Remembering World War II

Wilrod MacAskill

Name: Wilrod MacAskill Rank: Technician 5th Grade Service Number: 32401214 Service: 337th Field Artillery Battalion, 88th Division, US Army Date of Birth: March 22, 1902 Place of Birth: Fourchu, Richmond Co., NS Date of Enlistment: July 7, 1942 Place of Enlistment: Camp (Fort) Jay, Governor’s Island, NY Address at Enlistment: Manhasset, Nassau, NY Age at Enlistment: 40 Height: 5 feet, 8 inches Complexion: Light Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Gray Occupation: Chauffeur/Driver Marital Status: Divorced Date of Death: September 13, 1943 Age: 41 Cemetery: Mount Hope Cemetery, Boston, Mass. Wilrod MacAskill was the son of Roderick A. MacAskill (1863-1946) and Rebecca (Dawson) MacAskill (1860- 1943). He had an older sister Cassie Allen MacAskill (b. 1900). Wilrod moved to the US in 1922 via rail travelling from Sydney, Cape Breton to Vanceboro, Maine. By 1928, he was living in Brookline, Mass., and became a US Citizen, taking his Oath of Allegiance, on February 13, 1928. He married Buena Myrtle Zetrouer (1913-1967) on Aug 24, 1931, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Buena was born in Gainesville, Florida. Wilrod and Buena had a daughter Kathleen M. MacAskill (later Sloan) born March 28, 1932, in Boston, Mass (d. 2017). In the mid-1930’s Wilrod separated from Buena, and was living in New York State. In April 1940, Wilrod was living at Hotel Midtown in New York, NY, and working as a chauffeur. Wilrod registered for the US Draft on February 16, 1942, at the Kensington Village Hall in Great Neck, New York. He was working for Mrs. F W Allen at Shelter Rock Rd in Manhasset, NY. He recorded his next of kin as Mr. Lawrence Christian, of 10 Homer Rd, in Quincy, Mass. After induction, Wilrod was one of the men selected to serve with the 337th Field Artillery Battalion. The men of the 337th were sent to Camp Gruber in the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma. During the course of World War II, Camp Gruber provided training to infantry, field artillery, and tank destroyer units that went on to fight in Europe. The closest community to the Camp Gruber was Braggs, in Muskogee County, Oklahoma. For the initial inductees sent to Camp Gruber, their Basic Training ended in September 1942, when they started on a unit-training plan of reconnaissance, selection, occupation of position and field artillery maneuvers. Wilrod was honorably discharged, on April 17, 1943 at Camp Gruber, and died approximately five months later on September 13, 1943. He was interred at the Mount Hope Cemetery, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sources findagrave