US AIRBORNE

Howard Kriebel was born on July 24th 1912 in Whitman County, Washington and was killed in action on March 24th, 1945 during the operation Varsity.

His parents was George M Kriebel and Bessie Blodgette. Still a baby, he lost his mom in 1913. His dad served in Navy during the First War World. Then, he was merchant marine, garage mechanic and farmer.
His dad remarried and Howard had a brother, a half brother and two half sisters.
Howard Kriebel was drafted on April 17th, 1942 at Los Angeles, California. He had finished his studies and worked in a bank. He was also divorced.
He goes volunteer for the paratrooper troops. He will join the Service Company of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He will become Staff / Sergeant.S/Sgt Howard Kriebel participated in the operation Neptune, the jump on Normandy. He was moreover decorated there with the Silver Star. June 6th, 1944, near St Martin de Varreville, while his platoon was pinned down by enemy machine gun. S/Sgt Howard Kriebel crawled forward the position and silenced it. Then, he set fire to and destroyed a German ammunition dump.

Sgt Kriebel is interred at the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands at Plot D, Row 17, Grave 8.