Estle B. Conaway

Estle B. Conaway

Army

ESTLE
B.
CONAWAY

May 16, 1924 - Jan 10, 2003
BIRTHPLACE: Athol, KS

SOLDIER DETAILS

DIVISION:
Army
,
108th Infantry, 40th Division
THEATER OF OPERATION:
Pacific
SERVED: May 10, 1944 -
Apr 10, 1946
HONORED BY: The Conaway Family

BIOGRAPHY

Two Athol, Kansas boys, Bud Conaway and his cousin, Lloyd Conaway, were inducted into the Army on May 10, 1944 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They remained together throughout basic training in Texas. Bud's duties with the 108th Infantry, 40th Division were to drive a light truck and transport military personnel, equipment and materials. He served as a truck master of 12 vehicles, with responsibilities for their lubrication and maintenance. He was also trained as a machine gunner crewman. On the eve of the deployment from Fort Hood, Texas to the Eastern Theater, Bud sustained a severe broken ankle. He remained behind to recover from the ankle injury for about 8 weeks before deployment to the Philippines on March 6, 1945. Bud was transported from Manila, Philippines to Seattle, Washington aboard the USS Eltinge. He was discharged from active duty at Fort Douglas, Utah, on April 10, 1946. Both Bud and Lloyd survived the war to return to their hometown of Athol, Kansas and continue on as farmers. Within a few years of discharge from the Army, Bud become the Smith County Massey Ferguson dealer and Ford auto dealer. In the last decades of his life, he owned and operated a crop dusting business known as Ag Care by Air. He was always a farmer at heart and generally listed 'farmer' as his occupation throughout life.