Sheets, Raymond E. 

RAYMOND ELMER SHEETS

STAFF SERGEANT
U.S. ARMY

Raymond E. Sheets was born on October 13, 1920 in Decatur, Indiana. His parents were Noah Sheets and Mary (Teeple) Sheets. Raymond was one of eight children including brothers Doyle, Robert, Richard, David; and three sisters named Alice (Harman-Hunter), Martha, and Helen (Morgan). He attended Decatur High School, graduating in 1940. As a senior he was part of the "Howling Hosts" student organization. To be a "Howler" you had to be a season ticket holder for either the home basketball or football games. In addition, the "hosts" would organize dances and cheer on the Decatur High School Yellow Jackets to victory!

After high school, he was employed by the Decatur Floral Company until being drafted on July 1, 1942. He took basic training at Camp Forest. Tenn. and specialized infantryman training at Camp Riley and Camp Phillips, Kan. Phoenix, Ariz. and Fort Dix. N.

Upon completion of his training, Raymond was assigned to Company G of the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division initially but was later transferred to the 317th Infantry Regiment of the 80th Infantry Division while in France.

The 80th Division was activated on July 15, 1942 and would set sail on July 4, 1944 aboard the SS Queen Mary eventually landing in Greenock, Scotland. From there, the 80th Division moved on to France, landing on Utah Beach on August 3, 1944. The 80th Infantry served in numerous campaigns including Northern France, Rhineland, and Ardennes-Alsace. Additionally, elements of the 80th participated in the liberation of both Buchenwald and Ebensee Concentration Camps in April 1945.The division recorded 239 days of combat and became inactive on January 5, 1946. The 80th Division, known as the "Blue Ridge" Division lost over 3,500 men in combat from D-Day to VE Day. Included in these numbers are eight men from Adams County. 

Sergeant Sheets landed on Utah Beach with the 317th Infantry Regiment on August 3, 1944 and began pushing east in France during the Battle of the Hedgerows. By October, the 317th was advancing on Metz, France. The German Army had been pushed across the Moselle River into Metz during the 80ths drive eastward and they were ordered to hold the advancing allies at all costs. Staff Sergeant Sheets was killed in action during the Battle of Metz. 

A memorial was held November 12, 1944 at the First United Brethren Church in Decatur. A funeral with full military rites was held December 16, 1948, when his remains were returned to the United States at the conclusion of the war. He is interred at Decatur Cemetery in Decatur Indiana.

For his service and sacrifice, SSgt. Sheets earned the Purple Heart, American Theatre Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal. Staff Sergeant Sheets also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Information researched and collected by Chance Gephart, 2014. 

SOURCES

            “American Drive to the Moselle.” Warfare History Network, warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/american-drive-to-the-moselle/. Accessed 10 May 2024.

"Battle of Metz." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Metz.

"Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials." Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=32449324.

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.

"Message Boards." Raymond E. Sheets [1920. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties.adams/3837/mb.ashx.

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