Leonard Neal was born on March 11, 1920 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Dillard & Gertie Eubanks Neal On 16 Jan 1941 Leonard married Stella Marie Hartley James. Marie had previously been married to John James in 1937. Marie had one son from her previous marriage and 2 more children with Leonard. Leonard's civil occupation before enlisting in the army was Semiskilled furnacemen, smelters, and pourers. Leonard registered for the military draft July 1, 1941 at Fort Smith, Ar. He enlisted in the US Army 13 Jul 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas. On his enlistment he says he has completed grammar school and is a farmer. PFC Leonard Neal was assigned to the 78th Infantry Division, 310th Infantry Regiment, Company E. On Dec 16, 1944 Pfc Neal was killed in action in Germany. He was awarded with the Purple Heart medal. -The story of the battle and day he died is at the bottom of this page.- Pfc Neal was buried in Plot A Row 8 Grave 23, Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. He has a marker in Forest Park Cemetery in Fort Smith, Ar. Shared by Vicki Graves Jones from Fighting Men of Arkansas In World War II, the 78th Division was ordered into active military service at Camp Butner, North Carolina, on 15 August 1942. It was designated as a replacement pool division on 1 October 1942, and remained in this assignment until 1 March 1943, when the 78th Division was restored to field duty, and to its training regimen. 78th Division moved to the Carolina Maneuver Area on 15 November 1943 to test its training, and then returned to Camp Butner on 7 December 1943. The personnel then went on Christmas leave, and deployed to the Tennessee Maneuver Area on 25 January 1944, where they participated in the 5th Second Army Tennessee Maneuvers. They then moved to Camp Pickett, Virginia, where they filled their TO&E, (table of organization and equipment), then deployed to the staging area at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on 4 October 1944. After two years as a training division, the 78th embarked for the European Theatre from the New York POE on 14 October 1944, whereupon they sailed for England. They arrived on 26 October 1944, and after further training crossed to France on 22 November 1944. After landing in France, the division moved to Tongeren, Belgium, on 27 November 1944, and to Roetgen, Germany, on 7 December 1944, to prepare for combat. The 311th Infantry Regiment was attached to the US 8th Infantry Division in the Hurtgen Forest, 10 December. The 309th and 310th Infantry Regiments relieved elements of the 1st Division in the line in the vicinity of Entenpfuhl, 1–12 December. On the 13th these regiments smashed into Simmerath, Witzerath, and Bickerath and were fighting for Kesternich when Gerd von Rundstedt launched his counteroffensive in the Monschau area, on 18 December.