Since my last posting, we have found additional information. First, I did confirm that Edward W Lawson had married three times and had children from each marriage. He divorced his first wife (my mother in law) and then married again in January 1943 and again in June 1943 (this time without a divorce.)
Edward W. Lawson's military records and some additional letters furnished by his children gave us this history.
February 3, 1942, Edward W. Lawson enlisted in the U.S. Army in Seattle, Washington. He enlisted as a private and he was sent to Camp Roberts near Paso Robles, California for training from March through August 1942. He earned his Qualification in arms: Marksman, rifle, March 25, 1942. He was promoted to Corporal, August 17, 1942.
On August 20, 1942, Edward W. Lawson started Engineer Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir, Va. On November 10, 1942, he received an Honorable Discharge as a Corporal, Company F, 2nd Engineer School Regiment. The discharge was to accept his commission and immediate active duty in the Army as a 2nd Lt. His graduation from EOCS was November 11, 1942.
In January 1943 Edward was stationed a Camp Edwards in Massachusetts. In June 1943 he was back near or at Fort Belvoir, Va.
We do not know when he went to Europe, but he was part of the 7th Army, 3rd Infantry Division, 10th Engineer Combat Battalion, Company C.
He was wounded November 20, 1944. On January 10th, 1945 a casualty list released by the war department listed Lieutenant Edward W. Lawson as losing his life in the battles of Normandy. On January 11, 1945 the newspaper headline read " Lt. Lawson Back on Duty in France." The article corrects its story from the day before with corrections from his wife (2nd wife) in San Mateo, Ca. Edward Lawson had been wounded November 20, 1944 and hospitalized. He had received a purple heart, and at the time of the article he had recovered sufficiently to return to duty.
2nd Lt Edward W Lawson was awarded the Silver Star (Posthumously). The citation read as follows:
"SILVER STAR"
For gallantry in action. During the early morning hours of 19 March 1945, near Minschweiler, Germany, when it became necessary to provide a tank route over two anti-tank barriers well on the enemy side of the "Dragons Teeth" of the Siegfried Line, Second Lieutenant Lawson, displaying superb leadership, inspired his men who completed the job in record time. Disdaining the bullets that swept the area and nebelwerfer shells dropping all around him, Second Lieutenant Lawson remained in the open, setting the example for his men who breached the barriers and provided an important route for our armor."
"Death of 2nd Lt. Edward W. Lawson"
On March 27, 1945, 2nd Lt. Edward W. Lawson was killed in action in Germany. Mary Lawson, his second wife received the following information in a letter dated April 26, 1945 from a Army Chaplain.
"According to a fellow officer, Lieutenant Lawson had gone on a reconnaissance mission. He approached an enemy position and a machine gun opened fire. He was instantly killed by a bullet which struck him in the chest. Your husband was a good officer and leader of men. His excellent character and devotion to duty had won the esteem of all who knew him."
We are still researching and hopefully will find more details about his life.
Willet Bushnell