Benjamin Franklin Laughton Jr., Pensacola High Class of 1932, was the son of Benjamin F. Sr. and Leola Belle Davis of Bagdad, Florida. His father was a railroad conductor for the Frisco Railroad, and a member of the Bagdad Methodist Church. He entered the US Army and was assigned to the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division.
The regiment was sent to Europe in January 1944, destined to hit Utah Beach on D-Day. By November 16, 1944, the division was destined to become one of ten divisions to assault the impregnable Hurtgen Forest in Operation Queen. The purpose was to seize the Rhine River crossings into Germany. The forest was thickly wooded with great hardwood and fir trees standing 75 to 100 feet tall. Throughout November, the temperatures remained near freezing, with never-ending mixture of snow, sleet and rain. Within two days of entering the forest, every battalion commander was killed or wounded as were many of the small unit leaders.
Their Thanksgiving dinner of the 24th was cold turkey sandwiches and luke warm coffee. This was the last meal for many in the regiment. The next day on the 25th the regiment launched its attack to seize Grosshau. German General Gersdorf called the fighting in the Hurtgen the worse he had seen including the Russian Front, and the bloodbaths of World War I. Private Laughton was one of the brave soldiers that fell that day. His regiment alone suffered 2,773 casualties, or 85% of its normal complement of 3,257 soldiers, just to take one village and 6,000 yards of forest. Each rifle company went into action averaging 162 soldiers. Seven days later, the rifle companies averaged 87. By the end of the battle, losses of the rifle companies reached an estimated 151% of their original strength. I
n 1949, Laughton's body was transferred to the American War Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands in Plot "B", Row "21" and Grave "12." Today, the local Dutch citizens visit the graves of these men, decorating their graves with flowers, to express their gratitude for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Private Benjamin Franklin Laughton Jr., 1914-1944
Buried American Military Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands
