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.)
[The 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. |