US Army Private Roosevelt Hestle was born in Atmore, Escambia County, Alabama on August 4, 1921, the son of Frank R. Hestle (1894-1942) and Alma S. Hollings (1907-1997). His father was born in Clark County, Alabama in 1894 to Jim Hestle and Gracie Sullivan. In 1917, he was working as a boiler maker helper at the Alabama Dry Docks & Shipbuilding Company in Mobile, Alabama. After WWI began, Frank was drafted into the US Army and was ordered to report on July 25, 1918. He was then transported to Camp Sheridan, Montgomery County, Alabama. After his initial training, Frank was assigned to Company "A" of the 316th Service Battalion, Quartermaster Corps. The battalion was an all black unit, one of many during WWI. On September 15, 1918, his battalion embarked for France on the USS Kursk at Newport News, Virginia. Upon arrival they were deployed somewhere in France until the armistice of November 11, 1918. With the war over, Corporal Hestle and his battalion would embark on the USS Roanoke at Brest, France on July 20, 1919 and sailed home to an honorable discharge on August 7, 1919.
Back home, Frank would marry Alma S. Hollings in 1924 and by 1930 both were located in Portland, Dallas Co., Alabama working a farm with young Roosevelt and Edna in tow. By 1936, the family was living at 1007 North "K" Street in Pensacola with Frank a laborer and Alma working as a maid. Four years later the family was still on "K" Street with Frank and Roosevelt both construction laborers and Alma a private housekeeper.
Then came the war and everything changed for the Hestle family. First came the death of Frank in 1942 that left the family financially strapped. Then came Roosevelt's enlistment in the US Army on January 30, 1943. He was sent to Camp Blanding, Florida for processing and orientation and then on to basic training. Afterwards he was assigned to the 312th Quartermaster Battalion with the Quartermaster Corps. His battalion was eventually stationed in Histon, England near Cambridge. They were assigned to the "Advanced Section" (ADSEC) that was the Army's logistical agency. The group was activated in Bristol in February 1944, and provided detail planning for the Normandy invasion. Although they were initially attached to the US First Army, they had no formal base of operations and followed the combat units as they progressed through Europe after D-Day. They would oversee activities at Cherbourg as well as engineering, supply, and field hospital activities in the landing zones.
In September 1944, the ADSEC headquarters was in the vicinity of Le Mans, France, a vital crossroads in the area. Near there on September 9th, Private Hestle was killed or died from non-battle causes. His death is listed as "DNB or Death Non Battle" that encompasses everything from disease, accidents, or any other cause not resulting from combat with the enemy. No other information is listed as to the cause of his death. We know that he was hospitalized in December 1943 while his unit was still in England with a subsequent release back to duty in 1944. The "causative agent" of his injuries was "assault or fighting (unarmed)." Other than that, there is nothing else to indicate what may have caused his demise.
Regardless, he died defending his country in her time of need and was buried with honor in a military cemetery. At the request of his mother, his remains were returned home after the war aboard the Army Transport SS Lt. James E. Robinson in December 1948. On January 5, 1949, he was buried in Barrancas Cemetery, Escambia County, Florida. Based on his father's military service during WWII, both of his parents are buried in the Mobile National Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama.









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