This week’s Grave of the Week is Clay W. Prewett. Clay was born in 1922, and died May 20, 1944, during World War II. He was 21, dying 2 months before his 22nd birthday.
PFC Prewett served for 1 year, and 6 mos. He was a member of the 349 Inf 88th division, known as the “Blue Devils.” During Operation Diadem, the 349th, 350th, and 351st attacked Mt. Bracchi, Mt. Cerri, Mt. La Civita, and Spigno Saturnia in Italy. This mountain fighting was difficult for the soldiers. The terrain was muddy and hilly. The weather was cold and wet. It was hard to get supplies and to get aid for the wounded. Radio interference was always an issue which made communications problematic. On May 18, 1944, the 351st attempted to take Monte Grande. The 349th and 350th advanced from Roccasecca to the Amaseno Valley, which they reached on May 28. PFC Prewett died on this trek. He was one of six dead and 13 wounded on May 20. He took artillery shell to his thorax, thoracic wall, infraclavicular region and elbow.
While Prewett perished, the 349th went on to pierce the famed Adolf Hitler line for the first time.
German prisoners said the 88th fought like devils because of their fierceness in battle. The division adopted the name Blue Devils from this description and their blue shoulder patches.
It took 4 years before PFC Prewett came home to Deep Creek. This was common during the time due to a number of factors: the chaotic wartime conditions, logistical challenges in post-war Europe, a lack of resources and a difficulty in identifying the dead. While the war was active, the US Military banned the return of any overseas war dead. The money was to go to fighting the war. When the war ended, the military gave the families a choice: bring their loved one home or leave them in their war grave. The choices divided many—some believed they should come home, others felt it was desecration to dig up a body and move it.
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