12/08/16   Daniels Obit

We just observed Pearl Harbor Day yesterday, today we bring you the obituary of a decorated World War II veteran, who died yesterday at the age of 100 years. John C. Daniels, known by his family as “Jake” served in WWII in the First Armored Division, 13^th Armored Regiment, H Company, as a half-track driver for the towed artillery squad.

He crossed the Atlantic on the HMS Queen Mary. He was onboard the HMS Tasajera, a Venezuelan tanker converter to one of the first tanker landing ships when it was torpedoed off the coast of Algeria. On February 2, 1943, he was wounded while participating in the initial attack on a rail station in the town of Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia. A Stuka ju-87 “Junker” dive bomber released its bomb directly above the half-track, killing 7 of 9 soldiers instantly.

Daniels received the Silver Star for attempting to rescue a wounded soldier while wounded himself and while still under heavy fire. After recovering in a hospital in Oran, Daniels would later participate in the Italian campaign and be witness to the boming of the Abbey of Monte Cassino, the breakout at Anzio and the liberation of Rome. Visitation for Daniels will be tomorrow evening from 6-8pm at Ralph Robinson and Son with Graveside services Saturday morning at 11 at Arlington Cemetery in El Dorado. Ralph Robinson and Son Funeral Directors of Pine Bluff in charge of arrangements.