Name:
Leo J. Packham
Rank:
Technician 5th Grade
Serial Number:
20915451
Unit:
501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Death:
1944-06-06
State:
California
Cemetery:
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France
Plot:
C
Row:
16
Grave:
44
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:
Leo P. Packham was born on November 22, 1921, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. He worked in the entertainment field until 1941. Packham enlisted in the California National Guard in Los Angeles on March 3, 1941, and was assigned as a Private in the Quartermaster Corps.
During his training period, he volunteered for paratrooper duty and after completing "jump school," became a part of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, as a Technician 5th Grade that jumped on Normandy on D-Day. T5 Packham was Killed in Action on June 6, 1944, during the Battle of Graignes in France. He is now buried in Normandy American Cemetery and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Source of information: history.santacruzpl.org