Honor your hero with thoughts, memories, images and stories.
PFC U.S. Army 315th Infantry 79th Division Company F
Caleb Jr, was a timid, loving and shy boy. He was an excellent student and graduated from North Quincy High School in 1941. For a few years after graduation he worked for S. H. Couch Co, in Wollaston, Mass., stock boy in W. T. Grant Co, and as the war flared up, he went to work at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, but he was so naïve and patriotic that, against his parent's wishes, (Caleb and Edith Willis Wood Palmer) for they already had three boys in the service, he was determined to get into active service. Because of a serious medical birth defect, he was turned down. Undaunted, he immediately underwent unsuccessful surgery, and persistently applied until he was finally accepted. His dream was to be a Flyer; although he was a "bleeder" he even had his teeth removed, and got false teeth to join the Air Corps, but alas, after five basic training courses, Ft. Devens, Shephard Field, Texas, Ft. Bragg, N. C., Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, Camp Robinson, Arkansas, the call was made for infantry, and he was assigned to go overseas in that capacity. From day one he was fighting his way towards the Rhine, where his outfit would cross over into the Black Forest of Germany. This life of combat, so unnatural to my courageous little brother was cruel. It necessitated hand to hand fighting, horrid mud and snow filled foxholes, fear of artillery fire and mine fields. He was in the 79th Division under Col. Patch. His 315th Infantry was the first to cross the Rhine. On Dec 21, 1944, during the Battles of the Bulge, Caleb Jr, was hit by enemy artillery, dying of his wounds, while defending the town of Scheibenhardt, Germany. His entire outfit was wiped out.
PFC Caleb Palmer was awarded the Purple Heart.