with Oak Leaf Cluster Walter Eugene Slavens was born May 24, 1925 in Fort Smith, Sebastian Co., Arkansas. to James D. & Maud E. Wilson Slavens. By 1935 the family was living in Lon Norris or Hackett, Sebastian Co., Ar. On his draft card he lists his home as Hackett, Sebastian Co., Ar. Walter enlisted at Fort Smith, Arkansas on 23 May 1943. As a Pfc. he was attached as a Surgical Technician to the 409th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion. 103rd Infantry Division, Squadron: HQ Company, 1st Platoon. According to his Hospital Admission Card he was listed as being KIA at age 20. He had not been in a Medical Installation prior to death in the Kindwiller area of France. His date of death was February 8, 1945. Pfc Slavens was buried at: Plot E Row 27 Grave 40 Lorraine American Cemetery St. Avold, France The 103d Infantry Division was activated in November 1942 and spent nearly two years training in Texas and Louisiana. The division was comprised of three infantry regiments (409th, 410th, and 411th) along with several supporting units (e.g., artillery, medical, etc.). The 103d landed at Marseilles, France, in October 1944 and soon attacked west through southern France and through the Vosges Mountains. In December, it crossed into Germany and assaulted the outer defenses of the Siegfried Line. In January 1945, General Anthony "Nuts" McAuliffe was reassigned after the Battle of the Bulge to command the division through the war’s end.