Clifford Milton Halstead was born March 7, 1919 to his parents Knut and Nellie Halstead in Three Lakes, Washington. He was their first born. They went on to have 6 more children. According to Ancestry.com, Clifford had one year of high school. He was registered for the draft, but enlisted in Tacoma on July 25m 1942. His occupation was listed as electrician.
About the time of his enlistment he married Joyce Ellen Andrews who would have been about 19 at the time. No record of the marriage date has been found. Their first and only child, Clifford Jr. was born Aprol 16, 1943.
On May 6, 1943 Clifford’s father died at age 52 leaving his 43 year old wife Nellie with 6 children under the age of 17.
Sgt. Halstead jumped into France in the early hours of June 6, 1944 D-Day. The time of his death is unknown at this time, but Ancestry indicates the cause was probably gun shot. Sgt.. Halstead was buried at the Boisville-Carentan Cemetery until being returned to the US in 1948. The 1950 census shows Clifford Jr. and his mother Joyce living with her parents.
The group consists of Sgt. Halstead’s officially engraved slot broach Purple Heart, ribbon bar and lapel pin with its early wood construction single line black titled case. Also included is a pinback sterling parachute jump wing hallmarked “NORSID CO./N.Y.C./STERLING/SI”, along with an embroidered 506th oval. Paperwork includes Sgt. Halstrad’s original Purple Heart Certificate and Presidential Accolade plus his file from the National Archives and much internet research. His file indicates that his jump wing was one of his personal effects returned to his wife Joyce.
