John Hale

20 August, 1921 (Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington) - June 20, 1944 (Normandy, France)

John Hale enlisted in Pulsbo, Washington

"Jump with the second half of the team. They killed him while he was attacking the third machine gun nest. He wore size 35 boots. Peepnuts received six pairs of boots before jumping over Normandy while the rest of the F13s received one pair."

Jumped out with his stick of paratroopers just before his plane blew up. It had been receiving fire and was starting to burn.

* While going to school at home his collie dog saw him to the gate in front of the house to catch the bus to school every day. At 3:30 the dog would come to the gate to wait on him coming home soon after. This went on all through highschool. The dog continued going to the gate each afternoon after Peepnuts went into the Army, but on June 6 for the first time the collie didn’t go and the family knew something was wrong. They received notice ten days later he had been killed that day. The collie never went to the gate again *

According to Joe Oleskiewicz's testimony, he and John Hale crawled through a field in Normandy for their third machine gun nest attack that day. Joe heard a single shot and as he turned around he saw John lying dead.

According to Jake McNiece, John was a snappy and serious guy on duty. Tommy Lonergan would grieve the rest of his life over Hale's death.

"Cpl. Johnny "Peepnuts" Hale was so small he wore 4 1/2 pair of boots. In spide of this unimpressive sature, Jake saw in him someone Who he could count on to accomplish the mission if something happened to Jake. So Jake made him a squad leader"

John Hale's grave is located in Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Plot F Row 17 Grave 42