Warrant Officer RUSSELL ELMER STEWART KIA

Warrant Officer RUSSELL ELMER STEWART KIA, U. S. Army. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer E. Stewart of 254 Forest Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana; he was born February 16, 1921. After graduating from Byrd High School in 1937 and receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree at Centenary College in 1941, he was employed as office manager by Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association up to the time of his induction into the Infantry November 17, 1942, at the age of 21. For training and duty as an enlisted man he was assigned to Camp Adair, Oregon; Fort Lewis, Washington; Camp Callan, California, and Camp Beale, California. On July 14, 1944, he was discharged as enlisted man, and appointed Warrant Officer Junior Grade on the same date, embarking for the Pacific area (PTO) in that capacity a few days later. Warrant Officer Stewart served at Oahu Island and Leyte, and he landed on Okinawa with the invasion forces on Easter Sunday morning, April 1, 1945. After nine days in battle he was fatally wounded during artillery barrage on the morning of April 9, 1945, and buried in Temporary Cemetery No. 1. He served in the 363rd Field Artillery Battalion 96th Infantry Division, near Fuenzan, Okinawa. The Purple Heart Medal (PHM) was awarded for his wounds that resulted in his death on April 9, 1945, when he was 24 years old. He was also awarded The Asiatic Pacific Theater of operations, American Theater of operations, and the World War Two Victory Medal.

 

Source:

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

2- Grave Marker Forest Park East Cemetery Shreveport Caddo Parish Louisiana, USA.