John W. Earle
June 2, 1925 – April 17,2020

John Walter Earle was born in Boston on 2 June 1925. He was the second oldest and eldest son of eight children. He left his job as a welder at the Charlestown Navy Yard, and concealing an ear condition, joined the Army in Boston, MA on October 7, 1943.

He received basic training in South Carolina, He left the United States for the European Theater on April 4, 1944.  He volunteered to join the Rangers, in his words, because “they were a family.” He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, Company E.  He entered combat as a rifleman, and was a first scout in a section whose duty was to be the first to contact the enemy. He participated in five major battles, and was awarded the Purple Heart and one cluster and the combat Infantry Badge. He participated in battles in Normandy, the Ardennes, Central Europe, and the Rhineland.r John returned home on the ship USS West Point on October 16, 1945. He was honorably discharged on October 28, 1945, “at the convenience of the Government.”

After the service, he returned home, married, raised two daughters,Peggy and Irene.    John retired from the Post Office. He passed away on April 17, 2020, at the age of 94, and is buried in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, Massachusetts.  Although he lived a long life, those 2 years were the most pivotal. He didn’t speak of that time very often, but those experiences remained with him.