Walter W. Gentry
Walter Wayne Gentry
US Army
PFC
34188278
148th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division
Born July 12, 1915 to John Edward Gentry and Cordia Elizabeth Potter Gentry in Doe Valley, TN
Died April 1, 1944
Gentry worked for John Lincoln lumberyard in Marion, VA before his enlistment on February 12, 1942 at Fort Oglethorpe, GA. and probably did his training at Camp Shelby, MS and then Indiantown Gap.
With the Japanese sweeping up seemingly easy victories in the Pacific defenses, the 148th was sent to the Solomon Islands to create a series of defenses to stop them. This offensive was called Operation Cartwheel. The 148th lead the way into Bougainville where perimeter defenses were set up - so it was just a matter of waiting until the Japanese hit.
The Japanese had 40,000 troops on the island and in early March 1944 they hit the US lines near Hill 700. After a brief, but bloody battle, the lines were restored and the Japanese were driven back. For their heroic and courageous efforts, three units of the 148th received the Presidential Unit Citation.
PFC Gentry was wounded while on a jungle trail by "short leg fragments" and died from those wounds on April 1, 1944. He received the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster and is buried in the Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
US Army
PFC
34188278
148th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division
Born July 12, 1915 to John Edward Gentry and Cordia Elizabeth Potter Gentry in Doe Valley, TN
Died April 1, 1944
Gentry worked for John Lincoln lumberyard in Marion, VA before his enlistment on February 12, 1942 at Fort Oglethorpe, GA. and probably did his training at Camp Shelby, MS and then Indiantown Gap.
With the Japanese sweeping up seemingly easy victories in the Pacific defenses, the 148th was sent to the Solomon Islands to create a series of defenses to stop them. This offensive was called Operation Cartwheel. The 148th lead the way into Bougainville where perimeter defenses were set up - so it was just a matter of waiting until the Japanese hit.
The Japanese had 40,000 troops on the island and in early March 1944 they hit the US lines near Hill 700. After a brief, but bloody battle, the lines were restored and the Japanese were driven back. For their heroic and courageous efforts, three units of the 148th received the Presidential Unit Citation.
PFC Gentry was wounded while on a jungle trail by "short leg fragments" and died from those wounds on April 1, 1944. He received the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster and is buried in the Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Walter W. Gentry
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