Bess enlisted June 1943 went overseas in December 1943 and went into action on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Pfc. Bess was in the battle of Aechen [Aachen or Achen?].1

Mrs. Mary B. Bess, mother of Pfc. Edward H. Bess, was presented the posthumous award of the Bronze Star Medal at her home near Echo while a small group of relatives and friends attended. The award was presented by Chaplain Higgenbottom of Camp Rucker, at the request of Col Martin C. Shallenberger. The Bronze Star Medal, the newest valor decoration authorized by the War Department, is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity, in or with the Army of the United States, on or after 7 December 1941, distinguishes himself by heroic or meritorious achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy of the United States. The citation of the award to Pfc. Bess read as follows: For heroic achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy in Belgium on February 1, 1945.2

In addition to a government-issued military marker, the inscription on his headstone includes “Alabama PFC, 26 Inf. Div., Co. I, K.I.A., Krinkelt Belgium World War II.” 3

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.

SBTSProject/Alabama/Dale

1 Southern Star (Ozark, AL) 12 April 1945.

2 Southern Star, 14 February 1946.

3 U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963.

Blackwell, Berta Gold Star Soldiers of World War II from Dale County, Alabama, April 2019, page 25-26

Edward Harold Bess