This is a great Silver Star, Purple Heart group to 2nd Lt. Orval C. Painter. He is cited in GO 35 for the 77th Division, dated November 3, 1918, and is mentioned in the 306th Infantry unit history on page 104 where his first name is spelled "Owal" throughout. He is shown in the Co. G roster in the Unit History.
While this seems to be a rare name, Ancestry.com has more than one. It is believed that this man is Orval Chapman Painter, born in Missouri July 26, 1892. (Although sometimes listed as 1894.) He shows up in the 1930 census, married to wife, Lorena, and living in San Antonio, Texas. A death date for Orval in the Texas Death index shows that he died January 19, 1946.
Lt. Painter's citation reads as follows:
"2nd Lieut. Owal C. Painter, 306th Infantry-throughout the advances through the Argonne Forests made by G and E Companies, 306th Infantry, under intense enemy artillery and machine gun fire,this officer displayed extraordinary courage and devotion to duty, continually leading his men forward during the short rushes and organizing and reorganizing his unit so that all time he had in hand an efficient fighting group, though the ranks were being continually thinned by casualties."
Lt. Painter's group consists of his officially engraved Bailey, Banks and Biddle Silver Star edge numbered 2312, officially engraved BBB Purple Heart edge numbered 13000, 4 bar WW1 Victory medal, 1928 American Legion Tenth National Convention, San Antonio, and service stripes, discharge stripe, and 77th Division patch from his uniform. As of March, 2014 this group has moved on to another collector.
