Jake McNiece

Name: James Elbert "Jake" McNiece "McNasty"ASN: 18131236Dog Tag: James E McNiece18131236 T42-43 0 PEyes: Blue Hair: Black 175 pounds(79Kg) 5´7" (170cm)

May 24, 1919 (Maysville, Oklahoma) - January 21, 2013 (Chatham, Illinois)

The ninth of ten children born to Eli Hugh and Rebecca (née Ring) McNiece, and of Irish American and Choctaw descent.During the Depression, the family moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1931. In 1939, he graduated from Ponca City High School and went to work in road construction, and then at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, where he gained experience in the use of explosives.

McNiece enlisted for military service on September 1, 1942. He was assigned to the demolition saboteur section of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

McNiece's demolitions experience with the fire department before the war made him the section sergeant and his mission focus kept him in that rank in spite of his deliberate disobedience and disrespect during training. His first sergeant and company commanders knew he was the man the regiment could count on during combat

McNiece went on to make a total of four wartime combat jumps, the first as part of the Invasion of Normandy in 1944. In the same year he jumped as part of Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands and at the Siege of Bastogne, part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. During fighting in the Netherlands, he was promoted to demolition platoon sergeant. He volunteered for pathfinder training, anticipating he would sit out the rest of the war training in England, but his pathfinder stick was called upon to jump into Bastogne to guide in resupply drops. His last jump was in 1945, near Prüm in Germany. In recognition of his natural leadership abilities, he ended the war as the acting first sergeant for Headquarters Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was discharged from the military in February 1946.

In 1949, McNiece returned to live in Ponca City. He began a 28-year career with the United States Postal Service. His first wife Rosita died in 1952 and, a year later, he married Martha Beam Wonders. They had two sons and a daughter and remained married until his death.

Raymond H. McNiece captain of the US Army Air Forces, and Jake McNiece. The photo was taken in Ponca City in December 1943 when the two were permit.

Raymond ended up to the China / Burma / Indian / Pacific Operations Transportation Transporting supplies etc. He made many journeys above the << Hump >> [Oriental part of the Himalayas mountain range] carrying supplies to China for allied bases in the south and southwest of China until you are taken by the Japanese. Raymond reached the range of Lieutenant General before graduating after the war.

During his first week at Toccoa Jake beat up mess sergeant over refusing to give him a stick of butter. Not long afterwards, Colonel Sink congradulated Jake for being among the fastest to completed the obstacled course that day. Jake quipped, "Shit, that anin't nothing. If you'd given me a little butter, I don't know how fast I could have run this".

Jake execiting a jujitsu move to disable a knife attack at Toccoa. The five man pyramid tents behim him was their home during their stay at Toccoa.

Johnny Moore and Jake McNiece getting ready to go into town in Austria. They have whiskey and American cigarettes they plan to sell on the blackmarket for spending money. Jake had so many money-making schemes that he came home with enough money he could travel the country for a year.

Jake McNiece picking up blocks of C-2 explosives. During their basic trainning at Toccoa, men were assigned to jobs based a lot upon their previous experience. Jake was assigned to the demolition platoon and as a section sergeant on account of his previous experience working with explosives in the fire departament and becouse of this supervisory experiencie before the war.

Jake McNiece at home on leave in Oklahoma right after completion of jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia. He is wearing his brand new paratrooper uniform.

Jake McNiece posing with his M1 Garand in front of his pup tent.

Louis Lipp, Arthur "Red Gulch" Hayes, and Jake McNiece looking filthier and ragged in the coveralls. The one-piece Herringbone twill mechanics coveralls was the common field uniform until the issue of the M1942 jump jacket and trousers.

James "La La" Leech wearing the jump jacket over the OD wool trousers, which seemed to be considered fashionable by many other members of the 506th, Leech augmented Jake's Section for the jump into Normandy.

Jake in Toccoa

Jake McNiece running the obstacle course at Toccoa, Georgia. Colonel Robert Sink placed great emphasis on physical fitness training. This and the daily six-mile runs up and down Mount Currahee weeded out all but the physically and mentally strong. Upper right shows Jake climbing over the ten-foot wall. Bottom photos show him crossing the rope bridge.

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