Benefield, Lowell Lindell 'Pete'

1913 - 1965  (52 years)

• Name	Benefield, Lowell Lindell 'Pete'
  Birth	5 Feb 1913  [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	BENE.L001
  _FGRAVE	20151845
  Military Service	World War II, Private First Class, Headquarters Battery, 54th Armored Artillery Battalion, 3rd Armored 'Spearhead' Division  [1, 2]
  	Served as a draftee for 3 months and 21 days prior to October 1, 1941 when he was placed on inactive reserve status. Enlisted in the regular army and entered active service on January 27, 1942 at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Completed basic trainingng, qualified in the military occupational specialty of Gun Crewman, Light Artillery (844) and assigned to Headquarters Battery, 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd 'Spearhead' Armored Division. Departed the Continental U.S. with his unit on September 5, 1943 bound for the European Theater of Operations. Entered combat shortly after D-Day and fought through the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns. Earned The American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with silver battle star and The WWII Victory Medal. Honorably discharged as a Private First Class on June 20, 1945 at the Separation Center, Fort Sheridan, Illinois. (This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission.) Source: https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=2047888
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		Lowell Lindell 'Pete' Benefield (1913-1965)
  		United States Army
  		Private First Class, United States Army and United States Army Air Fores (Sep 1942-Aug 1948)
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Military Service Ribbons, Benefield, Lowell Lindell 'Pete' (1913-1965) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Military
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		3rd Armored Division ("Spearhead"), United States Army
  		3rd Armored Division ("Spearhead"), United States Army
  		European Theater of World War II
  		Fort Sheridan, Illinois
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  		World War II Honoree, Benefield, Lowell L. (1913-1965)
  Death	18 Oct 1965  [1, 3]
  Burial	Ingraham Cemetery, Ingraham, Clay County, Illinois   [1]
  		Headstone, Benefield, Lowell L.
  		Headstone, Benefield, Lowell L. Displayed with permission of Lady in Black
  Person ID	I28987	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	19 Jul 2023

  
  

  Father	Benefield, Charles 'Charlie',   b. 17 Dec 1878   d. 11 Jun 1946 (Age 67 years)
  Mother	Welch, Eva M.,   b. 20 May 1894   d. 2 Sep 1976 (Age 82 years)
  Family ID	F12309	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Wathan, Edna Elivann,   b. 1905   d. 1978 (Age 73 years)
  Family ID	F12306	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	31 Jan 2023

  
  

  Family 2	Cook, Louise,   b. 10 Mar 1911, Clay County, Illinois d. 19 Jul 2004, Clay County, Illinois (Age 93 years)
  Marriage	1950
  Age at Marriage	He was ~ 36 years and 10 months - She was ~ 38 years and 9 months.
  Family ID	F12308	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Burial - - Ingraham Cemetery, Ingraham, Clay County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S8547] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Benefield, Lowell L., (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20151845), none. (Reliability: 2). [S7663] World War II Honoree, Lowell L. Benefield, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=2047888) (Reliability: 2). [S2168] http://www.findagrave.com, Obituary, Guinn, Beulah Althea "Dude", 84, (http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=126479397), none. (Reliability: 2).