2Lt Shelton Eugene Avant - Tennessee Colony, TX - Graves Mentioning a Cause of Death on Waymarking.com

Lieutenant Avant was one of the grandchildren of M.S. Avant, who is referenced on the cemetery's Texas Historical Marker as being the posthumous donor of the land used by this cemetery. His gray, granite cenotaph stands next to the final resting places of his parents and a brother. It is topped by the Great Seal of the United States, and a lighter gray box below the Great Seal contains this text:

In Memory of
Lt. Shelton E. Avant

Who lost his life while serving
his country with the 3rd Pursuit
Sqd. in Phillipine [sic] Islands

Oct. 22, 1912 -- Dec. 8, 1941

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Lieutenant Avant is listed by the American Battle Monuments Commission as "Missing in Action", and he is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines. He was a member of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, which had been deployed to the Philippines amid rising tensions between the United States and Japan prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Within hours of being notified about "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy", P-40s from the squadron were deployed in search operations that proved to be futile, and upon their return, they and the remaining forces engaged the Japanese. Presumably, Lieutenant Avant was lost in this battle, in which the United States suffered severe losses.

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This cemetery is well-maintained, and folks do keep an eye on it. Please limit visits to daylight hours only.

Type of Death Listed: War related (Killed in Action) Cause of death inscription on headstone: Lost his life while serving his country with the 3rd Pursuit Sqd. Website (if available): [Web Link]

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