517th PRCT Honor Roll Below is a list of all members of the 517 who were killed in action. It is compiled from various records collected and compiled by Clark Archer. Total of 255 KIA *

*

Hello Mr. Barrett,
Hope you are well.
I am the oldest son of Howard Kinder, my name is Howard Ray Kinder Jr.
I was looking at your site for the first time tonight and saw my dad's name on the KIA list, but he was not killed in action.
My dad did lose all ten toes due to frostbite from being in a foxhole for four days in the bulge, but did not die there.
He was reported killed in action once because another soldier had on a pair of his BDU's. He then was given an order to get word home that it was not him.
This might have caused him to get on that list by mistake.
He had me and another son John Wesley Kinder, and lived until June 1991, then suffered a stroke and died a few days later of congestive heart failure in the VA hospital in Amarillo, TX.
My dad was told he might not walk again because of complications with the skin not wanting to graft good at the time of his injuries and surgeries, but went on to live in several states, played some ball, run a gas station, was chief of police in Sunray, TX. for a while, was deputy sheriff of Moore County, TX, and owned a liquor store before retiring.
He lived a good life, just not long enough.
He considered the men of the 517th to be some of the best and toughest soldiers our country has ever seen, and I think he was right on in that assessment.
Sincerely,
Howard Kinder
23-Feb-04

From: Bob Thompson (CRPUD) [mailto:bobthom@opusnet.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 2:51 AM
To: webmaster@517prct.org
Subject: Gordon Nickell, KIA 8-feb-1945

Dear Sirs,

I was visiting the Sullivan Cemetery in Winthrop, Washington (approximate population 350 persons) where many of my ancestors are buried. While there, I came across the grave of Gordon Nickell, please see attached photo. It indicated Gordon as PFC, 517 PRCHT INF, 13 ABN DIV, WORLD WAR II. With his birthday as 21-dec-1923, and date of death as 8-feb-1945. In researching your site's Casualty Reports, I found that Gordon was KIA 8-feb-1945, and was assigned to A Company.

Other than the casualty report, I did not see any other mention of Gordon on the 517th site, and wanted to send this bit of information in hopes that Gordon be entered in the 517th Honor Roll.

Please accept my thanks for your serving the United State of America.

Robt. C. Thompson
St. Helens, Oregon

PFC Robert R. Gruwell of G Company was listed as MIA on August 15, 1944 and his body was found and identified  by three 517th troopers, but never recovered and was then lost.  We are adding him to this KIA list.

T/5 John C. Wyatt is listed in the Service Company morning reports as "Accidental Death" on July 5, 1944.  I don't know why that was not included in various KIA reports, but I am adding his name to this list until we find further details.  (Bob Barrett January 2015)  Total KIA is now 255.