Vail, Wiley C.

1924 - 2011  (86 years)

• Name	Vail, Wiley C.
  Birth	30 May 1924	North Palmyra Township, Macoupin County, Illinois   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Oilfield Worker, Small Engine Repairman  [1]
  Reference Number	VAIL.W003
  _FGRAVE	64090180
  Funeral	6 Jan 2011	Anderson-Burris Funeral Home, Enid, Garfield Oklahoma   [1]
  Military Service	World War II, Technician Fifth Grade, Battery D, 746th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, United States Army  [1, 2]
  	Entered active service as a draftee on April 8, 1943 at Camp Grant, Illinois. Completed basic training and qualified in the military occupational specialty of Portable Power Generator Operator (846). Departed the Continental U.S. on September 8, 1943 bound for the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations. Served with Battery D, 746th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion through the Northern Solomon Islands and Southern Philippine Island Campaigns. Earned the American Campaign Medal, Asiaticic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 bronze battle stars, WWII Victory Medal and the Philippine Liberation Medal with 1 bronze battle star. Honorably discharged from the Coast Artillery Corps as a Technician 5th Grade on January 10, 1946 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. 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=1976995 NOTE: His obituary says he was awarded 2 Bronze Star, but according to Robert Medley's research, he was awarded Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 bronze battle stars.
  		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,…
  		Wiley C. Vail (1924-2011)
  		United States Army
  		Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Military Service Ribbons, Vail, Wiley C. (1924-2011) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Military
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		Philippine Liberation Medal, Republic of the Philippines
  		Philippine Liberation Medal, Republic of the Philippines
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		Asiatic-Pacific Theater, World War II
  		Camp Grant, Illinois
  		Jefferson Barracks Military Post, Lemay, Missouri
  		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. …
  		World War II Honoree, Vail, Wiley C. (1924-2011)
  Death	3 Jan 2011	Saint Marys Hospital, Enid, Garfield Oklahoma   [1]
  Burial	3 Jan 2011	Sunnyside Cemetery, Lahoma, Garfield County, Oklahoma   [3]
  		Headstone, Vail, Wiley C.
  Person ID	I22589	Carl Wayne Gray Research | Hilderbrand - Belt Percy Clarence 'Tooter' Hilderbrand and Mary Ann 'Anna' Belt Descendants
  Last Modified	6 May 2024

  
  

  Father	Vail, Verdie Vergustus,   b. 24 Sep 1889, Cumberland County, Illinois d. 8 Dec 1946, Stanford Township, Clay County, Illinois (Age 57 years)
  Mother	Strange, Bessie Agnes,   b. 14 Feb 1896, Illinois d. 4 Mar 1975, Flora, Clay County, Illinois (Age 79 years)
  Marriage	18 Mar 1916
  Age at Marriage	He was 26 years and 6 months - She was 20 years and 1 month.
  Family ID	F7666	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Hilderbrand, Virginia Louise 'Jenny',   b. 28 Sep 1925, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois d. 29 May 2015, Enid, Garfield County, Oklahoma (Age 89 years)
  Marriage	10 Feb 1947	Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky   [1, 4, 5, 6]
  Age at Marriage	He was 22 years and 9 months - She was 21 years and 5 months.
  Children	1. Vail, D.   2. Vail, S.   3. Vail, B.
  Family ID	F8542	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	31 Jan 2023

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 30 May 1924 - North Palmyra Township, Macoupin County, Illinois Marriage - 10 Feb 1947 - Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky Death - 3 Jan 2011 - Saint Marys Hospital, Enid, Garfield Oklahoma Burial - 3 Jan 2011 - Sunnyside Cemetery, Lahoma, Garfield County, Oklahoma Funeral - 6 Jan 2011 - Anderson-Burris Funeral Home, Enid, Garfield Oklahoma  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  The Enid News and Eagle Tue Jan 04, 2011, 11:33 PM CST The funeral service for Wiley C. Vail, 86-year-old Enid resident, will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011, at Anderson-Burris Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. Gary Miller will officiate. Burial will follow in Sunnyside Cemetery, Lahoma. Visitation with the family will be 6:30-8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Wiley was born May 30, 1924, in North Palmyra Township, Ill., to Verdie and Bessie (Strange) Vail and died Monday Jan. 3, 2011, at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center. Wiley was a gunner in the U.S. Army, serving in the Philippines and Solomon Islands. He was a member of the American Legion. He was awarded two bronze stars for his service to his country. Wiley and Virginia Hilderbrand were married Feb. 10, 1947, in Morganfield, Ky. Wiley worked 27 years for Martin Rat Hole Drilling and 20 years for Myers Implement. Upon his retirement he started Vail small engine repair. He is survived by his wife, Virginia; sons, Donnie Vail of Enid and Steve Vail and companion Lashelle Kelley of Enid; daughter, Brenda Nash of Drummond; 10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; three sisters, Wanda Brinkley of Flora, Ill., Rajean and Hunter Connell of Flora, Ill., and Floretta and Jerry Hilderbrand of Louisville, Ill. He was preceded in death by his parents Verdie and Bessie Vail, daughter-in-law Linda Vail, six sisters Freda Wheeler, Verna Williams, Mary Lagle, Doris Hilderbrand, Luceil Holcomb, Pearl Wheeler and one brother Ed Vail. Donations may be made to VFW and DAV.

  
  

• Sources

  [S6178] http://www.findagrave.com, Obituary, Vail, Wiley C., 86, (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Vail&GSfn=Wiley&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=2011&GSdyrel=in&GSst=38&GScntry=4), none. (Reliability: 2). [S5992] World War II Honoree, Wiley C. Vail, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=1976995) (Reliability: 2). [S6179] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Vail, Wiley C., (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Vail&GSfn=Wiley&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=2011&GSdyrel=in&GSst=38&GScntry=4), none. (Reliability: 2). [S6176] Obituary, Vail, Edwin, 72, none. (Reliability: 2). [S6183] http://www.findagrave.com, Obituary, Williams, Verna V., 85, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19301148/verna-victoria-williams), none. (Reliability: 2). [S5037] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Vail, Virginia, (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=162655829), none. (Reliability: 2).