John M. Creed was born on March 20, 1920, the seventh of eight children born to David John McDonald (John M.) Creed and Ollie Elizabeth Davis Creed in the small town of Dubach in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. The Creeds worked on a farm in Epps, Louisiana, and in 1930 the senior John M. was up in a pecan tree when he fell and broke his neck, which resulted in his death. John M. completed one year of high school as a teenager and entered the US Army in November 1941, joining Co. E 186th Infantry Regiment of the 41st Infantry Division, the "Jungleers".*
Pvt. Creed was sent to the Pacific Theater during World War II and served in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines. On February 28, 1945, the 186th Regiment peacefully landed on Palawan Island**. The enemy had retreated into the hills and no opposition was met by the Americans until March 3, 1945. On this day, John M.'s platoon needed the exact location of the Japanese, and John M. volunteered to draw fire. He was shot in the chest, resulting in the loss of one lung and part of the other. Pvt. Creed was sent to Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Colorado and discharged on October 6, 1945, with a prognosis of only 6 months to live. He lived until 1989. While in the Army, John M. was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Philippines Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.
After his return home from the war John M. was able to return to school to get his high school diploma, graduating from Spearsville High School in 1948. On October 14, 1948 he married Novie Jean Hollis. They were the parents of five children: Nancy, Johnny, Mickey, Cindy, and Cathy. While his children were growing up John M. worked as a custodian for the Union Parish School System, pastored Mount Moriah Baptist Church for 13 years, was an avid local baseball player and also served as constable of Ward 6 in Union Parish. In 1956, only five months into his term as constable, John M. was shot while attempting to arrest a drunk driver who pulled a gun on him shooting him in the neck and back. He survived these gunshot wounds and recovered fairly well. In 1964 John M. was in an explosion while working at the school. He was once again at the point of death but pulled through after months of treatment in the hospital. In the mid 1980s he survived inoperable cancer on his brain stem, as well as a terrible car accident involving a log truck. By the late 1980s his overall health began to decline, and he developed pneumonia. The pneumonia was impossible to fight due to the wounds he received in World War II, and John M. Creed passed away on October 30, 1989, in Farmerville, Louisiana, at the age of 69.
John M. was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife, Novie Jean Hollis Creed; four daughters, Mrs. Rodney (Nancy) Cook, Mickey Creed, Mrs. Allen (Cindy) Grimmett, and Mrs. Ken (Cathy) Kenley; a son, Johnny Creed; two brothers. O.D. Creed, and Joe L. Creed; two sisters, Bennie Mae Knight, and Frances Bryan; and three grandchildren, Tina Cook, Karen Grimmett, and Sara Kenley.
May his memory be eternal.
"A Soldier's Dream In New Guinea"
Somewhere in New Guinea
along the South Sea Isles,
A pale moon is shining
among those fleecy clouds,
And there beneath a palm tree
along the beach and sand,
Looking across the waters,
is a soldier young and tanned
His mind is a thousand miles from here,
far to a distant land,
To some small town in some large state
of which he thought so grand.
His thoughts are of his loved ones there
and first of all is his mother,
She cared for him and babied him,
and God bless her there is no other.
But as he sits there gazing
and his mind so far away,
There's a dream of planes a coming,
the Japs are on their way,
The Ack-Ack guns are firing
shells bursting in the air
The first thing he thinks of is
to find a trench somewhere,
And when the fire works are over,
and the siren sounds all clear
He steps out of his trench and
thank God for still being here.
-Pvt. John M. Creed
*More about the 41st Infantry Division can be found here: https://armyhistory.org/41st-infantry-division-arng/
**More about the Invasion of Palawan can be found here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Palawan
A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO SPARKYSGRL FOR SPONSORING MY GRANDFATHER'S MEMORIAL
Pvt. Creed was sent to the Pacific Theater during World War II and served in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines. On February 28, 1945, the 186th Regiment peacefully landed on Palawan Island**. The enemy had retreated into the hills and no opposition was met by the Americans until March 3, 1945. On this day, John M.'s platoon needed the exact location of the Japanese, and John M. volunteered to draw fire. He was shot in the chest, resulting in the loss of one lung and part of the other. Pvt. Creed was sent to Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Colorado and discharged on October 6, 1945, with a prognosis of only 6 months to live. He lived until 1989. While in the Army, John M. was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Philippines Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.
After his return home from the war John M. was able to return to school to get his high school diploma, graduating from Spearsville High School in 1948. On October 14, 1948 he married Novie Jean Hollis. They were the parents of five children: Nancy, Johnny, Mickey, Cindy, and Cathy. While his children were growing up John M. worked as a custodian for the Union Parish School System, pastored Mount Moriah Baptist Church for 13 years, was an avid local baseball player and also served as constable of Ward 6 in Union Parish. In 1956, only five months into his term as constable, John M. was shot while attempting to arrest a drunk driver who pulled a gun on him shooting him in the neck and back. He survived these gunshot wounds and recovered fairly well. In 1964 John M. was in an explosion while working at the school. He was once again at the point of death but pulled through after months of treatment in the hospital. In the mid 1980s he survived inoperable cancer on his brain stem, as well as a terrible car accident involving a log truck. By the late 1980s his overall health began to decline, and he developed pneumonia. The pneumonia was impossible to fight due to the wounds he received in World War II, and John M. Creed passed away on October 30, 1989, in Farmerville, Louisiana, at the age of 69.
John M. was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife, Novie Jean Hollis Creed; four daughters, Mrs. Rodney (Nancy) Cook, Mickey Creed, Mrs. Allen (Cindy) Grimmett, and Mrs. Ken (Cathy) Kenley; a son, Johnny Creed; two brothers. O.D. Creed, and Joe L. Creed; two sisters, Bennie Mae Knight, and Frances Bryan; and three grandchildren, Tina Cook, Karen Grimmett, and Sara Kenley.
May his memory be eternal.
"A Soldier's Dream In New Guinea"
Somewhere in New Guinea
along the South Sea Isles,
A pale moon is shining
among those fleecy clouds,
And there beneath a palm tree
along the beach and sand,
Looking across the waters,
is a soldier young and tanned
His mind is a thousand miles from here,
far to a distant land,
To some small town in some large state
of which he thought so grand.
His thoughts are of his loved ones there
and first of all is his mother,
She cared for him and babied him,
and God bless her there is no other.
But as he sits there gazing
and his mind so far away,
There's a dream of planes a coming,
the Japs are on their way,
The Ack-Ack guns are firing
shells bursting in the air
The first thing he thinks of is
to find a trench somewhere,
And when the fire works are over,
and the siren sounds all clear
He steps out of his trench and
thank God for still being here.
-Pvt. John M. Creed
*More about the 41st Infantry Division can be found here: https://armyhistory.org/41st-infantry-division-arng/
**More about the Invasion of Palawan can be found here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Palawan
A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO SPARKYSGRL FOR SPONSORING MY GRANDFATHER'S MEMORIAL
John M. Creed was born on March 20, 1920, the seventh of eight children born to David John McDonald (John M.) Creed and Ollie Elizabeth Davis Creed in the small town of Dubach in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. The Creeds worked on a farm in Epps, Louisiana, and in 1930 the senior John M. was up in a pecan tree when he fell and broke his neck, which resulted in his death. John M. completed one year of high school as a teenager and entered the US Army in November 1941, joining Co. E 186th Infantry Regiment of the 41st Infantry Division, the "Jungleers".*
Pvt. Creed was sent to the Pacific Theater during World War II and served in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines. On February 28, 1945, the 186th Regiment peacefully landed on Palawan Island**. The enemy had retreated into the hills and no opposition was met by the Americans until March 3, 1945. On this day, John M.'s platoon needed the exact location of the Japanese, and John M. volunteered to draw fire. He was shot in the chest, resulting in the loss of one lung and part of the other. Pvt. Creed was sent to Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Colorado and discharged on October 6, 1945, with a prognosis of only 6 months to live. He lived until 1989. While in the Army, John M. was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Philippines Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.
After his return home from the war John M. was able to return to school to get his high school diploma, graduating from Spearsville High School in 1948. On October 14, 1948 he married Novie Jean Hollis. They were the parents of five children: Nancy, Johnny, Mickey, Cindy, and Cathy. While his children were growing up John M. worked as a custodian for the Union Parish School System, pastored Mount Moriah Baptist Church for 13 years, was an avid local baseball player and also served as constable of Ward 6 in Union Parish. In 1956, only five months into his term as constable, John M. was shot while attempting to arrest a drunk driver who pulled a gun on him shooting him in the neck and back. He survived these gunshot wounds and recovered fairly well. In 1964 John M. was in an explosion while working at the school. He was once again at the point of death but pulled through after months of treatment in the hospital. In the mid 1980s he survived inoperable cancer on his brain stem, as well as a terrible car accident involving a log truck. By the late 1980s his overall health began to decline, and he developed pneumonia. The pneumonia was impossible to fight due to the wounds he received in World War II, and John M. Creed passed away on October 30, 1989, in Farmerville, Louisiana, at the age of 69.
John M. was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife, Novie Jean Hollis Creed; four daughters, Mrs. Rodney (Nancy) Cook, Mickey Creed, Mrs. Allen (Cindy) Grimmett, and Mrs. Ken (Cathy) Kenley; a son, Johnny Creed; two brothers. O.D. Creed, and Joe L. Creed; two sisters, Bennie Mae Knight, and Frances Bryan; and three grandchildren, Tina Cook, Karen Grimmett, and Sara Kenley.
May his memory be eternal.
"A Soldier's Dream In New Guinea"
Somewhere in New Guinea
along the South Sea Isles,
A pale moon is shining
among those fleecy clouds,
And there beneath a palm tree
along the beach and sand,
Looking across the waters,
is a soldier young and tanned
His mind is a thousand miles from here,
far to a distant land,
To some small town in some large state
of which he thought so grand.
His thoughts are of his loved ones there
and first of all is his mother,
She cared for him and babied him,
and God bless her there is no other.
But as he sits there gazing
and his mind so far away,
There's a dream of planes a coming,
the Japs are on their way,
The Ack-Ack guns are firing
shells bursting in the air
The first thing he thinks of is
to find a trench somewhere,
And when the fire works are over,
and the siren sounds all clear
He steps out of his trench and
thank God for still being here.
-Pvt. John M. Creed
*More about the 41st Infantry Division can be found here: https://armyhistory.org/41st-infantry-division-arng/
**More about the Invasion of Palawan can be found here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Palawan
A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO SPARKYSGRL FOR SPONSORING MY GRANDFATHER'S MEMORIAL
Pvt. Creed was sent to the Pacific Theater during World War II and served in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines. On February 28, 1945, the 186th Regiment peacefully landed on Palawan Island**. The enemy had retreated into the hills and no opposition was met by the Americans until March 3, 1945. On this day, John M.'s platoon needed the exact location of the Japanese, and John M. volunteered to draw fire. He was shot in the chest, resulting in the loss of one lung and part of the other. Pvt. Creed was sent to Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Colorado and discharged on October 6, 1945, with a prognosis of only 6 months to live. He lived until 1989. While in the Army, John M. was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Philippines Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.
After his return home from the war John M. was able to return to school to get his high school diploma, graduating from Spearsville High School in 1948. On October 14, 1948 he married Novie Jean Hollis. They were the parents of five children: Nancy, Johnny, Mickey, Cindy, and Cathy. While his children were growing up John M. worked as a custodian for the Union Parish School System, pastored Mount Moriah Baptist Church for 13 years, was an avid local baseball player and also served as constable of Ward 6 in Union Parish. In 1956, only five months into his term as constable, John M. was shot while attempting to arrest a drunk driver who pulled a gun on him shooting him in the neck and back. He survived these gunshot wounds and recovered fairly well. In 1964 John M. was in an explosion while working at the school. He was once again at the point of death but pulled through after months of treatment in the hospital. In the mid 1980s he survived inoperable cancer on his brain stem, as well as a terrible car accident involving a log truck. By the late 1980s his overall health began to decline, and he developed pneumonia. The pneumonia was impossible to fight due to the wounds he received in World War II, and John M. Creed passed away on October 30, 1989, in Farmerville, Louisiana, at the age of 69.
John M. was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife, Novie Jean Hollis Creed; four daughters, Mrs. Rodney (Nancy) Cook, Mickey Creed, Mrs. Allen (Cindy) Grimmett, and Mrs. Ken (Cathy) Kenley; a son, Johnny Creed; two brothers. O.D. Creed, and Joe L. Creed; two sisters, Bennie Mae Knight, and Frances Bryan; and three grandchildren, Tina Cook, Karen Grimmett, and Sara Kenley.
May his memory be eternal.
"A Soldier's Dream In New Guinea"
Somewhere in New Guinea
along the South Sea Isles,
A pale moon is shining
among those fleecy clouds,
And there beneath a palm tree
along the beach and sand,
Looking across the waters,
is a soldier young and tanned
His mind is a thousand miles from here,
far to a distant land,
To some small town in some large state
of which he thought so grand.
His thoughts are of his loved ones there
and first of all is his mother,
She cared for him and babied him,
and God bless her there is no other.
But as he sits there gazing
and his mind so far away,
There's a dream of planes a coming,
the Japs are on their way,
The Ack-Ack guns are firing
shells bursting in the air
The first thing he thinks of is
to find a trench somewhere,
And when the fire works are over,
and the siren sounds all clear
He steps out of his trench and
thank God for still being here.
-Pvt. John M. Creed
*More about the 41st Infantry Division can be found here: https://armyhistory.org/41st-infantry-division-arng/
**More about the Invasion of Palawan can be found here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Palawan
A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO SPARKYSGRL FOR SPONSORING MY GRANDFATHER'S MEMORIAL
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WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN
