Biery, Thomas D.

THOMAS DALE BIERY

PRIVATE
U.S. ARMY 

Thomas D. Biery was born on June 17, 1918 near Berne, Indiana. His parents were Peter S.and Elizabeth (Rawley) Biery who lived a few mils south of Geneva, Indiana with his four sisters (Delilia, Emma, Agnes, and Bernice). He attended Geneva High School and attended Maple Grove Church of Christ. Thomas was employed at the Dunbar Furniture plant in Berne for several years prior to moving to Anderson Indiana to work in a defense plant. Thomas Biery married Frances Mason from Geneva on January 5 1938 and had two children, Marvin Dean and David Dale. 

Thomas D. Biery drafted into the U.S. Army April 21, 1944. He was first sent to training at Camp Fannin in Texas for basic infantry training. Upon completion of his training, Private Biery was able to briefly visit his wife and children who had moved back to Berne while he served. On leave, he was able to meet his newborn son, David for the first and only time. After his furlough, Private Biery was sent to Ft. Meade, Maryland for overseas deployment in October,1944.

Private Biery was sent to the European Theater and joined as a replacement soldier with the 334th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division.. He spent 8 months and 6 days with the 84th Division before being killed in action at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium.

The Battle of the Bulge was a last ditch effort by the German forces to split the allied forces in the western front to turn the tide of war in their favor. The German strategy was to blitzkrieg the allied line and takes vital bridges and stop the allied advance. The Battle of the Bulge is named so for the prominent "bulge" in the front lines made by the Germans when they began their advance in December 1944. 

The 84th Division was formed in 1917 in response to America's entry into World War I. The 84th Division was reactivated on October 15, 1942. The 84th Division, soon after reactivation, picked the nickname "Rail-Splitter". The 84th served in 3 campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and central Europe. The 84th entered the European Campaign by storming Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 (D-Day). During the Battle of the Bulge they recaptured Verdenne on December 28th and Laroche by January 11th. After a 5 day respite they resumed the offensive. On the 23 of February 1945 the 84th Division cut through Roer River zone and took Boisheim and Dülken. March 2 they crossed the Niers Canal, took Krefeld by March 3rd and reached the Rhine River on March 5. The "Rail Splitters" continued their advance and by April 13 they had reached the Elbe River. The Elbe was the pre-determined periphery of the Western Allied offense, allowing the Russian Army to take Berlin. American and Russian forces met at the Elbe on April 25, 1945. The 84th remained in Germany as part of the occupational forces in Germany and returned to the United States in January 1946.

Private Biery was temporarily buried in a U.S Military Cemetery in Fosse, Belgium. He was later interred at the MRE Cemetery in Berne, Indiana. Another Decatur soldier with the 84th Infantry Division was also killed on December 16th, 1944. PFC Robert Holloway serving with the 334th Infantry Regiment was killed in action.

For his service and sacrifice, Private Biery earned the Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, European-African Middle East Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal. Private Biery also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge and qualified as a U.S. Army Marksman. 

Information collected and researched by Devon Koons, 2014. 

SOURCES

American Legion Post No468, and Berne & Community Business Men, comps. ServiceRecord: World War I and II - Book of Men and Women of Berne, Indiana andCommunity. Marceline: Walsworth Brothers, n.d. Print.

History.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2014. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge.

Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington:Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.

"Lone Sentry Rail Splitter." Lone Sentry. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2014. http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/84thinfantry/

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