 |
Remember...Earl Vance McCutcheon
|
Earl Vance McCutcheon was born June 29, 1921, in Winona, Fayette County, West Virginia, to parents George Henry McCutcheon and Margaret Mae Drennen McCutcheon. The 1940 Federal Census lists him as "Vance"; also, he signed his draft card under that name. It is likely that is the name his family and friends called him. That year, his family was living in Nuttall, and his father was a coal loader. Earl (Vance) had an older brother, George Bernard ("Shorty"); an older sister, Juanita (married name: Taylor); and two younger brothers, Arnold Junior and Robert Lowell.
Vance registered for the draft on February 16, 1942. He listed his mother, Maggie, as the person who would always know his address and noted that he was at the time working for the Maryland New River Coal Company. Less than a year later (October 13, 1942) he would enlist in the U.S. Army, and his occupation as a coal miner is confirmed in his enlistment document. He indicated that he had completed one year of high school.
Vance was assigned to the 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division, attaining the rank of sergeant. The movement of the 83rd in World War II, including the 329th, is well documented. The division arrived in England on April 16, 1944. It was not part of the D-Day invasion but instead landed at Omaha Beach on June 18 after training in Wales. The division entered the hedgerow struggle south of Carentan on June 27. On July 25, it reached the St. Lo-Periers Road and advanced eight miles against strong opposition as the Normandy Campaign ended. It was during this period that Sgt. McCutcheon lost his life. Without Vance, the 329th would soldier on throughout remaining campaigns in the European Theater, including Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. Another sergeant from the 329th, Ralph G. Neppel, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Birgel, Germany, on December 14, 1944. In April 1945, the division liberated Langenstein, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. (Researching World War II, "83rd Infantry 'Thunderbolt' Division," accessed 3 January 2025, https://worldwar2files.com/83rdinfantrydivision/index.html.) Actual division documents, including Unit Journals, can be found at https://83rdinfdivdocs.org/units/329the-ir (accessed 3 January 2025).
 Grave marker for Sgt. Earl V. McCutcheon in Normandy American Cemetery. Find A Grave photo courtesy of Russell E. Bennett Jr. |
Sgt. Earl Vance McCutcheon was killed in action on July 4, 1944, in Normandy. An entry in the U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, for July 1944 shows that he was a "battle casualty" who "died in the line of duty," the "causative agent, a bullet." He is buried at the Normandy American Cemetery in Plot A, Row 21, Grave 29. |
| A Purple Heart recipient, Sgt. McCutcheon is also memorialized with a cenotaph, placed on the grave of his parents, in Jennette Cemetery in Fayette County. |  Cenotaph in Jennette Cemetery at Lookout, Fayette County, West Virginia. Find A Grave photo courtesy of Russell E. Bennett Jr. |
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure, who gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Russell E. Bennett Jr.
January 2025
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
