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Following its release by the Army in 1945,
the above photo has been published many times - including in
"Spearhead in the West," various newspapers, and in
WWII picture books - but nowhere were the two soldiers identified
- that is, until now on 3AD.com. Those soldiers were Cpl.
James L. Gregory (at left), then of Joliet, Illinois, and
T/5 Omer G. Taylor, then of Vienna, Illinois, and both
of Hq Co, 1st Bn, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment. Taylor passed
away in 1993, and we have been unable to locate Gregory or his
family members.
That convincing identification first came
to 3AD.com in October, 2007, from Don Moffitt of Holland, Minnesota,
a T/5 radio operator with Hq Co, 1st Bn, 36th AIR, in WWII, from
Normandy, France, to Dessau, Germany. Our thanks to Don and his
grandson William Moffitt for their interest and information.
And, thanks to Bob E. Taylor of Vienna, Illinois, the brother
of T/5 Omer G. Taylor, aka Glendon Taylor, for his help with
this research.
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