The following story, written by Kim Hardaway, is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/).
This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here and on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’s name and read his/her story.
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Wright Hurley
LTC Henry Wright Hurley 17 Engr BN 2nd Armed Div, Headquarters
LTC Henry Wright Hurley was born 26 Nov 1911 in Chewalla, McNairy County, Tennessee. His father was Henry Earl Hurley (1884-1970). Henry was born in McNairy County, Tennessee and married Callie Josephine Hurley (1885-1978), who was born in Isard County, Arkansas.
Henry Earl was a manager of a farm and Callie was a merchant in the retail business on the 1930 census. The farm Mr. Hurley ran was on a plantation on Crusoe’s island northwest of Memphis.They grew produce on the 3,000 acre plantation which was then sold in the downtown area of Memphis. Their two boys, Harry Guy and Henry Wright were in school at the time. Both boys attended Tech High School in Memphis, Tenn. Henry was an athlete, an honor student and a ranking R.O.T.C. cadet officer. Henry went to University of Tennessee and acquired a degree in engineering. He received his master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Henry sailed from New York City on 2 Mar 1937 on the United States transport Chateau Thierry, for the Republic of Panama, where he served for two years in the Army Engineers. He later commanded an engineer combat team during the landing in North Africa on 8 Nov 1942. In April of 1943, while commanding an engineer unit of the 5th army, he received the Soldiers’ Medal of heroism with the citation reading “On the (date censored) of April 1943, at the Division Mine School near his bivouac, Lieutenant Colonel Hurley, at great personal risk, extinguished fire started amongst some foreign mines and explosives which had been caused by the accidental discharge of an Italian grenade. His prompt action prevented further detonation of dangerous explosives which would have caused further injuries to personnel lying in the vicinity, who had been injured by the original explosion. Lieut. Col. Hurley’s prompt action with utter disregard for his own safety is in keeping with the highest traditions of the service.”
In July 1943 there were several platoons of the 17th Engineers on the road to Butera, Sicily, where they encountered mine fields. They went about removing them and replacing them in the flank. While the mine search was going on Lt. Col. Hurley, his driver Pvt. Pasztorcsak, and two officers from outside the battalion, Major Dreydopple and Lt. Mitchell, were in a jeep out on reconnaissance for a water point site near Butera the 14th of July, when the vehicle entered a minefield and the entire party was killed by exploding mines.
Lieut. Col. Henry Wright Hurley was initially buried in a Gela cemetery in Sicily then in 1947 he was moved to Paestum Cemetery in Mount Soprano, Italy, but was later reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 12, Grave 4076.
If you have any details, photos or corrections for this story, please email Kim Hardaway – Contributing Author, Stories Behind the Stars, at kharda2000@gmail.com.
