Rapp, Chester A. (b. 18 Apr 1921 - d. 12 Aug 1944): Carl Wayne Gray Genealogies

1921 - 1944 (23 years)

Name	Rapp, Chester A.
Birth	18 Apr 1921 [1]
Gender	Male
Reference Number	RAPP.C002
_FGRAVE	56649080
Military Service	World War II, Private, 47th Infantry Battalion, 5th Armored ("Victory") Division, United States Army [2, 3]
	Trained stateside and assigned to the 47th Armored Infantry Battalion, 5th Armored 'Victory' Division. Arrived in Liverpool, England on 24 February, 1944 and based near Swindon where the unit was first assigned to (General Patton's) 3rd Army. Entered the Continent via Utah Beach and began combat operations on 2 August, 1944 in the Normandy Campaign. Private Rapp was killed in action by sniper fire on Saturday, 12 August, 1944 in the vicinity of Sees while his unit was attempting to close the Argetan - Falaise Gap. He was awarded The Purple Heart Medal posthumously and otherwise earned The American Campaign Medal, The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze battle star, and the WW II Victory Medal. Buried with military honors at Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-Sur-Mer, France. Honored also at the Elmwood WW II Memorial in his hometown. (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=199093
		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,…
		Chester A. Rapp (1921-1944)
		United States Army
		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
		Military Service Ribbons, Rapp, Chester A. (1921-1944) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
		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)
		5th Armored Division ("Victory"), United States Army
		5th Armored Division ("Victory"), United States Army
		Sées, France
		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, Rapp, Chester A. (1921-1944)
		World War II Casualties, Clay County Illinois
Death	12 Aug 1944	Sées, France [1, 4]
Death	Cause: Killed in Action
Burial	Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France
	Plot: C Row: 15 Grave: 3 A memorial headstone is also located Elmwood Cemetery, Flora, Illinois
		American Battle Monuments Commission - Normandy American Cemetery Browse Burials at Normandy American Cemetery The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5…
		Headstone, Rapp, Chester A.
		Headstone, Rapp, Chester A. This is a Memorial Headstone located in Elmwood Cemetery, Flora, Clay County, Illinois Chester A. Rapp is buried in Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France Displayed with permission of Ewood Sexton
Person ID	I43056	Carl Wayne Gray Research
Last Modified	11 Sep 2023

Father	Rapp, Daniel Hobart, b. 25 Jan 1900, Vernon County, Missouri d. 6 Jun 1984, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Marion, Williamson County, Illinois (Age 84 years)
Mother	Keeling, Florence Alice, b. 23 Jul 1900, Reeds, Jasper County, Missouri d. 12 Nov 1992, Salem, Marion County, Illinois (Age 92 years)
Marriage	1919
Age at Marriage	He was ~ 18 years and 11 months - She was ~ 18 years and 5 months.
Family ID	F16684	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Sources

[S13399] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Rapp, Chester A, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56649080), none. (Reliability: 2).
[S15404] Robert Medley Gatewood, Brochure, Flora, Illinois, World War II Veterans Memorial, page #4, (https://genealogy.carlwgray.com/showmedia.php?mediaID=18791) (Reliability: 2).
[S13382] http://www.wwiimemorial.com, World War II Honoree, Chester A. Rapp, (https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=199093) (Reliability: 2).
[S13378] http://www.wwiimemorial.com, National Archives & Records Administration War Department Files, PVT Chester A. Rapp, (https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque_wardept.aspx?honoreeID=1040646) (Reliability: 2).