T/5 William E. Stireman

Biography and Wartime Service

William Edmond Stireman was born on September 13, 1920, in Superior, Wisconsin, to Phoebe Sofia Erickson and William Edmond Stireman.

William Stireman enlisted in the Regular Army on October 19, 1940 at Wausau, Wisconsin and got his basic training as a young private with the Coast Artillery Corps, a member of the 61st CA Regiment. He married Mary Lorraine Karlon on October 1, 1941, in Minnesota. In 1942 his unit was transferred to Iceland for further training, here they were later redesignated as the 494th AAA Battalion. After Iceland they moved to Scotland and England before joining the fight in Europe. He landed on Utah Beach in July, 1944 and made his way to Belgium through Normandy and Northern France.

November 2, 1944 the 494th AAA Gun Bn arrived in Putte. Its batteries were scattered across the towns of Peulis and Putte and D Battery chose a location next to the Geerts Family Farm, in the Schaapstraat. Just a few days later, a message was sent to the commanders of the 788th and 789th AAA AW Bn informing them that both units were firing outside their zone. In particular, the headquarters of the 494th AAA, located at the Zwarte Poort (diagonally opposite the intersection of Mechelbaan and Vaatjesstraat), send out a report to the 22nd AAA Group HQ saying they had shells bursting over their position and exploding near their position. Because of these problems, the 494th decided to move Battery D a few hundred meters on November 6, 1944.

Three of the four guns had already been moved, and the fourth gun had been prepared for transport, awaiting the return of the trucks. At that moment, a V1 flew overhead, prompting the surrounding batteries to spring into action. An unexploded 40mm shell came back down, squarely hitting the gun, and the explosion sent hundreds of pieces of shrapnel flying in all directions. The waiting gun crew was hit hard. Private Frank Klepper died on the spot and six of his buddies were wounded, Cpl. William A. Bassi, T/5 William E. Stireman, Pfc. James H. Swanson, Pfc. Martin I. Mueller, Pfc. Adam Valuchivich and Pvt. Herbert G. Barnard. The six wounded soldiers are rushed to the hospital in Lier. Frank Klepper’s body however was first put to rest in the farm and a little time later brought to the American cemetery at Henri-Chapelle where he was buried. Because of their slight injuries the men were back with their unit within a few days or weeks. Despite the incident and losing Gun nr 4 D-Battery completed its move and was operational again 4 hours later at their new location in the Heerkenslei.

William Edmond Stireman died on April 1, 2016, in Holly Hill, Florida, when he was 95 years old.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Andy Stireman, grandson of William 'Bill' Stireman at the Frank Klepper Memorial, November 2014.

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