John C. Hardin

ASN:14021147

TEC 4 John Hardin

John Coy Hardin registered for the draft on September, 12, 1940. Born November 6, 1918, he was from Sevierville, Tennessee.

Inducted into the US Army on September 12, 1940 at Charlotte, North Carolina, this twenty-six-year-old was 5-8, 154 pounds with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes, brown hair and had no identifying marks listed.

PVT Hardin trained with the 9th Division, 26th Field Artillery Battalion at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He later was assigned to the 319th Field Artillery, A-Battery of the 82nd Airborne Division.

He deployed with the 319th to North Africa arriving in Casablanca, Morocco, North Africa, May 10, 1943.

 Company Morning Reports

Company Morning Reports (see below) were produced every morning in Army units relating to personnel matters. The following events for John Hardin were reported:

  • October 3, 1943, from duty to hospital, line of duty the 18th, absent sick. Station: Naples, Italy.

  • October 12, 1943, from absent sick 33rd General Hospital, APO 763, to duty, 1700. Station: Naples, Italy.

  • December 21, 1943, from duty to furlough at 1000 for 9 days. Station: Ballyscullion House, North Ireland.

  • December 30, 1943, from furlough 9 days to duty at 1630. Station: Ballyscullion House, North Ireland.

  • July 19, 1944, from duty to furlough 5 days to Manchester, England at 0600. Station: Papillon Hall, 4 miles west of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England WF 1406.

  • July 24, 1944, from furlough 5 days Manchester, England to duty at 2000. Station: Papillon Hall.

  • June 9, 1945, from duty to transferred in grade to the 16th Reinforcement Depot, APO 129 per par 2, SO 110, HQ 82nd Airborne Division, May 29, 1945, departed Effective Date Concerning Morning Report (EDCMR), June 9, 1945. Station: Station: Lubtheen, Germany RT Nord DeGuerre.

Tec 4 John Hardin fought in the major campaigns of Naples-Foggia, Normandy, Holland, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.

During the Battle of the Bulge Tec 4 Hardin was assigned to the no. 3 gun section of A-Battery, and posed for the photograph below, on December 27, 1944.

Standing (L-R) John Hardin, “Doc” Dibble, Bob Carte, Ted Simpson, Fred Harsh, Ralph Radosh, Kenneth Hanne. Kneeling (L-R) William Bonnamy, Hjalmar “Okie” Olkonen, Fred Fitzke

The Adjusted Service Rating Score (ASR) was a system the U.S. Army used at the end of the war to determine when soldiers were eligible for discharge. Tec 4 Hardin was one of many “High Point” soldiers with a score over 85 points.

He returned home from the European Theater of Operations on May 29, 1945 to civilian life and honorably discharged July 4, 1945.

His service was awarded with the Good Conduct Medal, Distinguished Merit Badge with Oak Leaf Cluster, European/African Middle Eastern Service Medal with six bronze service stars and one bronze service arrowhead.

John Hardin, 69, died June 9, 1988.

God Bless this hero.