PFC William Edgar Bryan
US Army Paratrooper (#32854657)
17th Airborne Division,
HQ Recon Unit
Embedded Files
William Edgar Bryan was born September 29, 1914, in Mountain, Ontario, Canada, to Silas (1871-1943) and Nancy Ann Hoy (1877-1937) Bryan. According to the 1930 US Census records, Silas, Nancy, and their family immigrated to the United States in 1923, and settled in Rome, Oneida County, New York. Silas worked as a laborer at a wire mill and Nancy was a housewife. The family consisted of two daughters, Jessie Bryan Mear (1906-2002) and Kathleen Bryan VanDresar (1908-1980), and five sons, Ernest F. (1904-1987), Wilfred H. (1912-2001), William E. (1914-1945), George L. (1916-?), and Clifford H. (1918-1983).
William attended local schools and worked at Revere Copper and Brass, Inc. According to the Utica Daily Press, he and Wilfred became citizens of the United States on September 27, 1940
Utica Daily Press, Sep 27, 1940, pg 8
William registered for the draft just days after he becomes a citizen on October 6, 1940, in Rome, New York. He was 5’6” tall, weighed 165 pounds, had brown hair and blue eyes.
William is drafted into the US Army on April 3, 1943 through Utica, NY. He trained at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and as a paratrooper at Fort Benning, Georgia (now Fort Moore).
Paratrooper Training, Ft Benning, GA, WWII
Image courtesy of Digital Library of Georgia
PFC Bryan traveled overseas to the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) and from August 17-20, 1944, with the 17th Airborne Division. PFC Bryan was assigned to the Headquarters Company, Recon Unit. He served in France and was part of the drive across the Rhine River into Germany. Operation Varsity, the last airborne deployment of WWII, began March 24, 1945, and included the 17th Airborne Division.
Drop Zones, Operation Varsity
Image courtesy of FOLD3
PFC William E. Bryan was killed in action on March 30, 1945, in Germany. Two of his brothers, PFC Clifford Bryan, and Cpl George Bryan, were also serving in Germany at that same time.
PFC Bryan was awarded the Purple Heart and the Rome NY Medal of Honor posthumously. He was the 66th citizen of Rome, NY, to give his life in WWII.
Funeral services for PFC Bryan were held October 20, 1945, at the Calvary Methodist Church, in Rome, New York, with burial at Evergreen Cemetery, Lee, Oneida County, New York.
Monument to 17th Airborne Division, Flamierge, Belgium
Sources:
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15421723/william_e-bryan), memorial page for PFC William E. Bryan (29 Sep 1914–30 ??? 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 15421723, citing Evergreen Cemetery, Lee, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by Christine Browning (contributor 48581352).
Fold3:
https://www.fold3.com/record/86565280/william-e-bryan-us-wwii-army-enlistment-records-1938-1946
https://www.fold3.com/image/672150155?terms=william,york,bryan,new,united,america,states
US Army Center of Military History https://history.army.mil/documents/eto-ob/17ABD-ETO.htm
HonorStates.org https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/395538/
US Army Divisions https://www.armydivs.com/17th-airborne-division
Scions of the 17th Airborne https://www.17thscions.org/history
The 17th Airborne HQ Co Roll of Honor https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/17hq/17hq_honor.html
Liberation Route Europe https://www.liberationroute.com/pois/1157/monument-to-the-17th-u-s-airborne-division
Traces of War https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/1486/17th-Airborne-Division-Memorial.htm
American War Memorials Overseas https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=626&MemID=908
https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=2232&MemID=2940
Digital Library of Georgia https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gsu_ajc_10385?canvas=0&x=1397&y=1098&w=6917
Fort Benning History https://www.fortbenninghousing.com/history
US Army Garrison, Fort McClellan, AL https://mcclellan.usace.army.mil/deFault.asp
Encyclopedia of Alabama https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/fort-mcclellan/
Sons of Liberty https://www.sonsoflibertymuseum.org/17th-airborne-division-ww2.cfm
Tribute to the 17th Airborne Division http://17th-airborne-in-the-bulge.eklablog.com/the-bulge-recon-platoon-p220348
http://17th-airborne-in-the-bulge.eklablog.com/roster-recon-platoon-p198590
Fulton History https://fultonhistory.com/
17th Airborne https://www.usairborne.be/17/17_general_us.htm
National War Memorial Registry https://www.nationalwarmemorialregistry.org/joomla/upload/georgia/17th-airborne-division-world-war-ii-memorial
End notes: This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars Project, a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3 web sites. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery. If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact hillerson@beyondbb.com.
Date: 3/7/2024
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