Sergeant Everett Charles Gosnell was born on 20 July 1907, in Kingsley, Kansas, to William and Nancy Jane (Noe) Gosnell. The couple had married in January 1900 in Green County, Kentucky, and eventually moved to Illinois, where they raised their family. In 1910, Everett was living with his parents, two older brothers, and an older sister in San Jose Village, Mason County, Illinois. His father worked as a section laborer for the Chicago & Alton Railroad, later the Alton Railroad – a position that perhaps drove the family to relocate over the next ten years to Toluca, Illinois.
At some point between 1920 and 1940, Everett moved out of his family’s home. By 1940, he was working as a hired hand and living with Paul and Marie Ernat in Peru Township, Illinois. Later that year, after turning 33, he registered for the draft. He was described as standing 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. The next year, on 25 January 1941, Everett’s mother Nancy passed away from myocarditis.
Everett was drafted into the U.S. Army and enlisted at Camp Grant, Illinois, on 9 March 1942. He was assigned to Company A of the 180th Infantry Regiment, part of the 45th Infantry Division. The division saw extensive combat in the European theater, fighting through North Africa and Sicily before landing in Italy at Anzio in late January 1944.
By early March 1944, the 180th Infantry Regiment was positioned northeast of Anzio, Italy, as part of the ongoing battle to break through German defensive lines. Enemy artillery fire targeted their positions on March 10th and 11th, causing casualties among the troops. Morning reports from Company A of the 180th Regiment noted that one soldier had been killed during the shelling. A later report confirmed that Sergeant Everett C. Gosnell was killed in action on 11 March 1944, apparently the casualty mentioned in the report. His unit would continue fighting in the area for two more months until they broke through German defenses and continued north to capture Rome.
Initially, Sergeant Gosnell was buried in a cemetery in Italy. His personal items, including a photo case with pictures, a letter, and an address book, were sent home to his father. After the war, SGT Everett Gosnell’s remains were returned home, and on 15 August 1948, he was laid to rest in Walkers Grove Cemetery in Easton, Mason County, Illinois.
Sergeant Everette Gosnell was posthumously awarded the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Army Good Conduct Medal.
Sergeant Everett Charles Gosnell’s life and service as well as at least 1,246 other members of the 180th Infantry Regiment are remembered as part of the sacrifices made by so many in the fight for freedom during World War II.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project www.storiesbehindthestars.org This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you may contact the author. Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by.”
- SBTSProject/Illinois/LaSalle
- SBTS Historian: Pam Broviak
Sources:
- 1910 U.S. Census, William J. Gosnell, Ancestry.
- 1920 U.S. Census, William J. Gosnell, Ancestry.
- 1930 U.S. Census, William J. Gosnell, Ancestry.
- 1940 U.S. Census, William J. Gosnell, Ancestry.
- Green County (Kentucky). Clerk of the County Court, Green County Marriages, William Gosnell and Nancy Noe, 1900, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9SQ-794L-Q
- Vital records, 1841-1918; separate indexes 1877-ca. 1982, Book 2 (cont. from p. 93) Book 3 1902-1905, Malissa Gosnell Birth Entry, p. 19, FamilySearch, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/237612390/frank-gosnell
- Vital records, 1841-1918; separate indexes 1877-ca. 1982, Book 2 (cont. from p. 93) Book 3 1902-1905, Frank Gosnell Birth Entry, p. 445, FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89V5-PJL1
- “The Railroads of Will County, Chicago & Alton,” Blackhawk Railway Historical Society.
- State of Illinois Death Certificate, Nancy Jane Gosnell, No. 3278, FamilySearch. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89K1-79NZ
- Morning Report, 31 August 1943, image 462 of 1000, National Archives.
- Morning Report, 5 October 1943, image 534 of 1000, National Archives.
- Morning Report, 20 October 1943, image 148 of 669, National Archives.
- Morning Report, 12 December 1943, image 465 of 1000, National Archives.
- Morning Report, 27 December 1943, image 515 of 1000, National Archives.
- Morning Report, 5 January 1944, image 964 of 1000, National Archives.
- Morning Report, 19 February 1944, image 358 of 856, National Archives.
- Morning Report, 20 March 1944, image 388 of 1000, National Archives.
- “U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,” Everett C. Gosnell, Ancestry.
- “U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985,” Everett C. Gosnell, Ancestry.
- “U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” Everett Charles Gosnell, Ancestry.
- US, WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, Everett C Gosnell, Fold3.
- “Sergeant Everett Gosnell Buried at San Jose,” Henry News Republican, 26 August 1948, NewspaperArchive.
- “Slate Services for San Jose War Casualty,” The Pantagraph, 13 August 1948, Newspapers.com.
- U.S. Army, “180th Infantry : a regiment of the 45th Infantry Division,” Internet Archive.
- Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), Everett Gosnell, National Archives—St. Louis.
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61462395/everett-charles-gosnell
