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Showing posts from February, 2024

James W. Dye, Jr.

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Branch: NAVY Service Number: 2452293 Rank: Aviation Radioman Third Class Unit: Torpedo Squadron 82 (VT-82)  As preface to this story, I have used many excerpts from the novel," Flyboys: A True Story of Courage" by author James Bradley. Mr. Bradley was able to interview several of Jimmy’s family, friends, Navy buddies, captors and even the executioners to get a true feel for his life. His work was invaluable to be able to tell Jimmy’s life story. While his death was much more graphically depicted in Bradley’s book, I have chosen to spare the reader from the most, but not all of the ghastly details. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED 41 W. Buckingham Avenue James Wesley Dye, Jr.,  who went by “Jimmy” to his friends and “Buddy” by his family,  was born on November 27, 1925 in Gloucester City, NJ to parents James Wesley Dye, Sr. and Kathryn Teresa (Brannon) Dye. It appears he was baptized on the same day by the Highland Park Methodist Church in

Samuel J. Price

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Branch: ARMY Service Number: 32072982 Rank: Technician 5 th  Grade Unit: 37 th  Infantry Division, 117 th  Combat Engineer Battalion, Co. “C”  Samuel Joseph Price was born November 10, 1918, at 1710 Master Street in Camden, New Jersey to parents William Kirkman Price, Jr., an electrician with the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden and Anna Haug who was a homemaker. He was most likely named after his father’s brother Samuel, a long-time welder at the shipyard. Sam's birth certificate showed that his original birth name was in fact, William Price. He was the youngest of the Price children. Sam had a brother, William “Lester” who was born in 1908 and a sister Anna, born in 1912. The family was residing at 861 Vanhook Street in Camden, NJ according to the 1920 Census. Within the next few years, the Prices would move to 18 Valley Road in Mt. Ephraim, NJ. 18 Valley Road, Mt. Ephraim Sam attended public school in Mt. Ephraim. He had made the honor roll in Feb