The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Conflict posts > World War I

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 08-12-2021, 05:17 AM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,783
Post Marne Division honors fallen soldier in special ceremony 103 years later

Marne Division honors fallen soldier in special ceremony 103 years later
By: Davis Winkie - Army Times - 08-11-21
Re: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-...3-years-later/

Photo link: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/5e...5TSPTPLS5M.png
Thomas Beasley was killed in action on the Meuse-Argonne front in October 1918.
(Courtesy photo/family)

First Lt. Thomas Reed Beasley didn’t have to be on the front lines — he had just finished his law degree at the University of Georgia in 1917.

But Beasley volunteered for the infantry after his graduation, and when the American Expeditionary Force took up its positions in eastern France, he was in the trenches with the 3rd Infantry Division. Beasley was assigned to Company D, 4th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Brigade.

The 22-year-old officer never returned to his hometown of Reidsville, Georgia.

He was killed in action in the Meuse-Argonne sector on Oct. 5, 1918, while fighting in the biggest offensive in American military history. Roughly 1.2 million American troops participated in the sweeping attack, which had the imperial German forces in retreat until the war’s end in November 1918.

Beasley was one of more than 26,000 Americans killed there.

But Beasley’s pregnant widow never received anything more than a telegram informing her of her husband’s death. His body stayed in France, too, buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

On Monday morning, the 3rd Infantry Division righted that historical wrong by presenting the Purple Heart and World War I Victory Medal to Beasley’s descendants, including his granddaughter and closest living relative, Kay Beasley Toups.

The awards were presented in a small ceremony at the 3rd Infantry Division Museum on Fort Stewart, Georgia.

2nd photo link: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/6b...AHJ3I4UH6M.jpg
Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, greets Kay Beasley Toups, granddaughter of World War I soldier 1st Lt. Thomas R. Beasley at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Aug 9, 2021. (Army/Pvt. Elsi Delgado) (Pvt. Elsi Delgado/3rd Infantry Division)

A 3rd Infantry Division release said the ceremony was “the culmination of the efforts of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, U.S. Army Forces Command, the 3rd Infantry Division, and the Beasley family.”
The family was helped through the year-long process by retired Col. Gil Gilleland, who assisted them with navigating the Army bureaucracy.

“I started the research [about a year ago], starting with the Records Center in St. Louis, museums, repositories at places like Carlisle Barracks, talked with folks at the [American Battle Monuments Commission] in Europe, and a lot of online research,” Gilleland told Army Times. “Acquiring the medals [after they were approved] proved to be a process, as the Army command who handles them had a two-year backlog due to COVID. But we were able to move up in the queue.”

Toups and her family expressed gratitude for the Army’s efforts to set the record straight and give her grandfather the honors he earned.

“It’s overwhelming. It’s beyond belief. It’s really a miracle it happened,” Toups said in the release. “The gratitude my family is feeling right now is truly indescribable. We will always be eternally grateful to the 3rd Infantry Division and to the U.S. Army, who truly never forgets its own.”

Toups’ husband, Ronald, read from the fallen soldier’s letters in an effort to bring him to life for the audience.

“You’ve heard about Tom from sort of a distant place,” Ronald said. “When you hear about Tom Beasley the man, you get a total different dimension on what he meant to this family and why we emulate not just a fallen soldier, but a man I’d be proud to call a son, a brother, and comrade in arms.”

3rd Photo link: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/3D...YNT66RFUAE.jpg
Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, and division senior enlisted leader Command Sgt. Maj. Quentin Fenderson present the Purple Heart to family members of 1st Lt. Thomas Beasley at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Aug 9, 2021. (Army/Pvt. Elsi Delgado) (Pvt. Elsi Delgado/3rd Infantry Division)

The 3rd Infantry Division often celebrates its World War I heritage, taking its nickname — “Rock of the Marne” — from its defensive feats during the summer of 1918.

The division marks this annually with its “Marne Week” festivities.

The event was one of the first opportunities for new division commander Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, who took the reins at Fort Stewart in June, to participate in a public event marking the division’s history.

“I never thought in my 30-year career that I’d be part of something so special,” said Costanza during his remarks at the event. “To honor a soldier, even 103 years late, means so much not just to the family, but to the Marne Division as well.”

About this writer: Davis Winkie is a staff reporter covering the Army. He originally joined Military Times as a reporting intern in 2020. Before journalism, Davis worked as a military historian. He is also a human resources officer in the Army National Guard.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal note: Many moons ago when I was in 5th grade there was a kid in our class that had the last name Beasley - he was a southern boy who moved up to Riverdale, IL.
When I read the name - I paused for a minute - and then it just clicked in my head. I wonder if he was a relative?
-
Boats
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.