jumped into Normandy on 6 June 1944 and linked up with a few other men.  He was soon involved in a firefight and got his thumb shot off, probably by a bullet that clipped his rifle barrel while he was firing. According to an entry in "The 508th Connection" by Zig Boroughs, "By the time he received medical aid gangrene caused him to lose most of his hand."

Joe was taken prisoner on D+3 but he must have been quickly released to the U.S. Forces due to the extent of his injuries.  Evidence indicates that he soon ended up in a field hospital in Scotland.

2nd Lt Lewellen departed on an overnight flight from Prestwick, Scotland on 22 July 1944 and arrived the next day at LaGuardia Field in New York City.  It is presumed he was then transferred to a medical facility for further treatment.

The rapidity and mode of travel was quite unusual as most severely wounded men went home on a troop ship after two or three months of hospitalization.  It wasn’t due to his rank either as the other passengers ranged in rank from Private to Captain. Clearly, the condition of his hand was critical.

But Joe survived the war and nothing is known about his civilian life.  He died in Okeechobee, FL on June 5, 1995, the 54th anniversary of his flight to Normandy.

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