Charles "Charlie" F. Crowell

Charles "Charlie" F. Crowell, 94, of Murphysboro, passed away at his home in Murphysboro on Wednesday, July 26, 2017. Charles was born on August 18, 1922, in Murphysboro, and was the fourth son of James Edward Crowell and Cora Alice (Reynolds) Crowell. He was preceded in death by his parents, and three brothers Edward, Louie, and Howard and his sister Helen. He began work at age twelve for Hanna's Shadybrook Dairy while completing the last six years of schooling. He graduated from Murphysboro Township High School in 1941 and worked at the Midwest Dairy Plant on North 13th Street. He began working for Daniel Grocer Company as a retail clerk, auditor, printer, billing and trust dispatcher, before entering the Army in 1943. He was inducted in January of 1943 in Chicago, Illinois, activated at Camp Grant in Rockford, Illinois, and trained at Camp Wheeler at Macon, GA. (13 weeks Basic Infantry heavy Machine-Gun and Mortar). Then, he was transferred immediately to the Port of Embarkation Camp Shanks, Orangeburg, NY, and arrived in Brisbane, Australia at Camp Ascot on June 15, 1943 via the Panama Canal and Bora Bora Society Island. He was one of ninety replacements transferred into the "D" Company of the 107th Medical Battalion 32nd "Red Arrow" Infantry Division at Camp Cable, Queensland, Australia. They had just returned from handing the Japanese their first Army defeat in the Pacific in their history at Buna, New Guinea. Their ranks were decimated by wounds of battle and jungle diseases totaling to 9956 and the entire Division had to be rebuilt. He began immediate intensive Medical Instruction and Training in the care, treatment, procedure, medication, first-aid, splinting, bandaging and transporting of casualties in the "outback" with Specialized Training as Surgical Technician and the sterilization of instruments and supplies in the field of Portable Hospital Operation. Then a month followed of Amphibious training on various Navy Landing Crafts and Nelson's Bay, Newcastle in New South Wales, then he moved north with the division to New Guinea. He served thirty months overseas until the war's end in 1945 in a Division that would amass a total of 654 days combat "on the line" from 1942-1945 before Occupation duty. This was under S.W.P.A. Command of General Douglas MacArthur's Sixth and Eight Armies, from Australia through the campaigns for New Guinea, from Goodenough Island Cape Cretin, Saidor, Aitape (where 10,000 enemy were trapped on the Driniumor) and Hollandia, then the battles for the return of the Philippine Islands of Leyte and northern Luzon. He received an honorable discharge as Sergeant at Jefferson Baracks, St. Louis, Missouri, and returned home after three years. He got his Certificates of Accounting at SIU-VTI 1955-1956, while working forty years with the Daniel Grocer Company in various positions including Office Manager, Corporate Accountant to Assistant Manager of the Ben Franklin Variety Store to 1984, when the store closed and he entered retirement. Charlie was a life member of the 32nd "Red Arrow" Infantry Division Association, the V.F.W. Post # 710 and the American Legion Post # 127. He leaves his loving niece, whom he loved as his own daughter and her family, Patricia and Cliff Davis of DuQuoin; great niece Kim and Wendell Wheeler of Carbondale; great nephew Tim and Jennifer Davis of DuQuoin; great great nieces and nephews Macie Wheeler, Connor Wheeler, Aubrey Davis and Jamison C. Davis and his wife Michaela Davis; step great great nieces Katherine Robinson and Maddie Robinson; and wonderful close friends and neighbors. Military gravesite services conducted by the Paul Stout American Legion Post # 127 will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 29, 2017, at Worthen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Worthen Cemetery. Family and friends are asked to meet at the cemetery. For more information, please visit www.pettettfuneralhome.com.

Charles "Charlie" F. Crowell

August 18, 1922 - July 26, 2017