LIONEL MITCHELL
LIONEL MITCHELL

Obituary of LIONEL MITCHELL

Capt. Lionel Clyde (Buddy) Mitchell, U.S. Army (Retired) Columbia, SC Another member of the Greatest Generation has died. Capt. Lionel Clyde (Buddy) Mitchell, U.S. Army (Retired), a World War II hero, died peacefully at home in his sleep December 14 in Columbia, S.C. He was 87. His wife, Ernestine Coffman, died Sept. 14, 2005. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Friday, December 17, 2010 at Greenlawn Funeral Home Chapel, 845 Leesburg Road Columbia, SC 29209. Viewing and visitation will be from 11:00 am until the hour of the service on Friday. Burial will take place at a later date in Edinburg, VA. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to VFW Post 2447- 100 Veterans Way Edinburg, VA 22824 (540) 984-4355. He was born in Majestic, KY, but grew up in Edinburg, VA. He ran away from home in 1938 from Edinburg, VA to join the Army ?to help support the family.? He was 15. He caught pneumonia in basic training. The Red Cross contacted his mother. The Army sent him home when they realized he was too young. He rejoined the Army when he was 17 in August 1940. During World War II, he was assigned to the 8th Signal Corps, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. On D-Day, June 6, 1944 at 12:06 a.m., he jumped behind German lines into Normandy. He saw heavy combat and was wounded more than once and was awarded two Purple Hearts. After the successful Normandy invasion, the 101st fought its way north through France, Holland and Belgium, where the Germans surrounded the 101st at Bastogne. The heavy artillery bombardment lasted from Dec. 20-27, 1944. ?I was never more scared in my life,? he said. He was discharged after the war at Fort Meade, MD, returned home and worked at the Sinclair station. He re-enlisted into the Signal Corps on Jan. 13, 1948. He soon had a three-year assignment in occupied Germany. He became a commissioned officer in 1952. Then came a tour in Korea. He retired from the Army in 1964. He worked for Sears for six years in farm and fencing and was the top salesman. He finished his working days as an assistant field director for the Red Cross. Capt. Mitchell is survived by his son, Mitch (Lise) in Lincoln, CA; daughters, Deborah Underwood and Diane Mitchell (Karen), both of Macon, GA; grandchildren, Cena Fildes (Mitch) of Newport News, VA, Max Mitchell of Sacramento, CA, and Meiko Michelle Mitchell of Portland, OR; and great-grandchildren, Anthony and Nicolas Mitchell of Citrus Heights, CA, and Wade and Hali Fildes of Newport News, VA.

Funeral Service

DEC 17. 12:00 PM Greenlawn Funeral Home 845 Leesburg Road Columbia, SC, US, 29209 info@greenlawn-columbia.com http://www.greenlawn-columbia.com
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