Fred Swindell Byars

1920 - 1950  (29 years)

• Name	Fred Swindell Byars
  Born	7 Dec 1920	Moores College, DeKalb County, Tennssee   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Bus Driver  [4]
  	while in Detroit...
  Occupation	CCC Worker before WW II  [5]
  _MILT	19 Feb 1942  [5, 6]
  	WW II Veteran, US Navy
  Residence	4 Mar 1944	Bremerton, Washington State   [7]
  	Saturday, March 4, 1944; Ship (USS Leutze) went into commission at Bremerton, Washington. Thursday, December 6, 1945 USS Leutze decommissioned.
  Residence	17 Jun 1944	Pearl Harbor, Hawaii   [7]
  	Saturday, June 17, 1944: Well we are in Pearl Harbor. I don?t guess we will be here long. It sure looks different than when it did years ago.
  Residence	23 Jun 1944	Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands   [7]
  	Friday, June 23, 1944: Brought on 30 passengers on yesterday. We are putting them off in the Marshall Islands, somewhere around Eniwetok Atoll. Battle of Eniwetok - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Eniwetok The Battle of Eniwetok was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought between 17 February 1944 and 23 February 1944
  Residence	2 Aug 1944	Seattle, Washington   [7]
  	Wednesday, August 2, 1944; Well we are in the States at Seattle. Came in two days ago. Will be here a couple more days yet. I talked too quick. We pulled out this evening at 1600 back to Pearl Harbor I think.
  Residence	24 Aug 1944	Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands   [7]
  	Thursday, August 24, 1944: Pulled into Guadalcanal this evening. Guadalcanal Campaign - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign ...
  Residence	12 Sep 1944	Peleliu, Micronesia   [7]
  	Tuesday, September 12, 1944: Battle of Peleliu - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Peleliu The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II by the United States military, was fought between the U.S. and Japan during the Mariana and Palau ...
  Residence	27 Sep 1944	Hollandia, New Guinea   [7]
  	Wednesday, September 27, 1944: We left Peleliu the 25th. Going to New Guinea at Hollandia. Taking the USS Louisville there. She has some big shot aboard that is going to see MacArthur.
  Residence	5 Oct 1944	Manus Island, Papua, New Guinea   [7]
  	Thursday, October 5, 1944: Left Hollandia and came to Manus Island in the Admiralities. We will be out by the 15th I guess for the Philippines. That will be where we put up a fight for what we get, not like Palau. Admiralty Islands campaign - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiralty_Islands_campaign The Admiralty Islands campaign (Operation Brewer) was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which ... The largest island in the group is Manus Island, which is about 49 miles (79 km) across from east to west and ...
  Residence	20 Oct 1944	Leyte Island, Philippines   [7]
  	Friday, October 20, 1944: We landed troops this morning in Leyte at 8:45. Really a sight to see. We were 1000 yards from the beach. You could see Japs everywhere. We had a few dive bombing attacks. Nothing to speak of. They are landing 120,000 troops on these islands. There are about 2,000 Marines in the hills that are stranded here. They picked up three Filipinos yesterday. They said there were 20,000 guerillas in the hills waiting for arms. This is the biggest landing they have had out here. Rather a funny one happened this morning. We were firing phosphorous shells. It set fire to some Japs. They were beating the fire out with their hands. They shouldn't have bothered. The next one put it out for them. Battle of Leyte - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino ...
  Residence	26 Dec 1944	Palau Islands   [7]
  	Tuesday, December 26, 1944: Still in Palau. Some Christmas we had and the boys overseas get everything. It all stinks to me.
  Residence	6 Jan 1945	San Fernando, Philippines   [7]
  	Saturday, January 6, 1945: A merry day we had today. We started bombardment on San Fernando [Philippines]. We had air raids all day long about seven ships took hits. The Louisville took a suicide plane on her bridge. It knocked quite a few men over the side. We were throwing life jackets to them. Some of them had their clothes blown off. The plane that hit them was headed for us. We threw enough fire in him it turned him to the cruiser. Boy I really earned my pay today. This is what puts gray hair on our head. There were twelve planes knocked down beside what was got by the fighter patrol.
  Residence	22 Jan 1945	Lingayen, Philippines   [7]
  	Monday, January 22, 1945: Left Lingayen. First stop Leyte, then to Guam I guess.
  Residence	27 Jan 1945	Ulithi, Caroline Island   [7]
  	Saturday, January 27, 1945: Pulled into Ulithi around 0700. Boy have they got a fleet in here. First line carriers and new BB cruiser. This place is lousy with them. They have enough ships in here to raid Tokyo Bay. If they could see this I think they would quit. I guess we will get a lot of mail tomorrow. Hope so.
  Residence	13 Feb 1945	Saipan, Mariana Islands   [7]
  	Tuesday, February 13, 1945: Came into Saipan yesterday morning and refuel and protect for the invasion of Iwo Jima. We took on more power. Boy have they really got the B59s in here. I sure would hate to be in Japan when this invasion starts. I guess we will leave here today or in the morning.
  Residence	16 Feb 1945	Iwo Jima, Pacific Ocean   [7]
  	Friday, February 16, 1945: At dawn this morning, we started bombardment of Iwo Jima. We didn't get any return fire. We are going in closer tomorrow. They say they have shore batteries along the beach. This island is the smallest we have hit yet, 3 miles long and 2 1/2 miles wide. Not much to it. We seen one plane all day. She tried to slip in on a cruiser but failed. We haven't been to GQ all day. This is miserable weather down here. Almost froze this morning. The radio is really blaring out about our carrier planes hitting Japan. Sure am glad I am not in that task force. It was the first major battle of World War II to take place on Japanese homeland. The island of Iwo Jima was a strategic location because the US needed a place for fighter planes and bombers to land and take off when attacking Japan. Iwo Jima is a small island located 750 miles south of Tokyo, Japan. Images: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Stars_and_Stripes_on_Mount_Suribachi_%2528Iwo_Jima%2529.jpg/170px-Stars_and_Stripes_on_Mount_Suribachi_%2528Iwo_Jima%2529.jpg&imgrefurl=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima&h=222&w=170&tbnid=326hIuianFwLiM:&q=where+is+iwo+jima&tbnh=160&tbnw=122&usg=AFrqEzdpIPwbK2laILY84vCpniozj28qFA&vet=12ahUKEwi498a9gZ_dAhVN0VMKHWMXAhEQ_B0wAXoECAYQCg..i&docid=McPUIS8Wb8qkPM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi498a9gZ_dAhVN0VMKHWMXAhEQ_B0wAXoECAYQCg
  Residence	5 Apr 1945	Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands   [7]
  	Thursday, April 5, 1945: Okinawa Badly damaged by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft on 6 April 1945 off Okinawa, 8 casualites.
  Residence	26 Sep 1945	Camp Elliot, San Diego, California   [8]
  	His discharge from the Navy.
  Died	19 Feb 1950	Sherwood, Franklin County, Tennessee   [1, 9]
  Buried	Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee   [1]
  Person ID	I706	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	20 Nov 2019

  
  

  Father	Perry Green "Green" Byars,   b. 27 Jun 1894, DeKalb County, Tennessee ,   d. 12 Dec 1968, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee  (Age 74 years)
  Mother	Vernia Elvira "Ma" Swindell,   b. 1 Jun 1894, Green Briar Bend, White County, Tennessee ,   d. 1 Apr 1985, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee  (Age 90 years)
  Married	4 Jan 1915	DeKalb County, Tennessee   [10, 11]
  	Pop courted Ma only two months before they were married by W. H. Cantrell, JP When Pop proposed, Ma replied, "Are you sure?" - after all, it was only two months earlier that they met and Ma didn't think she was pretty enough for the most handsome man she'd ever met...
  Residence	1920	Warren County, Tennessee   [12]
  Residence	1930	Warren County, Tennessee   [13]
  	District 16,
  Residence	1935	Warren County, Tennessee   [14]
  	Rural Warren Co., TN
  Residence	1940	McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee   [14]
  Family ID	F274	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Alice Marie "Marie" Prince,   b. 20 May 1922, Sherwood, Franklin County, Tennessee ,   d. 16 Nov 2012, Boulevard Terrace Nursing Facility, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee  (Age 90 years)
  Married	Monteagle, Marion County, Tennessee   [15]
  Residence	Detroit, Michigan   [4]
  Last Modified	23 Nov 2019
  Family ID	F275	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Uncle Fred was in the Navy, Gunner's Mate 3rd Class, during WW II and assigned to the destroyer-class, US Leutze DD 481 which was commissioned March 4, 1944 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington. Vessel's History from Wikipedia.org Leutze completed the necessary performance trials and continued the training of her crew on escort missions to Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok during June and July 1944. On 2 August she departed Seattle for the war zone a sleek new destroyer and returned 1 year and 1 day later a battered veteran about to be scrapped. In this short interval she had played a part in five invasions and a major naval battle before a kamikaze ended her fighting days. After departing Seattle, Washington, the destroyer rehearsed in the Hawaiian and Solomon Islands for the invasion of the Palaus . Arriving off Peleliu 12 September (D-Day -3), Leutze bombarded enemy positions ashore and suffered her first casualty when shrapnel from an enemy shell sprayed the ship. Withdrawn on the 24th, she joined Task Group 77.2 (TG 77.2) at Manus Island , Admiralties , for the invasion of the strategically important Philippines . Action off Leyte began 18 October with little serious opposition to the preinvasion bombardment but rose to a crescendo climax with the Battle of Leyte Gulf 24 and 25 October. Leutze, first firing on an enemy plane two days earlier, suffered 11 casualties on the morning of the 24th when hit during an enemy bombing and strafing run. That night in Surigao Straits with Rear Adm. Jesse B. Oldendorf ?s 7th Fleet support ships, she attacked with torpedoes the ships of Japan ?s Southern Force under Adm. Shoji Nishimura . During this phase of the last major battle between surface ships, Nishimura lost two battleships and three destroyers in a vain attempt to force his way through the Straits and attack the American invasion fleet. Thereafter with its surface fleet decimated, Japan again resorted to airstrikes. Although Leutze emerged unscratched, on a single day 1 November, four sister ships of her screen were crashed by suicide planes. After a period of tender overhaul, she steamed out of Kossol Roads 1 January 1945 for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf , Luzon , Philippines. En route the ship received ice cream for all hands for returning a sailor fallen overboard from Makin Island (CVE-93). She arrived in Lingayen Gulf 6 January for fire support. While supporting this operation, Leutze 7 January sank a Japanese patrol vessel and 9 January a small suicide boat loaded with explosives. Careful preparations were made for the next assault. Iwo Jima , desired as an airfield site, was selected as the target. Practicing with underwater demolition teams at Ulithi and conducting exercises until beyond Saipan , Leutze arrived Iwo Jima 16 February. Despite intensive previous bombing and shelling, enemy fire was heavy. While protecting Navy frogmen on the 17th, she took, a shell on the after part of the forward stack. Remaining until the completion of her mission, she then transferred her seriously wounded commanding officer and three other injured and resumed station. Ordered back to Ulithi the next day for repairs, she returned to Iwo Jima early in March but only for 4 days, as much of this fleet was now needed for Operation Iceberg , the conquest of Okinawa . This last big amphibious operation of the war, unlike Iwo Jima, took place within range of Japanese land-based planes. While escorting battleship New York (BB-34) for the preinvasion shelling of 27 March, Leutze made two depth charge runs which apparently sank a midget submarine . On a second voyage with Mobile (CL-63) and Oakland (CL-95), she arrived Okinawa 3 April. This was 2 days after D-Day but in time for the first of the Japanese operations ?Ten Go?, the massed kamikaze attacks. end of history [16] Uncled Fred worked for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) before the war. Note: The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families as part of the New Deal created by President Roosevelt. end of note Tue 2/26/2019 5:40 AM Fred Byars, Hi, Fred Byars, #0020670 We took a look at your CV and would like to offer you this post. Partnership with a list of logistics companies makes it possible to search for the best logistics solutions for our customers. Our dynamic company is recruiting to fill the position of logistics manager. Your tasks are: market monitoring to look for the minimum value of various goods or services, correspondence and other documents verification and organization, researching and project control. You will also be entitled to employment benefits which includes: medical and dental insurance, two weeks holiday pay yearly after probation. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail to get more information about the offer. Please pay attention that this job offer is for US citizens or persons with permit to work in the US only. Yours truly, Loren Curtis end of offer

  
  

• Sources

  [S67] "High's Funeral Home Records",McMinnville,Warren Co.,TN transcribed by Shirley, p. 3 (Reliability: 3). [S8773] "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SP7L-15Q : acc. [S8774] "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4HF-9VX : acc. [S10933] David A. Hennessee, Researcher, info@classroomfurniture.com, 626 Biscayne Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 3401, 561.832.661. [S14291] Eva Pearl Byars Bess Fultz, sister to Fred Swindell Byars, confirmed by telephone, July 10th, 2019, that he was in the. [S14898] This person, place, event, location, comment, document or photo was abstracted or parsed by David A. Hennessee, http://t. [S13150] Cousin Dawn, dawncline1124@gmail.com, Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018, 2:14 PM, transcribed Uncle Fred's WW II Navy diary,. [S14904] Uncle Fred's Discharge Document, http://thehennesseefamily.com/media/discharge_back1.pdf, This person, place, event, loc. [S14245] Dawn Cline, dawncline1124@gmail.com, submitted this Death Certificate Saturday, June 22nd, 2019, this person, place, eve. [S7902] DeKalb Co.,TN Marriage Book:1901-1950, compiled by Jorene Washer Parsley, p. 78 (Reliability: 3). [S8770] "Hogg DNA Project - A List of Hogg Lines", line VA1657: descendants of John Hogg of New Kent Co. VA, http://hdhdata.org/. [S12220] "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNGR-Y8P : acc. [S12219] "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SP7L-15Q : acc. [S12221] "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4HF-9VX : acc. [S46747] "High's Funeral Home Records",McMinnville,Warren Co.,TN transcribed February 24, 1994, by Shirley Ann Barnes, 116 Seitz. [S12374] "USS Leutze", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Leutze_(DD-481), revisited or retrieved, recorded & uploaded to the websi.