James Vernon Cravens, also known as Jack Cravens, rarely but sometimes as JV Cravens, of Henderson, Kentucky, was my paternal grandfather. He died in July 1990.
When he was born in 1913, his father, Hamilton, was 29 and his mother, Ruth, was 19.
He was married to Emma Beasley Cravens.
He was the pastor of these churches:
He officiated hundreds of weddings, funerals and
baptisms. If you were ever a part of his congregation, please
feel free to and tell me about your experience. If you have any
photos of him, I would love for you to send me scans. Please
contact me at
jayne "at" coyotebroad "dot"
com
He was working for the Wolf Hills Coal Company,
owned by Leo King, Sr. and Gus Johns, when he was drafted in
1941, just before the US entered World War II. His enlistment
records say his highest education was grammar school and that
his civilian occupation at the time of enlistment was
"Semiskilled cranemen, derrickmen, hoistmen, and shovelmen."
He went to Louisville and was examined by the Army doctors. He
was almost refused because he was underweight. His draft date in
Louisville is November 21, 1941.
He first went to Fort Thomas in Ohio and then went to Fort
Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training. At Fort Leonard Wood,
he was part of Company D 1st Platoon, 28th Engineers Training
Battalion. He also received a certificate of graduation from the
Quarter Master Corps School for Bakers and Cooks, A.P.O. #980.
He then went to Fort Ord, California and then to Seattle,
Washington. He went to Dutch Harbor, Alaska just after it had
been bombed by the Japanese. He then went to Umnak in the
Aleutian chain. He was there for 17 months. He was then moved to
Adak, and in 1944, he saw Franklin D. Roosevelt during his visit
to the troops - it was the first time he knew that he was
disabled. He eventually reached the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Here is more information about him serving in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
More information about Emma Beasley Cravens.
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The personal opinions expressed on this page are solely those of Ms. Cravens, unless otherwise noted.