Kessler, Charles Opal

1919 - 1966  (46 years)

• Name	Kessler, Charles Opal
  Birth	22 Apr 1919
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	KESS.C001
  _FGRAVE	94796234
  Military Service	World War II, Private First Class, Service Battery, 229th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm), 28th 'Keystone' Infantry Division, United States Army  [1]
  	Entered active service as a draftee on April 14, 1941 at Flora, Illinois. Completed basic training and assigned to Battery A, 46th Field Artillery Battalion, in training at Fort Custer, Michigan. Honorably discharged from that unit on August 1818, 1941 to enlist in the regular army. Entered active service the next day and later qualified in the military occupational specialty of Information Center Operator (510). Departed the Continental U.S. on September 5, 1941 bound for the European Theater of Operations. Served with other in-theater units until assigned to Service Battery, 229th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzers), 28th 'Keystone' Infantry Division after its arrival in theater. Fought in the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns. Returned U.S. for 3 month period in January 1945 and returned to combat as war was ending in late April. Earned the American Defense Service Medal with bronze star in lieu of clasp, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with silver battle star and the WWII Victory Medal. Honorably discharged as a Private First Class on July 15, 1945 at the Separation Center, Fort Sheridan, Illinois. This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission. Source: https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=2004942 NOTE: Charles was discharged as a Private First Class, his headstone shows him as a Staff Sergeant
  		World War II Honoree, Kessler, Charles O. (1919-1966)
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		United States Army
  		Private First Class, United States Army and United States Army Air Fores (Sep 1942-Aug 1948)
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Military Service Ribbons, Kessler, Charles Opal (1919-1966) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Military
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		European Theater of World War II
  		28th Infantry Division ("Keystone"), United States Army
  		28th Infantry Division ("Keystone"), United States Army
  		Fort Custer Training Center, Michigan
  		Fort Sheridan, Illinois
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  Death	31 Jan 1966
  Burial	Grove Hill Memorial Park, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
  Person ID	I26737	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	19 Apr 2024

  
  

  Family	?, Jane B.,   b. 12 Dec 1919   d. 15 Jan 2013 (Age 93 years)
  Family ID	F18380	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S7523] https://www.wwiimemorial.com/, World War II Honoree, Charles O. Kessler, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=2004942) (Reliability: 2).