US Army PFC Olen Daniel Manning was born in Florala, Alabama on May 2, 1916, the son of Lorenzo Decoresse Manning (1881-1959) and Cozetta Isaleen Martin (1885-1962). Olen's parents were married in 1904 and came to Pensacola sometime before 1913. Lorenzo supported his family working with the railroad in a number of jobs such as a flagman or brakeman. The family home in 1940 was located at 1311 East LaRua Street, built in 1938 and still standing today.
Although Olen's siblings Orene (Class of 1928) and Orland (Class of 1942) attended Pensacola High, there is no indication that Olen did. But nevertheless, Olen enlisted in the Army in 1937 and headed off to basic training. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Infantry Division. Up until August 24, 1942, the regiment was at Camp Pickett, Virginia. However, orders came down transfering the regiment to Camp Blanding, Florida. This presented a problem for Olen and a young lady from Warren County, NC, Miss Rebecca "Becky" Anna Boyle (1923-1977). A whispered conversation took place, and the young couple were married on the 9th of August before Olen shipped out. After Blanding came training in Tennessee, Camp Laguna, Arizona, and Camp Phillips, Kansas. But finally, they ere loaded onto the RMS Strathmore and headed overseas, arriving April 18, 1944.
In August 1944, Olen was in France and he was wounded resulting in a compound fracture of his middle and index finger from a German machine gun. The wound required a month-long hospitalization in England, but he was back in combat by December. At the same time of that telegram, his parents received another that their son, Army paratrooper Orlan Hamilton was now missing in action in Holland. In the meantime, Olen's division was embroiled in a furious battle in January 1945 and after eleven days, the attacks were repulsed. They were forced to fall back to defensive positions south of Haguenau on the Moder River. On February 6th, they were moved off the front line for R&R and sent to the village of Pagny, just north of Pont-a-Mousson, France. It was here that Olen was killed in action on February 15th, so obviously there was still fighting going on in the area.
His parents and wife were notified of his death and subsequent burial in the military cemetery where he rests today. Rebecca never re-remarried until around 1960. She would pass away in 1977 and was buried in Savannah, Georgia. As to their son Orland, the family received a card from Orlan informing them that he had been captured on September 8, 1944 and was now a German POW.
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