Paul V. Myers (1921-1943)

Paul Myers was a kid from Madison, Wisconsin, who worked at the Rundle-Spence Manufacture Company.  The company manufactures plumbing and heating supplies today, but at the time Paul worked there, they were focused on plumbing supplies.  Paul joined the Army on June 3, 1942, receiving his basic training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.  He was shipped overseas in May 1943.  Paul was part of the Division Artillery, 45th Infantry Division.

At some point in 1943, someone in his division passed around a copy of Bill Mauldin’s popular Sicily Sketch Book, which Paul signed on page 6, listing his home address as 609 Division Street, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Sicily Sketch Book 1

Paul was killed in action in Italy on November 6, 1943, the same year that Mauldin’s book was published.  He was 22 years old. Paul V. Myers is buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, the same cemetery that Gregor Duncan is buried in. 

Paul V. Myers is likely someone you’ve never heard of before.  At 22 years old, the age of “kids” I taught at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he had his whole life ahead of him.  Please take a few seconds to think about Paul and the ultimate sacrifice he made for our country.

The Capital Times, November 23, 1943

Wisconsin State Journal, November 24, 1943