Name:
Howard D. Collins
Rank:
First Lieutenant
Serial Number:
0-1286969
Unit:
502nd Parachute infantry Regiment
Date of Death:
1996-09-01
State:
Indiana
Cemetery:
Cane Creek Cemetery, Indiana
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Comments:
Howard Collins served in the U.S. Army during the Normandy Invasion of World War II as a First Lieutenant in G Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He served the entirety of the war in the European theatre. Howard was a member of the OSS and spent time in Austria following VE Day conducting investigations and searching out Nazis. He was recalled to active duty to serve in the Korean War. Following the Korean War, at age 35 Howard married Joyce who brought light, love, and eventually 5 children into his life. He farmed and operated the Collins Lumber Company until shortly before his death in 1996.