Earl M. Shreves
Biography: Earl Martin Shreves was born on May 27, 1922, in Muncie, Indiana. He was one of five sons and three daughters born to Aaron Martin Shreves Jr. and Alto L. Haney. He attended Eugene Field School and graduated from Cowan High School in 1940. His enlistment record indicates he was working as a semiskilled welder or flame cutter. His draft card shows he was employed by the Hagar Manufacturing Company, in Muncie, in the summer of 1942. On June 13, 1942, he married the former Beulah Estelle Mitchell. She was born in Clay, Arkansas and was the daughter of Hubert Estes Mitchell and Anna Osborne. They had a daughter, Earldeene, born in June of 1943.
Service Time: Earl entered the Army on December 16, 1942, at Indianapolis, IN. He was processed in at Fort Benjamin Harrison and assigned to, and joined, the 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion. They were stationed at the Tank Destroyer Training Center at Camp Hood, Texas. He arrived there on December 28th, assigned to Company C.
He trained with the unit at several locations including: Fort Ord, Camp San Luis Obispo, Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, the Desert Training Center and Camp Cooke, all in California. His MOS (Military Occupation Specialty-his job) was anti-tank gun crewman. While they originally trained with M10 tank destroyers, the unit was converted to a towed battalion, utilizing the M5 3” anti-tank gun, on December 15, 1943.
Arriving at Liverpool, England, on April 21, 1944, they continued training. Company C landed at Utah Beach, Normandy, France on June 23rd and the 607th supported the advance on Cherbourg, fighting along the Seves River in July. They joined the drive to Le Mans and envelopment of the Falaise Pocket in August, advancing to the Moselle River in September and supporting operations against Metz.
On September 30, 1944, Company C had one gun in place approximately 750 yards NE of Roncourt, France. Shortly after noon, this gun was subjected to 14 rounds of enemy artillery fire and Pfc. Shreves was killed during this action. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Heroic Achievement during the actions on the 30th and the Purple Heart Medal. He earned the Good Conduct, EAME, with credit for the campaigns of Normandy and Northern France, and the WWII Victory medals.
Bronze Star Medal General Order
Private First Class Earl M. Shreves was buried in the Mount Tabor Cemetery, Muncie, Indiana. We would like to thank him for making the ultimate sacrifice for his country. Thank you also to Find-A-Grave contributor DSON1492 for use of the grave marker photo.