William Gash
Private First Class • U.S. Army • Serial 32243119
151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division
Entered service from New Jersey • Died March 27, 1945
Buried at Manila American Cemetery, Plot L Row 14 Grave 94, Manila, Philippines
Awards: Purple Heart
Introduction
Private First Class William Gash was born in Pennsylvania in 1920 to William and Rebecca Gash. His parents had both been born in England, emigrated to the United States, and married in 1919. His father later found work as a machinist in one of the many factories in the Camden NJ area. The Gash family had purchased a home at 13 State Street in Delaware Township NJ, now known as Cherry Hill.
Private First Class William Gash worked at the RCA plant in Camden prior to entering the Army. After being inducted into the United States Army, he was assigned to the 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division.
The 38th Infantry Division arrived in Hawaii on January 17, 1944, received further training and helped defend Oahu. In July through November, elements trained in the Oro Bay area of New Guinea, then moved to Leyte in the Philippine Islands in December. The Division landed in the San Narciso area in Southern Zambales Province, Luzon, on January 28, 1945, without opposition. Driving west of Olongapo the 38th destroyed an intricate maze of enemy fortifications in Zig-Zag Pass. Elements landed at Mariveles on the southern tip of the Bataan Peninsula on February 15, other units pushed down the peninsula, and the Division cleared it of all resistance by February 21. Moving south to Corregidor, they secured the island fortress by February 27.
Private First Class William Gash died on March 27, 1945, and is buried at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.