James Henry (Jimmy) Salyerds

May 14, 1942

Flagler County has 74 men in the various branches of the armed forces at this time ..... the list up to date is as follows: JAMES HENRY SALYERDS

MISS PEGGY PELLICER AND SGT. JAMES SALYERDS WERE MARRIED RECENTLY

Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Pellicer of Bunnell announce the marriage of their daughter, Eleanor Rebecca, to Sergeant JAMES HENRY SALYERDS, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Salyerds of St. Johns Park.

The ceremony was preformed on Sunday, May 3, 1942 at Opelika, Alabama, by Rev. J. Leroy Steele They were attended by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Brister.

Sergeant and Mrs. Salyerds are making their home in Columbus, Georgia, where Mr. Salyerds is stationed at Ft. Benning.

November 12, 1942

Sgt. JIMMIE SALYERDS, who is in the army, has written his wife here that he arrived "safely at my destination overseas." Jimmie has been stationed at Ft. Bragg, N. C. for a number of months.

December 3, 1942

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Salyerds received letters from their sons, Tommy, in the navy, and JIMMY, in the army, this week stating that they were well and safe.

February 4, 1943

Letters to Mrs. Henry SALYERDS from her son JAMES reveals that he is in North Africa. Jimmy said his Christmas there "was quite different from that in the U. S. A." She also had another letter from Tommy, in the navy, said he has been "getting plenty of sun and am very brown." He said he was feeling fine "but the monotony is boresome" and to help kill the time he got out some back numbers of The Tribune and read them all over again.

March 11, 1943

Mrs. Henry Salyerds said today that she has not heard from JIMMIE, who is in North Africa, for six weeks, but had a letter a few days ago from Tommy who is at sea most of the time. Apparently Tommy hasn't been staying in one place very long because he told his mother he had received over 60 letters at one time.

May 13, 1943

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Salyerds, parents of Sgt. JIMMIE SALYERDS who is in North Africa and Gunner Tommie Salyerds "at sea" told us they had received a letter from each of the boys this week. Both are OK. Jimmie said he was getting The Tribune right along. Tommy, who had written previously that he might be able to get a leave to come home for a visit, said that it now looks like" I will not get home until after the war." (We hope a good break will come, Tommie, and you wont' have to wait that long)

July 1, 1943

Mrs. Jimmy Salyerds received a letter this week from her husband, Sgt. JIMMY SALYERDS who is yet in North Africa. Sgt. Salyerds said he is well and safe and as further poof sent to Mrs. Salyerds a picture of himself and two Arab children taken together.

November 11, 1943

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Salyerds received cablegrams from their sons, Tommy (in the navy) and JIMMY (in the army) both overseas. The said they were getting along fine. The messages were received just a week apart and, of course, neither knew the other was sending a cable home for they are not serving in the same theater of operations.

December 30, 1943

Sgt. JIMMY SALYERDS writes his parents that he is now stationed in England. Jimmy had been through the campaigns in Africa and Sicily. His brother, Seaman Tommy Salyerds is confined to the naval hospital in New York, but is improving.

January 20, 1944

We learn this week that there are two more Flagler county soldiers in England - JIMMIE SALYERDS and Furman Blume. Jimmie has been through the campaigns in Africa and Sicily while Blume arrived there about one month ago.

January 27, 1944

V-mail letter from S/Sgt. JIMMIE SALYERDS from "somewhere in England" says that "since I left the states I haven't met anyone I knew before I joined the army, but hope to now that I am in England ….. I am still with the same outfit I joined up with and like it OK and hope that we all return together."

July 13, 1944

Sgt. JAMES SALYERDS writes to his parents here that he is now "Somewhere in France."

November 2, 1944

S/Sgt. JIMMY SALYERDS wrote from Germany to his parents here that "although I have been over here two years, landing first in Africa; I have not been homesick, although I have been very lonesome at times." He said he was getting along OK at present.

February 15, 1945

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Salyerds said this week they had heard from their son, Sgt. JAMES SALYERDS, who has been in the European theater since the invasion of Africa and is now on the Western Front, for the first time in six weeks. James said he was well and had his first sleigh ride.

May 17, 1945

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Salyerds had a letter a few days ago from their son S/Sgt. JIMMIE, who has been in the ETO many months. He recently wrote his brother, Tommy here, a dischargee from the U. S. Navy, that he was sending a shotgun home for their use.

June 21, 1945

l/Sgt. JIMMY SALYERDS, veteran of Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium and Germany, writes his folks from Germany that he expects to come home soon. Jimmy now has 99 points to his credit. He is a member of the 2nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels).

Jimmy said that he had been offered a commission but preferred to return to civilian life.

He recently sent a shotgun to his brother here and had this to say later: "I hope he received it for I nearly lost my life while getting it."

August 9, 1945

l/Sgt. JIMMY SALYERDS, of the Second Armored Division that is at present in Berlin, advises his parents that he has been released from his usual duties and that he has been made an athletic director there. He said that he expected to leave there soon. Since we saw the letter, we see in the paper where the Second was relieved of its duties in Berlin and that this division is now scheduled for shipment to the States in December.

October 4, 1945

Another Flagler county soldier arrived home recently discharged. He is (or was) S/Sgt. JIMMY SALYERDS who went into Africa with the initial landing troops, then through Sicily, France, Belgium and Germany-about 34 months in the ETO.

October 11, 1945

...... the following men perhaps well known to you - are now just plain Mister Civilian. They have been given honorable discharges from Uncle Sam’s fighting forces ..... JAMES HENRY SALYERDS