Battle Buddies- Division Commander Matt Ridgway and Division G-6 Bill Moorman[1] [2]

Bill Moorman was a close associate and confidant of Matthew Ridgway throughout WWII and the rest of their careers.

• Ridgway and Moorman attended the USMA together, the class of 1917.
• Moorman was the Division Signal Officer at the start of World War II and was later promoted to the Division G-4 on D-Day, 7 June 1944,
  when the original G-4 was a casualty during the night of the invasion.
• Moorman served as the Division G-4 and later the 18th Airborne Corps G-4 under Ridgway for the rest of the war.
• Ridgway and Moorman led the way as the first jumpers of the newly formed 82nd Airborne Division.

[1]Battle Buddies was published as a Paraglide article in Winter 2018 while serving as the Signal Chapter Historian. The article can be found here, 82nd Airborne Divison Association - PARAGLIDE
[2] A battle buddy is a partner assigned to a soldier in the US Army and Paratrooper units. A battle buddy is expected to assist his or her partner both in and out of combat. A battle buddyis not only intended for comradery and companionship but also for the reduction of suicide; since each watches his partner's actions, a battle buddy can save their fellow soldier's life by noticing negative thoughts and feelings and intervening to provide help. Battle buddies is a modern term and was not in use during WWII.

WW 2 Fallen 100 | February 11, 2018

William C Shelton
82nd Airborne Division

William Clarke Shelton never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

U.S.Army Sgt. William C Shelton (pictured left) was born on February 11, 1918 in North Carolina. His parents Thomas and Annie were also both born in North Carolina. His father worked as a machinery salesman. William had one older brother and may have been adopted because he is not listed in the 1920's census.

He enlisted in the army on March 16, 1942 and volunteered for paratrooper training. He ended up a T/4 Sergeant in the Signal Company of the 82nd Airborne Division. It first saw action in Sicily in July 1943 and then in Italy at Salerno. It was pulled out for preparation for the D-Day invasion.

Sgt. Shelton either landed in Normandy by parachute or glider in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944. The Signal Company played an especially important role in an airborne division since it was tasked with managing communications while behind enemy lines. Sgt. Shelton was killed on D+1.

His grave is at Oakwood Cemetery, High Point, North Carolina.

Honoring the WW2 fallen on their 100th birthdate / Update: go to www.storiesbehindthestars.org