VICTOR HAVENS
KILLED SEPT. 21

    Pfc. Victor Havens, 25, son of Mrs. May B. Havens, formerly of Beaverton, was killed in action overseas on September 21st, according to word received by relatives here last week.  Word had previously been received that he had been wounded on September 20th.
   Pfc. Havens was inducted into service from Gladwin county on October 4, 1943. He had been overseas for several months.
    He was born in Tobacco township on November 15, 1918.
   Surviving are his mother; his wife, Mrs. Lucille Havens; a son, Victor R.; five brothers, Ray Havens, of Buckeye township; Marion, of Tobacco township; Byrl, of Ypsilanti; Clair and Truman, of Flint; two sisters, Mrs. Bertha Maxwell, of Hope, and Mrs. Ruth Brown, of Detroit. Gladwin County Record dated 11-8/1944

SERVICES FOR
VT. HAVENS

   Memorial services for Pvt. Victor F. Havens, formerly of Beaverton, will be conducted by the Rev. Henry R. Kreulen, at the Beaverton Presbyterian Church this Sunday, November 19, at 3 p.m.
   Pvt. Havens died on September 21 as the results of wounds suffered a day earlier in action with our forces overseas.
   The Beaverton post of the American Legion will assist in the services Sunday.

[Gladwin County Record,15 November 1944 ]

SOLDIER RITES ARE SUNDAY

    Funeral services for Pvt. Victory F. Havens of the famous 82nd All American Airborne Division, who died Sept. 21, 1944, of wounds received in action Sept. 20, 1944, at Beek, Holland, near Nymegen [sic], will be held at the Beaverton Nazarene church at 2 o'clock on Sunday, January 30.
   Pvt. Havens will be at the Hall Funeral Home until 12:30, and will be taken to the church to lie  in state from one o'clock until the hour of services.

 Services at the grave will be under the auspices of the Beaverton American Legion Post.
   Sermon and prayer service at the Funeral Home will be conducted by Rev. Charles Farmer of the Beaverton Church of the Nazerene [sic]-, Leon Methner has been requested to sing three special hymns.
  The Beaverton post of the American Legion will assist in the service. Burial will be in the Beaverton cemetery.
   Victory entered the service on October 4, 1943, from Gladwin county. He took his basic training at Camp Blanding, Fla., and was then transferred to the Airborne Parachute School at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where on April 15, 1944, he completed the course in parachute packing, ground training and jumping from a plane in flight and was a qualified parachutist. On May 20, 1944, he completed the course in parachute rigging and maintenance and was rated a parachute rigger.
   In July, 1944, he was sent overseas with Co. I, 508 Prcht. Inf., where his company joined with the famous 82nd All American Airborne Division, the division of four major skyborne assaults of World War II, that won three Congressional Medals, 80 D.S.C.'s, 900 Silver Stars, 1,400 Bronze Stars, 10,000 Purple Hearts and many foreign decorations.
   It fought in Sicily, Salemo, Anzio, and Normandy, and was first over the Dutch border into Germany. It was selected to be the airborne arm of the Army's newly organized Strategic Striking Forces.
   One hundred and fifty-one days after World War II ended came the 82nd's Great Victory March.
    Pvt. Victory F. Havens was born in Buckeye township, Beaverton, on November 15, 1918, and most of his life was spent in Gladwin county. He was married to the former Lucile Brewer, of Beaverton, on March 7, 1939, and a son, Victory Ray, was born on August 3, 1942.
   Surviving are his wife and son, who reside in Ann Arbor; his mother, Mrs. May B. Havens, of

Escanaba; his father, Neuman Daniel Havens, of Beaverton; five brothers, Ray of Buckeye township, Marion of Tobacco township, Byrl and Truman of Ypsilanti, and Clair of Ogden, Utah; two sisters, Mrs. Bertha Maxwell, of Hope, and Mrs. Ruth Evans, of Collins, Missouri, and many other relatives and friends.
   One brother, Lawrence, died during World War I while in the service of his country. Pvt. Havens was returned home by the request of his wife.

[Gladwin County Record, 26 January 1949]

SERVICES SUNDAY FOR PVT. HAVENS

 Rev. Henry Kreulen, of Bay City, assisted by the Beaverton post of the American Legion, conducted a memorial service at the Presbyterian church in Beaverton Sunday for Pvt. Victory F. Havens, who died September 21 as the results of wounds suffered a day earlier in action in Holland.
   Entering the service on October 4, 1943, he was sent to Camp Blanding, Florida, where he took his basic training. Later he was transferred to the airborne paratroop division at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
   In July 1944 he was sent overseas and on October 31st his mother received word of his death. Pvt. Havens was born in Buckeye township on November 15, 1918, and most of his life was spent in Gladwin county. He was married to Lucile Brewer on March 7, 1939, and to them was born one son, Victory R.
   Surviving are his wife, Lucile and son, Victory R., of Ann Arbor; his mother, Mrs. May Havens of Flint; an aged father, Neuman Havens of Buckeye; five brothers, Ray of Buckeye; Marion, of Tobacco township; Clair, of the U.S. Navy; Byrl and Trueman of Ypsilanti; two sisters, Mrs. Bertha Maxwell, of Hope, and Mrs. Ruth Evens, of Detroit; and many other relatives and friends.
   One brother, Lawrence, died during World War I while in the service of his country.

[Gladwin County Record, 22 November 1944]

[courtesy of "gladwin gal"]

Grave marker for Victory F. Havens in Beaverton City Cemetery, Beaverton (Gladwin county), Michigan.

Victory, whose name sometimes appears as simply 'Victor", married Lucile Brewer [1919-?] in Beaverton (Gladwin county), MI on 7 March 1939.

Victory registered for the draft in Tobacco Township ((Gladwin county), MI on 6 October 1940.

On 10 August 1944, Pvt Havens was transferred from the 11th Replacement Depot to Company I, 508th PIR.

On 30 September 1944, the Company I morning report stated the he had been "slightly wounded in action" on 20 September and had been evacuated.  In fact, Pvt. Victory F. Havens of Company I, 3rd Battalion, died of severe wounds at a roadblock in Beek, Holland on 19 September 1944.

The 13 October morning report documented that his status had been changed from slightly wounded in action to died of wounds, 21 September 1944.

Pvt Havens was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge for the Rhineland (Holland) Campaign, 17 September 1944 to 10 November 1944.