Joe Bob Smyrl - Bullard Cemetery - Bullard, TX
N 32° 08.210 W 095° 19.900
15S E 280062 N 3557983
The government-issued grave marker for Technician Fifth Grade Joe Bob Smyrl indicates that he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge in 1945. He is buried with his family in historic Bullard Cemetery, Bullard, TX.
Waymark Code: WM11DQF
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/03/2019
Views: 1
The marker reads:
Joe Bob Smyrl
Tech 5 US Army
Glider Pilot
Killed Battle of the Bulge
Oct 4 1925 Mar 24 1945
Mr. Smyrl's red granite makes no reference to his fate or even his military service, but it reads:
Joe Bob Smyrl
Oct. 14, 1925
Mar 24, 1945
None Knew Thee But to Love Thee
-----
Information about Mr. Smyrl is scant, with nothing about his fate, although the Registry of the American Soldier confirms his birth and death dates, noting that he served from March 29, 1943 until his death. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the bloodiest campaigns of World War II -- the bloodiest in which the United States participated -- and it resulted in anywhere from 150,000 to 200,000 casualties on each side. Interestingly, though, operations were complete by the time Mr. Smyrl died, and it's not clear as to whether he was mortally injured during the fighting that took place in December 1944/January 1945, and then lingered, or whether he was killed in battle at some point in the aftermath.
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