Lawrence Chastain

Lawrence N. Chastain

Company C 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

4th Infantry Division

KIA 07/09/1944

Lawrence Noah Chastain was born in Bennett Springs, Laclede County, Missouri on January 30, 1923.

His home of residence was listed as Lebanon, Missouri.
His religion was listed as Protestant.

His Army serial number indicates he was drafted into the Army.

He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal as a Private in Company C,
in Headquarters 22nd Infantry General Orders No. 14 dated December 31, 1943
at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

He was promoted from Private to Staff Sergeant on the battlefield in France, on June 30, 1944.

Staff Sergeant Chastain was killed in action in France
on July 9, 1944 in the vicinity of Neuville.

S/Sgt. Lawrence Chastain, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Chastain of the Bennett Spring neighborhood,
was killed in action in France on July 9, as announced in a message received last Friday from the War Department.
He was in the Infantry, had been in the service for twenty months and overseas since last January,
having been in England until he was sent to France during the invasion.

Sgt. Chastain was born on the family farm near Bennett Spring, Jan. 30, 1923 and spent most of his life in Laclede
and Dallas counties.

He was in a CC camp for eighteen months during the depression and was graduated from the eighth grade in a
CC camp near Springfield.

After his induction into the army, he received his training in camps in Texas, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, later
spending some time in Fort Jackson, N.C. and Fort Dix, J.J. before going overseas. He was advanced to the rank of
staff sergeant after his transfer to France.

He is survived by his parents; three brothers, Claude, Clarence and Martin, of the home neighborhood; and five sisters,
Mrs. Opal Evans and Mrs. Louise Jones of Lebanon, Mrs. Omega Brown of Hume, MO and Maggie and Treva Chastain of the home.
A grandmother, Mrs. Nancy R. Sartin of Parsons, Kan., also survives. Another grandmother, Mrs. Dulcina Chastain, of Bennett Spring,
died only last Monday at the age of 86 years. Sgt. Chastain is among the first of Laclede country's young men to make the supreme
sacrifice in this war. He was a favorite wherever he was known, one of his marked characteristics being a readiness to help others.
He enjoyed his army experience and that he was an excellent soldier is proved by his rapid advancement from private to staff sergeant.

from the Find A Grave website

Lawrence Chastain was buried in the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery
Sainte Mere-Eglise #2 at Carentan, France in Block I Row 5 Grave 81 and was moved to the permanent
cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, in the 1947-1949 time frame, when the temporary cemeteries were shut down.

Burial:
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Colleville-sur-Mer
Departement du Calvados
Basse-Normandie, France
Plot A Row 8 Grave 27

Grave marker for Lawrence Chastain

Photo by With profound thanks to John and Glenda Norris of Redmond WA for sharing this photo.
Added by: Lady Nic
from the Find A Grave website

Top photo of Lawrence Chastain by SarahA from the Find A Grave website

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