Skiles, James B.

JAMES BRISBIN SKILES

TECHNICAL SERGEANT
U.S. ARMY 

James Brisbin Skiles was born April 4,1921 in Peterson, Adams, Indiana. He was the son of Mr. Ellis Skiles and Mrs. Mabel Beery. James had a brother, Reginald and two sisters Betty and Elizabeth (Eichar). He attended high school at Decatur High School his freshman and sophomore years. While there, he participated in the "ROAR" club (club to support student athletes). For his final two years of high school, he attended Kirkland High School, graduating in 1939. After graduation, James worked at the Mutschler Meat Packing Plant in Decatur. On December 13, 1942, James married Irma Carolyn McBarnes, who worked as a beautician at Francile's Beauty Shop in Decatur. 

James enlisted in the army on July 1, 1942 in Toledo, Ohio. Upon enlistment, James was 155 lbs. and 69in. He underwent basic military training at Camp Forest, Tennessee and then specialized training at Camp Phillips in Kansas, then in Yuma Arizona, and Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was assigned to the 319th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division. He would achieve the rank of Technical Sergeant.

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. 

James was killed on November 1, 1944 due to wounds received two days prior while fighting near Metz, France. He was 23 years old. Before being killed, he sent off a letter to his wife that stated, "everything is fine". He was officially reported dead on November 6, 1944 in newspapers in our area. He is interred at Plot C, Row 12 Grave 52, Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France. 

After James' death, Irma remarried in 1946 to Carl Hildebrand who had served in the Army Air Corps in WWII.

For his service and sacrifice, TSgt. Skiles was awarded the Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal, and WWII Victory Medal. TSgt. Skiles also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge. 

Information collected and researched by Thomas McNamara, 2014. 

SOURCES

           “Decatur Daily Democrat 16 November 1944 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Historic Newspaper Program.” Newspapers.library.in.gov, newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=DCDD19441116&e=------194-en-20-DCDD-1--txt-txIN-James+Skiles------. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.

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.

Ravelings yearbook staff, ed.ravelings yearbook.decatur Indiana: Decatur high school, 1937. Print.

Ravelings Yearbook Staff, ed. Ravelings Yearbook. Decatur, IN: Decatur High School, 1936. Print.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mpearce&id=I15319.

http://wwii-army.findthebest.com/l/5858509/James-B-Skiles

http://www.americanbattlegraves.com/index.php?page=directory&rec=676

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