textpetersonjenningsm1935.html

North High School Wall of Honor
Jennings Marion Peterson
Class of June, 1935
Died May 5, 1945

Research done by Rick Nehrling, class of 1963.

Jennings Marion Peterson

Jennings was a member of North High class of June, 1935. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on February 10, 1941 at Des Moines, Iowa. His service number was 0-804972. At the time of his enlistment, he had completed one year of college, and he was single with no dependents.
He was reassigned to the Army Air Force where he was a First Lieutenant serving with the 1503rd Air Force Base Unit in the Phillipines. He died on Saturday, May 5, 1945. His death was reported as DNB, died, nonbattle.
Information obtained from the American Battle Monuments Commission shows that he is buried at the Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
NOTE: Jennings Marion Peterson was given two separate service numbers. His Army service number was 20704431, and his Army Air Force service number was 0-804972. In addition, he is listed in the official casualty roster in Polk County, Iowa and San Francisco, California.
He can be located in Polk County, Iowa in both the 1920 and 1930 census. His birthday and/or year is the same on all documents. He also enlisted in the Army in Des Moines, Iowa. The service number 20704431 has only been located on his enlistment documents. All other documents contain the 0-804972 service number.
An explanation for the two separate notices -- Des Moines, Iowa and San Francisco, California, is that he documented two separate next-of-kin addresses on his official papers. Based on the fact that the same birthday is listed on all documents, this Jennings M. Peterson is the Jennings M. Peterson of the North High Class of 1935.

References

The above information was obtained from the following:
(1) The World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel was created by the War Department, the Adjutant General's Office, Administrative Services Division, Strength Accounting Branch. The original records are held at the Modern Military records LICON, Textural Services Division (NWCTM), National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
The documents contain the latest and most complete information available of all Army and Army Air Force personnel who were killed or died, or became and remained missing, between the President's declaration of unlimited national emergency on May 27, 1941 and the cut-off date of this report, January 31, 1946. This document includes both battle and nonbattle dead and missing. The records are available online at www.archives. gov.
The type of casualty is indicated by the following:

* KIA - Killed in Action. This is an individual who was killed in action at the front, by enemy action in the rear, or if a prisoner of war.

* DOW - Died of Wounds. This is an individual was who wounded and later died.

* DOI - This is an individual who suffered fatal battle injuries and died in a line of duty status.

*DNB - Died Nonbattle. This is an individual who died in a line of duty death, such as from sickness, homicide, suicide, or accidents outside of combat areas (training).

*M - Missing. This is an individual who is reported as missing and later was determined to be dead.

*FOD - Finding of Death. Findings of death fall within Public Law 490 and its amendments and are made when there is either conclusive proof that the person is dead or equally overwhelming evidence that under the circumstances the person could not have remained alive. This documents contains the names of those individuals who died in the line of duty status. Those individuals who were not in the line of duty at the time of their death are not listed in this document.

(2) The World War II Army Enlistment Records contain information on more than nine million indivdual enlistments. These records can be found online at www.archives.gov.

(3) The American Battle Monuments Commission was established in 1923 to commemorate the service, achievements, and sacrifice of U.S. Armed Forces. There are 24 overseas cemeteries that serve as the final resting places for almost 125,000 American war dead. The serviceman and women are either buried at these cemeteries or their names listed are on tablets of the missing that memorialize these men and women and their sacrifice. These records can be found online at www.abmc.gov/home.php.

(4) The comprehensive list of names from North High's 1893-2018 graduation classes are from Claradell Shedd's North Des Moines High School website. The names of all North High School graduates can be found online at http://www.ndmhs.com/. Jennings Marion Peterson's 1935 class page can be viewed at http://www.ndmhs.com/pages/yearclass1935(1995.60).html.

Deceased: May 5, 1945

Music: "Over There" by Enrico Caruso