Hello Researching Family: James Theodore "Ted" McCarty

Hello:

I am trying to find info about a fallen family member : James Theodore McCarty from Winnfield, Louisiana.
His grave marker reads: J. Ted McCarty
T/4 SGT Service Co
85th DIV 339th Inft
May 2, 1918
May 23, 1944
I was told he died in Italy. I would like to know more about his service .

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you
Ginger

 

Welcome to the forums!

 

I am also in love with the Higgins boat!!!

 

https://history.army.mil/html/books/070/70-41-1/CMH_Pub_70-41-1.pdf

 

James T. Mc Carty, ASN 34230057

Here is his WWII Army Electronic Enlistment record...

and his name on the WWII Casualty list for Winn Parish, Louisiana




It is likely that he was killed in the vicinity of the battle for Sonnino, as the 339th was engaged there on 23 May 44. However, since he served in the Service Company, it is more difficult to know exactly where he was at the time. Most narratives tend to focus on the infantry companies rather than the support units.

The Custermen.com website has a unit photo of the 339th Infantry's Service Company taken at Camp Shelby, MS in March 1943. If you have an idea of what he looked like, it may be worth scanning through the photo. Maybe there will be someone with a family resemblance...

 

Thank you for this info.

 

Ginger, with his name, ASN, and unit you can request his Official Military Personnel File (or OMPF) from the NARA. WWII personnel records are considered Archival and accessible to the general public, so you do not need to be "Next-of-Kin".

 

Thank you so much for the info.
gg

 

Since Ted was KIA in Italy, is it safe to assume he was buried there? the reason I ask is I was searching for him on the American Battle Monuments Commission site for lists names of soldiers buried in foreign cemeteries and his name does not come up.

Any suggestions?
gg

 

He is buried at Beech Creek Church Cemetery in Winnfield. Here is his Memorial Page on the Findagrave.com website.

 

I know he has a grave marker there, but I'm not sure he's buried there. i'll have to ask my cousin to be sure. i could have sworn he told me that he's in Italy.

 

Ginger, if the family requested the remains to be sent home the Army would do exactly that--if possible. If you are able to get his file it may contain his final resting place.
I'm sure Tommy located it.

 

Virtually all of the burials in US Military Cemeteries have been added to the Findagrave.com website, but I only found the above burial location for him. I also tried searching the ABMC and, like you, found nothing.

Those who died overseas during the War were initially buried overseas as it was not practical to return them while the War was ongoing. After the War, the next-of-kin were contacted and given the option of permanent burial overseas or repatriation of their loved one's remains.

I would suggest requesting his IDPF, or Individual Deceased Personnel File. The IDPF is the file created to document the disposition of soldiers who died during the War. You can request it from the NARA yourself using the info in the previous link. The up side to DIY is that it will likely be free. The down side is that it seems to be taking a year or more to get the IDPF from the NARA. You can get it faster (a matter of days or maybe a couple weeks) by hiring a researcher. The down side is, of course, it is not free.

You could also try contacting a local Winn Parish historical or genealogical society to see if they can help locate the burial records or local newspaper articles from the period which may mention the return & reburial of his remains.

 

I have a question about Ted's info.
What is a Service Company? I know he was a Technician 4th Grade Sergeant in the 85th Division 339th Infantry, but I do not understand what a Service Company is.
Any info would be appreciated.

 

This may provide a decent starting point:
Headquarters and Service Company - Wikipedia

 

Not sure what a USMC H&S Company has to do with a GI in Italy. May not be helpful to introduce without any explanation extraneous info to confuse a newbie trying to understand the intricacies of army organization.

OK, now to some facts. A Service Company was a truck company. In this case, it was part of an infantry regiment as detailed in T/O&E 7-13. Interestingly, there is only one T4 in the company. His job was Personnel NCO.

Would be interesting to see the regimental S-1 and S-3 reports for the date in question.