**HONOR MISSION**
JOHN E HURLBURT SGT
US ARMY
WWII (KIA)
THIS IS A MULTI DAY// MULTI LOCATION MISSION
DAY 1
BRADLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
FLAG LINE/ESCORT STAGE
30 FIREHOUSE RD
WINDSOR LOCKS CT 06096
WEDNESDAY 08/11/2021
3PM STAGE
DAY 2
ESCORT STAGE
CLANCY-PALUMBO FUNERAL HOME
43 KIRKHAM AV
EAST HAVEN CT 06512
SATURDAY 08/14/2021
1015AM STAGE
DAY 2
CEMETERY STAGE
BEAVERDALE MEMORIAL PARK
90 PINE ROCK AV.
NEW HAVEN CT 06515
SATURDAY 08/14/2021
11AM STAGE
Sadly we have been Requested to Escort and Stand in Honor for John E Hurlburt S
SGT US Army WWII (KIA) The following information has been provided;
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS:
From 15 June to 9 July 1944, American forces participated in the battle for the island of
Saipan, part of the larger Operation FORAGER to secure the Mariana Islands.
V Amphibious Corps, which included over 70,000 troops of the 2nd and 4th Marine
Divisions and the 27th U.S. Army Infantry Division, landed on the southwest side of the
island on four landing beaches, and faced a nearly 30,000-strong Japanese contingent.
On the evening of 6 July 1944, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 105th Infantry, 27th
Infantry Division occupied defensive positions along Saipan’s northwestern coast, along
a coastal plain between the villages of Tanapag and Makunsha.
A short distance to the north, around 4,000 Japanese soldiers congregated, desperate
and pushed to the northern corner of the island after weeks of fighting on Saipan.
The commanding officer of Japanese forces on Saipan, General Yoshitsugu Saito,
recognized that defeat was imminent and that morning had ordered a mass suicide
charge with his remaining soldiers.
This “banzai” attack, designed to inflict as many casualties against the Americans as
possible, was consistent with the contemporary Japanese concept of death before
defeat. The thousands of Japanese soldiers accepted the order as a “Gyokusai” (“To
Die with Honor”) command from the Emperor of Japan. The attack was aimed at the
105th Infantry lines.
Sporadic attacks against the 105th Infantry positions that evening and into the early
morning hours of 7 July 1944 kept the Americans on edge.
Furthermore, a Japanese prisoner captured on the evening of 6 July 1944 revealed the
desperation of the island’s defenders.
When questioned, he stated that his unit was to vigorously attack, and that any
survivors were expected to commit suicide.
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Sergeant (Sgt) John E. HURLBURT, U.S. Army, service number 20126929, entered
military service from New Haven, Connecticut, on 11 February 1941.
He was born on 21 June 1918. He served with the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th
Infantry Division, in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
On 7 July 1944, Sgt HURLBURT was killed during a massive Japanese attack against
the 105th Infantry on the island of Saipan and posthumously received the Purple Heart.
His remains were not known to have been recovered.
For his actions in service, the Army awarded Sgt HURLBURT the Bronze Star.
Today, he is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
The details of Sgt HURLBURT’s loss are recorded in his Individual Deceased Personnel
File (IDPF) and in unit records of the 105th Infantry Regiment.
After the war ended, an unknown set of remains, Unknown X-20 27th Infantry Division
Cemetery (X-20), was recovered from the battlefield on Saipan, and was potentially
associated with Sergeant HURLBURT.
Officials found Sergeant HURLBURT’s identification tags within the grave of X-20 when
the remains were initially disinterred in March 1948.
The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available
establish the remains as those of Sergeant John E. HURLBURT, 20126929, U.S. Army.
Flagged Vehicles have been requested for both Wednesday and Saturday. Contact the RC if you plan on being part of the escort on Wednesday or Saturday.
Wednesday 08/11/2021
We will Stand a Flag Line at the Airport outside the Airport Property for the arrival of remains. The CT State Police will lead the escort to the Funeral Home from the Airport. Please assure that your flags can fly safely at highway speeds.
SC Gregg Barratt will be RCIC with flags on site.
Saturday 08/14/2021
Escort Stage Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home 1015am Flagged Vehicles will be led by the CT State Police to the Cemetery following calling hours from 9am-11am.
Cemetery Stage 11am at Beaverdale Memorial Park. We will Stand a Flag Line for Burial and Military Honors.
SC Gregg Barratt will be RCIC for both Escort and Cemetery Stages with Flags on site.
God Bless America, Our Troops and Our First Responders.
—
William F. Petras III (Skip)
Assistant State Captain
CT Patriot Guard Riders
860-463-5316 (cell)
860-358-9648 (fax)
Gregg Barratt “Flag 7”
State Captain
CT Patriot Guard Riders
860-392-9638 (cell)
About Peter Greika