Harold Fabian Provost Private KIA 23 Jun 1944 Normandy, France

Harold Fabian Provost was the firstborn child on 20 May 1922 in Winooski, VT, son of Albert R. Provost, a millhand, and Esther Bushey, both born in Winooski. In 1930 we find the family at 192 Institute Road in Burlington with 5 children and the father is a laborer on a dairy farm. From the newspaper announcing his death, they mention his 7 brothers and 2 sisters in 1944 with the family living at 180 North Willard Street in Burlington.

His draft card on 30 Jun 1942 had him at 20 years and working at E.B & A.C Whiting Co. He was 130 lbs, 5 ft 7 inches with hazel eyes and a ruddy complexion and brown hair. He was living at 180 North Willard Street in Burlington.

Harold enlisted as a Private on 12 Nov 1942 at Rutland, VT. His service number was 31200093 and he was working at E.B & A.C Whiting Company. He was 5 ft 6 inches, 120 lbs. He had attended Nazareth Elementary school and Cathedral High School where he was a standout baseball player. On 25 Nov 1942 Harold went to Ft Devens, MA. He received his basic training at Camp Blanding, FL; afterward he was stationed at Camp Atterbury, IN and Camp Forrest, TN before being sent overseas. He was engaged to marry Miss Norma Shortsleeve.

Harold served as a Private in the US Army, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division, US Army during World War II. He was killed at age 22 on 23 Jun 1944 just 17 days after the D-Day landings.

ACTIVITY OF THE 120th INFANTRY DURING WWII: On 9 Mar 1942, the 30th came under the control of the Army Ground Forces after having changed its station to Camp Blanding, FL in October 1942. In May 1943, the Division transferred to Camp Forrest, TN and in September of the same year, took part in the Second Army maneuvers held in Tennessee. In November 1943, it went to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. **DEPARTED U.S.: **12 February 1944, from Boston, MA. arrived Scotland 22 February 1944. **OVERSEAS TRAINING: **Resumed training immediately after arriving in the United Kingdom, much stress being placed on amphibious operations. **DATE ENTERED COMBAT: **15 June 1944. Harold died just 8 days later.

BURIAL: Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer,

Department of Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France PLOT H - Row 23 - Grave 24

Harolds mother, Esther Provost, founded the local Gold Star mothers organization, and she died in 1953.

REFERENCES:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56648978

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Harold F Provost