SGT Paul M. Kennedy was born on September 10th 1919 in Rappahannock, Virginia. To his parents Robert L. born in 1894 to his death in 1969 and Bertha Jane Woodward born in 1889 to her death in 1964. Paul had two sisters and two brothers, Paul lived in Virginia and worked on the family farm. Paul completed grammar school, Paul was unmarried and had no children.

SGT Paul M. Kennedy enlisted in the US Army on May 8th 1941 in Richmond, Virginia. He was given the service number 33043494 and joined with the 29th Infantry Division, 116th Infantry Regiment Company B.

The 116th Infantry Regiment was to be part of Force O which was the initial assault force at Omaha Beach and Company B was to be part of the second wave of that assault. From 3 to 8 May 1944, the regiment participated in Exercise Fabius at Slapton Sands, England, which was their final rehearsal before D-Day.

On 3 Jun 1944, the regiment embarked for Normandy from Weymouth, England. The 1st Battalion, which included Companies A, B, C and D, boarded the SS Empire Javelin. By 0430 on 6 Jun 1944, all first wave Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) had left their ships and moved towards Omaha Beach and by 0636 all LCVP’s had landed. The second wave began moving towards Omaha Beach at 0700 and by 0740 had reached the beach area. As soon as the ramps of the LCVPs were lowered, the soldiers were faced with heavy enemy small arms, machine gun and mortar fire. Some of the LCVPs were grounded on sand bars requiring the soldiers to wade through sometimes neck high water to reach the beach. Many were killed or drowned trying to reach the beach. Also, because of bad weather and rough seas, the LCVPs landed out of position on the beach causing additional confusion and making it difficult to get organized. Only 28 of Company B’s roughly 220 men survived D-Day.

SGT Paul M. Kennedy was killed in action June 6th 1944 at Normandy. For his actions received the Purple Heart and he is buried at Normandy American Cemetery.

Resources:

Paul M Kennedy : Sergeant from Virginia, World War II Casualty (honorstates.org)

SGT Paul Monroe Kennedy (1919-1944) - Find A Grave Memorial

Original data: National Archives and Records Administration. Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; ARC: 1263923. World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019.

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