2LT John Kendall Penrod (WWII)


Remembering 2LT John Kendall Penrod (Fairmont)

April 25, 1923 - September 28, 1944

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2LT John Kendall Penrod (Service #O-1323962) was born April 25, 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Charles and Glenna (Kirby) Penrod. Charles was a foreman for the railroad company (1920 Census).

By 1930, their family had moved back to Glenna's home state, West Virginia. Their family lived first in the Union District of Monongalia County (1930 Census), then 305 East Park Avenue in the Union District of Marion County (1940 Census). John graduated from East Fairmont High School in 1940.

On March 14, 1941, John's father Charles died of a Cerebral Hemorrhage. 

Military Service and Marriage:


John registered for the draft on July 1, 1941. At the time, he was 6' and 150 lbs with blue eyes and brown hair. He was an employee at Owens-Illinois.

He enlisted in the Army on September 16, 1942, at Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio.

Amidst his military training, Cadet John Penrod (now stationed in Utah) married his East Fairmont High School classmate Frances Myrtle Colebank on April 24, 1943- the day before his 20th birthday. John and Myrtle had one child, daughter Karen Sue (7/15/44-12/9/2017). John and Myrtle were to travel to Fort Benning, Georgia, for his officer training school shortly after their marriage ceremony at the Diamond Street United Methodist Church.

John was serving with the 501st Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne Division during Operation Market Garden in September of 1944. Unfortunately, 2LT John Kendall Penrod died of his wounds on September 28, 1944.

Survivors and Legacy:


2LT John Kendall Penrod was survived by his wife Myrtle, and their two-month-old daughter, Karen. While initially interred in Holland, 2LT John Kendall Penrod was laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery on February 9, 1949.

He was also survived by his mother, Glenna, and six siblings-- three brothers and three sisters. John's older sister, SGT Mary Louise Penrod, served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve and married Gunnery Sergeant William G. Walsh. William was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his service on Iwo Jima. John's brother James also served in the Army during WWII.

John is honored on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV. 

Sources and More Information:

 

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