Jack M. Plotts, Milton, PA passed away on Feb. 8, 2018, at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA. He was born Feb. 24, 1924 in Milton, PA, the son of the late Allen and Anna Plotts of Milton. He was a graduate of Milton Senior High School.
   In WWII, Jack entered the Army on Feb. 18, 1943 and was honorably discharged on Nov. 21, 1944. He attended Ft. Benning, GA for Parachute school. Jack was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Expert Carbine Badge with bar and Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar.
   He was a very patriotic person, having held most all positions in the Milton Legion and VFW along with the 40 et 8.
   Jack was very committed to his town and its people helping with the Red Cross during blood mobiles and needed donation drives. Jack also was very involved with the erection of the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. along with Sen. Robert Dole and Norman W. Ulmer of Lewisburg, PA.
   He is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley, of 47 years and a daughter, Justine.
   He is survived by two sons, Robert K. Williams and Craig Long and a step-daughter, Janice Kiss.
   Jack and Shirley enjoyed many 508 E Co. Reunions over the years before her passing. Jack was a Red Devil for his entire adult life. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and worked with him. He spent 42 years at American Car and Foundry (ACF).
   As Grandson of the most important man in my life, I would like to say Thank You to all the members who knew Jack and Shirley and extended their hands and hearts in friendship over the years.

Christopher R. Williams
May God Bless out Armed Forces.
The 508 E. Co. 82nd Airborne will always be in my heart and mind.

Condolences can be sent to Chris at: 645 Upper Market St. Milton, PA 17847-2531

[The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA, 11 Feb 2018, Sun, Page B5]

MILTON, PA — Jack M. Plotts, Age 92, of Upper Market Street, Milton, PA; died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018, at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA.
   Born Feb. 24, 1924, in Milton, PA, he was the son of the late Allen Raymond and Anna Helen (Mull) Plotts. He was married to Shirley (Kramer) Plotts, who preceded him in death in 1997.
   He attended Milton schools and worked as a welder at ACF in Milton, PA; before retiring in 1984. He was a member of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Milton. Mr. Plotts served in the Army during World War II, earning a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He was prominent in the efforts to secure the World War II memorial; also he was chosen as the Pennsylvania representative for a USA Today article about WWII. He was a life member of the American Legion, VFW, Moose, and 40 et 8, all in Milton, PA.
   Mr. Plotts served as commander, first vice commander, second vice commander and trustee of both the American Legion and VFW. He also served the Legion as sergeant of arms, service officer, and was on the home association. He was a trustee and former Garde De La Porte of the 40 et 8. He was a four-share member of the Union County Sportsman’s Club and a life member of the Norry Gun Club and the Keystone Gun Club. 

He was life member of the NRA.  He was a life member of the Goodwill Hose Company in Milton and hereceived the C. Kenneth Swisher Memorial Award for outstanding service and dedication to the Goodwill Hose Co. and the Borough of Milton, PA..
   He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Craig Plotts and Kay Long of Lewisburg, PA; a stepson, Robert Williams of North Carolina; a stepdaughter and son-in-law, Janice and Gene Berkheimer of Florida; three grandchildren, Angi James, Jodi Davenport and Christopher Williams; and three great-grandchildren.Mr. Plotts was preceded in death by a daughter, Justine Plotts Reedy and a granddaughter, Barbara Patterson Porter, and also by his sister Dorothy L. (Plotts) Lyons(1922-1989)
   Friends and relatives will be received from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1125 Mahoning St., Milton, PA, where funeral services will be held at 1. Officiating will be Pastor Mark Galbraith.

MILTON, PA — World War II veteran and D-Day paratrooper Jack Plotts died Thursday at the age of 92.
   Born in Milton, PA, Plotts was with the 82nd Airborne Division, and at age 19, parachuted into the fields of Normandy, France, during the allies’ infamous D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.
   He volunteered to be a paratrooper as so many his age did — because it came with additional pay. Few knew the tremendous risk that came with the new Army job. Plotts would later sustain combat wounds that earned him two Purple Hearts. He also earned a Bronze Star for his service during the war.
   “We knew we’d be part of the invasion when it came off,” Plotts previously told The Standard-Journal. “We were going to be parachuting. We made two or three jumps in England (prior to the invasion).”
   The 82nd sustained 1,259 casualties on D-Day alone, 156 of which were killed, nearly 760 of which went missing. Plotts was among the missing for a time.
   The Milton native landed five miles off course in a tree after jumping from just hundreds of feet off the ground. When he landed, he noticed his chute contained more than a dozen bullet holes. He took shelter in an old shack, using his compass to trek in the dark toward his unit.
   Two days later he managed to rejoin his unit near Chef-du-Pont, a town north of Carquebut in the northeastern area of France. Brutal fighting ensued and two-thirds of his unit ended up as casualties. Plotts was among them, severely wounded in a mortar attack. He was rescued by a Swedish soldier and transported to a hospital in England, where he was hospitalized for four months. Multiple shrapnel wounds and other severe injuries, coupled with skin grafts, kept Plotts grounded for a total of six months.
   Only the luck of having his rifle near his abdomen saved his life, he recalled.
   “If it wouldn’t have hit my gun, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “They said the barrel of the gun was turned up like a U.”
   Plotts was discharged Nov. 21, 1944, and was active throughout his life in veterans organizations, including the American Legion, VFW and 40 et 8, all of Milton. He served various leadership positions with all and was a regular visitor to the World War II luncheons held monthly in Espy.

   November 11, 2014, MILTON, PA  — Jack Plotts watches the U.S. military with a careful eye, and the 90-year-old Army veteran knows what he is talking about.
   Plotts, of Milton, a former paratrooper who jumped out of an airplane at nearly 500 feet above Normandy, France, in World War II, will be spending time with his friends and family at the Milton Moose on Tuesday for Veterans Day.  “It will be nice to see everyone,” he said.
   Plotts is one of the few surviving members of his 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and said at 90, he has good days and bad days.
   “I just take it day to day,” he said.
   Plotts was 18 when he leaped into the blackness of the French coast on D-Day — June 6, 1944 — and he even made the jump a harder one by jumping with his rifle fully loaded.
   “I heard a hell of a thump, and when I looked down, there was a hole between my legs. A 40mm came up through, and I knew it was time to leave,” Plotts said. “We had a few guys who got hit with a few pieces of metal, and when I saw an explosion, I thought it was the plane we just got out of but I wasn’t sure.”
   He landed alone, tangled in an apple tree, and — against all odds — survived.
   The other 12 paratroopers in the plane also jumped, but he still is unsure how many — if any— survived.
   Plotts was engaged in battle for nearly a month in France before being wounded, which put him in the hospital for six months and forever mangled his right hand, he said.
   “The night before I got hit, my company of 120-some people was down to 33 people,” he said. “When I got hit, they were down to 32.”
   Plotts was hit by a rifle grenade and shot twice in both legs. He said he is lucky to be alive today.
   He received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, two issues, Presidential Citation, two issues, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
   Plotts, who recently lost his daughter in an automobile accident, said he follows the U.S. military and doesn’t see much of a difference from when he served to now.   “The military does what it needs to do,” he said. “They always do. The only difference is now they take young people looking to make extra money.”
   Plotts recently visited a doctor to make sure he did not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and he had some advice for the doctor.
   “I think it’s a little late to check now,” he said. “I told them to be careful because they don’t want to be messing with this old mind.”
   He experienced some trauma when he returned from war, he said.
   “I would hear a car backfire, and I would try to jump under the bed,” he said. “Now, I can’t hear any of that anymore.”
   Plotts speaks from time to time at functions throughout the Valley and will take part in the Milton Moose Veterans Day services on Tuesday. He is thankful for the support and kind words he receives from Valley residents.
   “It’s nice to know people are interested and want to learn,” he said. “I am always willing to speak to the younger generation about my time, and I am happy there are still people willing to hear me.”

Jack M. Plotts registered for the draft in Sunbury, PA on 30 June 1942.

He enlisted in the army on 18 February 1943.

On 26 October 1843, Pvt Plotts was transferred from Hq, Rear Detachment, 508th PIR, Camp Mackall, NC to Company E.

Pvt Plotts was seriously wounded n action on 5 July 1944 and evacuated to a field hospital.

Following nearly two months of hospitalization, he was transported back to the U.S., arriving on 14 September 1944.  He was admitted to the Deshon General Hospital, Butler, PA for further care.  [Note: This facility was purchase by the Veterans Administration in April, 1946 and is now a VA Health Care Center.]

When released from the hospital he traveled to Fort Bragg, NC where he was discharged.

On 19 January 1950, Jack submitted this application for the Pennsylvania WWII Veterans Bonus.

He was credited with 12 months of domestic duty and 9 months of foreign service netting him a $255 bonus award.

Jack was often the subject of various newspaper accounts which centered around veterans, especially those who were disabled.

Perhaps that is how he became involved with Senator Bob Dole, himself having been seriously wounded during the war.  Then retired, Senator Dole served as the national chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign  and Jack Plotts was a figurehead in the raising of funds and ;planning for the memorial.

Jack died on  8 February 2018 and his remains were cremated.  The final disposition of his ashes is unknown.

Watch a video interview of Jack relating some of his experiences on