PFC Lafayette LeRoy Wadsworth, Panaca, Nevada, Bronze Star Medal

Lafayette LeRoy (“Roy”) Wadsworth (service #1911979) was born on 25 October 1942, to Milton Lafayette (“Lafe”) Wadsworth and Minnie Adell Hollingshead, of Panaca, Nevada. One record says Roy was born in Cedar City, Utah, but a biography of Roy by niece Helen LaRae Free Kerr says that Roy was born at his parents’ home in Panaca. Roy had two older sisters, Myrtle and Helen, and four younger siblings, Bruce, John, Duane, and Sharon. (A younger brother, Duane, died in infancy.) The Wadsworth family were devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Roy’s first cousin, Leslie Mathews, who was born one day before Roy and who was Roy’s dear friend and high school classmate, also served and died in World War II. Les’s death occurred just two months after Roy’s death. See this Fold3 tribute to Leslie Mathews: https://www.fold3.com/memorial/657819075/leslie-earl-mathews/stories. Joe Mezzano, Roy’s and Les’s friend and high school classmate, also died during World War II while serving his country. See Joe’s Fold3 tribute at https://www.fold3.com/memorial/638622169/joseph-mezzano/stories Donald Lewis Price, also a classmate, gave his life for his country. See https://www.fold3.com/memorial/638622177/donald-l-price/stories

Roy’s father, Lafe, was a cowboy and a farmer, and young Roy grew up working on the farm—harvesting the hay, milking the cows, and feeding the sheep. His older sister could not say the word “brother,” so she called him “Brud,” and the nickname stuck (among family members).

Roy was a tease and a character. In Tom Sawyer-like fashion, he had a knack for getting others to help with his chores. He was handy at fixing things and smart at school. He had a beautiful singing voice, was a good dancer, and played the drums in the marching band. He loved the gospel of Jesus Christ.

He was short in stature, but well-built. He played freshman basketball but was apparently too short to make the team in the succeeding high school years. However, he grew during his college years and ended up at 5’9” or 5’10”.

Roy graduated from Lincoln County High in 1940 with high honors and sang a solo at the graduation exercises. He attended the University of Nevada (Reno was the only campus at the time) for two years, with partial help from a Union Pacific scholarship based on his 4-H achievements. At university, Roy pledged to the Alpha Tau Omega social fraternity.

Roy worked on the Hoover Dam one summer to help earn money for his college expenses. He also worked at Basic Magnesium Inc., a defense plant in Las Vegas.

On 29 September 1942, Roy enlisted in a reserve unit in Reno, Nevada, where he was attending college. He reported for active service at Fort Douglas, in Salt Lake City, on 15 March 1943. Pvt Wadsworth underwent basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. He then studied for nine months at Tarleton College, Texas, in the Army Specialized Training Program, and trained in several other camps in Texas.

In August 1944, Roy and his cousin, Les Mathews, had a furlough at the same time and spent two weeks in Panaca, Nevada, with each other and their families. It was the last time their families would see them. After the furlough, Roy was sent to Europe, and Les was sent to the South Pacific. Neither returned alive.

PFC Roy Wadsworth was assigned to the 9th Army’s 99th Division, 394th Infantry Regiment.

An army friend and companion of Roy’s, Walter Kellogg, recalled an incident that occurred in late September after he walked up the gangplank in the Boston Harbor for the voyage to the European Theater. He found Roy, with tears streaming down his cheeks, and asked Roy what was wrong. Roy responded, “God has told me I won’t be coming back alive.” Roy spent a little time in Ireland, England, and France, before going to the front in Belgium and Germany.

In December 1944 and January 1945, the 394th (in which Roy served) fought in the famous Battle of the Bulge, which takes its name from the inward bulge in the Allied frontline around the Ardennes region, a forested mountain range in Belgium. Also known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, it was one of Germany’s final forward assaults aiming to break the Allied frontline that was advancing toward Berlin. Churchill called the Battle of the Bulge the greatest American battle of the war. It was the bloodiest, with about 100,00 U.S. casualties and over 19,000 dead.

SGT Roy Wadsworth, who had received a battlefield promotion, was involved in the fight at the twin villages of Rocherath-Kinkelt and at Elsenborn Ridge. On 3 January 1945, SGT Wadsworth and PFC Steve Kallas jumped into a foxhole, under a heavy barrage, and found a packet of candy they split. SGT Wadsworth left the foxhole and, as the lead scout, was first to reach Krae Creek. There they came under machine gun fire and unit members watched as SGT Wadsworth, oblivious to the enemy fire, jumped to his feet and with his right arm gave the signal to advance. As he advanced toward the forest, he was hit by enemy machine gun fire and crumpled and sank into the snow. His body could not be recovered at the time, so he was initially listed as missing in action, though presumed dead.

On the same day as Roy’s death, his mother, who was in St. George Utah with his father at the time, had a premonition that something bad had happened to her son Roy. This was confirmed when they returned home a few days later.

SGT Lafayette LeRoy Wadsworth was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, for heroic achievement and meritorious service in a combat zone. He also received the Purple Heart posthumously.

SGT Wadsworth was originally buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, located near Saint-Avold, Moselle, France. A memorial service was held in the Panaca Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the family learned of his confirmed death. Shortly after, the family received a letter from their son’s Executive Officer, Lieutenant James E. Holder, praising Roy’s bravery and leadership ability.

The body of SGT Wadsworth was returned to the United States from Europe aboard the army transport “Barney Kirschbaum,” in late December 1948. He was re-interred on a snowy winter day in early 1949 at the Panaca Memorial Park (Cemetery), Panaca, Nevada. SGT Wadsworth was survived by his parents; his older sisters, Myrtle Wadsworth Free and Helen Wadsworth O’Connor; and his younger siblings, Bruce M. Wadsworth, John Milton Wadsworth, and Sharon Wadsworth. Both Bruce and John served in the U.S. military.

Much of the information contained in this story is from a biography of Lafayette LeRoy Wadsworth written by his niece, Helen LaRae Free Kerr.

Sources:

Find A Grave Index

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/135880146/lafayette-leroy-wadsworth

1930 U.S. Federal Census in the Household of Milton and Minnie Wadsworth

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/107869616:6224

World War II Draft Registration Cards Lafayette LeRoy Wadsworth

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13443036:2238

U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1163861:2375

1940 U.S. Federal Census in the Household of Lafe and Minnie Wadsworth

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/375899:2442

World War II Hospital Admission Cards

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/15957209:61817

Lafayette LeRoy Wadsworth, a Biography, by Helen LaRae Free Kerr, M ED

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Lafayette L Wadsworth