Staff Sergeant HUEY HART PURVIS 6376953

Staff Sergeant HUEY HART PURVIS 6376953, United States Army. Husband of Corrine S. Purvis, 216 McNeil St., Shreveport Louisiana, and father of Kenneth Ray Purvis. He was born May 14, 1912, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Pinkney Abby Purvis of West Monroe. He attended school in Monroe and entered the armed service at the age of 18 in, June 17, 1930, at New Orleans Louisiana. He trained at Fort Benning, Georgia; served as a truck driver at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and an airplane mechanic at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, and Hunter Field, Georgia On November 1, 1941, he embarked for the Philippine Islands where he fought in the Asiatic Pacific Theater (PTO) of Operations in the Battle of the Pacific and the Defense of the Philippines. He served in the 17th Bomber Squadron 27th Bomber Group. He was a prisoner of war in the Philippines from May, 1942, until December 15, 1944. As he was being sent to Japan to prisoner of war camps there the ship on which he was being transferred was bombed and sunk. He was among several hundred prisoners of the Japanese who did not escape. He had survived the Bataan death march but he lost his life at the age of 32 in the tragic ship sinking. The Purple Heart Medal (PHM) was presented to his wife from Washington August 16, 1945. He also had the Presidential Unit Citation Badge with two Oak Leaf clusters for his heroic fighting, the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon with four battle stars, and the Good Conduct Medal.

Staff Sergeant HUEY HART PURVIS 6376953, United States Army. Husband of Corrine S. Purvis, 216 McNeil St., Shreveport Louisiana, and father of Kenneth Ray Purvis. He was born May 14, 1912, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Pinkney Abby Purvis of West Monroe. He attended school in Monroe and entered the armed service at the age of 18 in, June 17, 1930, at New Orleans Louisiana. He trained at Fort Benning, Georgia; served as a truck driver at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and an airplane mechanic at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, and Hunter Field, Georgia On November 1, 1941, he embarked for the Philippine Islands where he fought in the Asiatic Pacific Theater (PTO) of Operations in the Battle of the Pacific and the Defense of the Philippines. He served in the 17th Bomber Squadron 27th Bomber Group. He was a prisoner of war in the Philippines from May, 1942, until December 15, 1944. As he was being sent to Japan to prisoner of war camps there the ship on which he was being transferred was bombed and sunk. He was among several hundred prisoners of the Japanese who did not escape. He had survived the Bataan death march but he lost his life at the age of 32 in the tragic ship sinking. The Purple Heart Medal (PHM) was presented to his wife from Washington August 16, 1945. He also had the Presidential Unit Citation Badge with two Oak Leaf clusters for his heroic fighting, the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon with four battle stars, and the Good Conduct Medal.

Source:

1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF LOUISIANA – LOUISIANA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE – 1946

2- US Headstone and Interment records for US Military.

3 http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&tf=F&q=HUEY+PURVIS&bc=sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=1911336