5
July, 1944
Dear Mr. Spangler,
I'm writing this letter to inform you of the death of your son, Corporal David Spangler. Normally notification would be done in person, but the only address we have is the post office listed on the next of kin paperwork.
Corporal Spangler was killed in action during an assault behind enemy lines. His quick thinking saved the lives of his team at the cost of his own.
His body was buried in an explosion that destroyed the enemy facility. Command has decided that recovery would be too expensive at this point in time. Our forces will be in the area in a couple of months. A detail will be assigned to recover his body to be sent to Arlington for burial.
I give you my word that this will happen.
I wish to express my condolences for your loss. Corporal Spangler was a key part of the successes of our detached duty assignment. Without him, the missions carried out by our platoon would have ended in failure in my opinion. He will be rewarded a silver star posthumously at his burial ceremony for his bravery under fire.
The official action report will not be available for civilian reading for some time. The following is a brief account of what happened garnered from the debriefing of the personnel involved.
Corporal Spangler's squad was assigned to infiltrate an enemy facility in a classified location. They were to be joined by other members of their platoon to plant explosives to demolish the facility. They were to retreat after the objective had been reached, and join with a company of infantry marching to the area from the south.
In the course of the mission, the demolition team was discovered by the facility guards. A fight broke out in the middle of the operating area between elements of the platoon and enemy soldiers. Our platoon was pinned down by heavy fire.
Corporal Spangler and his squad finished planting their explosives, then rushed across the facility to help their comrades. They attacked the guards from behind to free up the pinned down members of their platoon to operate.
Several extremely dangerous enemy agents arrived with heavy ordinance. They began to fire on the platoon. Three of our men were killed in the first exchange of fire.
Corporal Spangler engaged these agents to draw their fire while the rest of the platoon escaped. His men reported that he held his own against them for some minutes.
The explosive charges detonated. The facility collapsed under the blasts. Your son was caught in the explosions.
The enemy retreated from the destruction temporarily. They hold the ground around the wreckage for the moment. A mission is being planned to recover your son's body.
As soon as it has been extracted from the debris, we will send you a notice so that you can file your claim as the next of kin. The body will be flown out of Europe, and handed over to your designated funeral director, or funeral home operator. Paperwork will also be available for your son to be buried at Arlington if you so desire.
If we do not hear from you, Mr. Spangler, the army will bury Corporal Spangler at Arlington with full honors.
The silver star will be rewarded at a ceremony in front of the White House in the next month or two. When I know the exact date, I will notify you by letter.
The death notification unit will help you with anything you might need for this. I will be glad to put you in touch with the nearest case officer to your location in Minnesota if you want.
The Army will do everything in its power to recover your son's body from the enemy.
I regret that he had to be left behind for the good of his platoon. It was a hard choice. I give you my word that we will clear the debris and send him home to you. I will make sure of that.
As a unit detached to military intelligence, your son's record has been classified. No one will ever know what he did during the war. Such things are commonplace, but can be disconcerting when next of kin try to check on their loved ones. Be aware that no one will be able to tell you his record no matter who you ask.
The typical ban on records is forty years. And the files are heavily redacted to prevent leakage of information. You may be able to get the full record years after the war is over. I apologize for that.
Corporal Spangler served with distinction. He will be missed by his fellow soldiers for his insight on the enemy that we face, his ability, and his knowledge of pertinent information necessary to complete his assigned tasks.
Please contact me as soon as possible about arrangements. That will speed things along when we have the body in hand to send home to you.
Yours truly,
Colonel Steven Long,
Office of Strategic Services, Project Z
Colonel Long,
We were unable to find anyone attached to the post office box where this letter was sent. We have no idea how to contact Mr. Spangler, or any other next of kin that might be living in the area. The post office was completely ignorant of a Spangler family anywhere around.
We don't know who has been receiving the letters from Corporal Spangler, or if he even had a father. We will keep our eyes open, but I have low hopes for finding the man.
I will keep on it, but I have no idea how to proceed at this time. Maybe something will turn up to point the way.
Yours truly,
Sergeant Randall McQuade
Grave Detail, Fort Mead
Sergeant McQuade
I have met Mr. Spangler here in England. I don't know how he knew where we were based, or how he flew here without authorization. He arrived shortly after I notified you of the death of his son.
He has already made arrangements for the body to be flown back to Minnesota. I would appreciate it if you would meet him on the ground with a detail. He should be arriving in a few hours local time.
Corporal Spangler should be buried with full honors. It's the least we can do.
Yours truly,
Colonel Steven Long,
Office of Strategic Services, Project Z
Colonel Long,
The burial was taken care of today. A local minister handled the service. There was no one there but Mr. Spangler. We presented the flag to him, and were dismissed. I made sure to hand him my card in case he needed it.
I will be surprised if he uses it. He gave the impression of never wanting to talk to us again.
Yours truly,
Sergeant Randall McQuade
Grave Detail, Fort Mead
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Originally Posted by Yansuf
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