Roy Millard Tuttle was fourth son of thirteen
children born to John and Edith Tuttle. Roy was
born in Marjorie, Minnesota on April 9, 1912.
Roy’s brothers were George, Melvin, Stanley,
Harold (Bill), Lyle, Leslie, Robert, John Jr.,
and Richard. His sisters were Claryce, Carol,
and Dorothy.
The family moved to the area of Wheeler Bottom,
near Academy in Brule County South Dakota in
1924 and lived in the old chock-rock house. Roy
attended high school in Bonesteel, South Dakota.
He drove school buses his last year of school.
He was very active in football and other sports,
graduating in 1929. During the depression, he
worked on the old Fort Randall farm. He also
worked on the Sabin Ranch that was up river of
the old town of Academy, before joining the
regular Army.
After his discharge from the Army, he worked
various jobs until he was called back into
service in 1941, when he was stationed at
Leonard Wood, Missouri. While in Leonard Wood,
he received further training, then was sent to
Fort Benning, Georgia and was assigned to
Headquarters Group,
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HQ co., 2nd Bn.,
505th PIR
82nd Airborne Division
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505th Infantry, 82nd
Airborne and completed his paratrooper training.
After going overseas, he made five combat jumps,
including North Africa, Sicily, Normandy,
France, and Holland.
Roy wrote to his family while he was stationed
overseas. Like so many other soldiers so far
away from home, Roy wrote that family members
should send him more letters. One V-MAIL letter
dated January 25, 1944, contained these words:
"There isn’t anything to write about and it
is hard to write letters under those conditions.
I’ll sure be glad when this war is over and I
can get home to stay again. It seems like ten
years have passed since I was home. It should be
heaven to be able to sit by a good fire and talk
over old times.
I haven’t made any plans on the future because
God alone knows when I’ll get back. I’m hoping
it will be this year and it does look favorable.
"
Another V-MAIL was a Christmas card to his
family that had the words: “Yuletide Greetings
from a Paratrooper.”
On October 9, 1944 Sgt Tuttle was in a foxhole
near a railway track, where he observed German
positions, when he was killed. He was buried the
next day at Molenhoek Temporary Cemetery.
After the war, Roy’s remains were returned to
the U.S. and laid to rest in the Geddes Cemetery
in Geddes, South Dakota. Tuttle was awarded the
Silver Star and was recommended for a French
Medal of Honor. Additionally, he received the
Purple Heart.
Five of the Tuttle sons were in the military
during WWII: Lyle, Army Engineer, South Pacific;
Leslie, Army Air Force, Europe; Robert, Medical
Corps, Europe; John Jr., 11th Airborne, Japan;
Roy, 505th Infantry, 82nd Airborne.
Sgt. Tuttle is honored at the Brule County
Veterans Memorial in Kimball, South Dakota.
Garrett Pickner, 8th grade, Chamberlain Middle
School, South Dakota on April 12, 2002
respectfully submitted this biography and
gathered research on Roy Miller Tuttle. Leslie
Tuttle sent lots of information on Roy Millard
Tuttle.
This story appeared first on the State of South
Dakota WWII Memorial Website. It is used here
with permission.
Sgt
Roy Tuttle is buried at Pleasant Lawn Cemetery,
Geddes, South Dakota.
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