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H. Albert Awtrey of Hoover, Alabama, passed away Wednesday, August 6, 2014 at his home in Hoover, Alabama. Mr. Awtrey was born on March 9, 1925, to Hubert Alexander Awtrey and Edna Irene Kirk Awtrey and grew up in the Central Park section of Birmingham. He was a seventeen-year-old high school student at Ensley High School in 1941 when the news broke that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor, leading to World War II. With his parent's permission, he immediately joined the United States Navy. While training in San Diego as a Pharmacist's First Mate, he was assigned the position of Navy Corpsman, a special branch of the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Awtrey wore the uniform of both the Navy and Marines when he was deployed to the South Pacific. Essentially a doctor on the front lines, he cared for the wounded Marines in three major battles: Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa. For his service, Mr. Awtrey was awarded two Presidential Citations, a Bronze Star and three Asiatic Pacific Battle Stars. His story is featured in the book, "Hold Your Head High Marine" by fellow Marine, Tom Evans. Upon his return from the war, Mr. Awtrey joined the Birmingham Fire Department. He worked at stations #6 and #2 serving as the "tiller man", driving the back of the long ladder truck. Awtrey was a Birmingham firefighter from 1948 until 1962. Towards the end of his career, he was seriously injured by a collapsing chimney during an attempt to rescue a child in a house fire. Awtrey worked a second job at Seale Lumber Company where, along with night classes, he learned the art of residential home building. During this time Mr. Awtrey was contacted by the United States Army and asked to serve as coordinating administrator of the local Army training field hospital. He served in the Army Reserves from 1951-1962. In 1959, Mr. Awtrey started his first building company along with friend and partner, Greg Scott. Scott & Awtrey began building residential homes that were quality constructed and affordable. Mr. Awtrey joined the Birmingham Association of Homebuilders in 1961. There he served as secretary, treasurer and vice president as well as heading up the Partnership for Assistance to the Homeless. He also served as Chairman of Birmingham's Housing and Zoning Commission. He was the first homebuilder in Birmingham to receive "Super Spike" status, recruiting over 250 members into the association. Mr. Awtrey became the president of the Greater Birmingham Association of Homebuilders in 1968. The "Al Awtrey Builder of the Year" award still continues as a yearly award given in recognition of the organization's outstanding builder. Mr. Awtrey was inducted into the GBAHB Hall of Fame in 1986. In the mid 60's, Mr. Awtrey formed Awtrey Building Corporation and later on, Awtrey Companies, which included Awtrey Development and Awtrey Realty. In the 70's, 80's and 90's, Awtrey Companies, began to develop large tracts of land for residential home sites along with commercial ventures. During these years, Mr. Awtrey went on to serve at the state level with the Alabama Association of Home Builders and then onto the National Association of Home Builders, where he was elected to serve as a member of the National Housing Board in Washington DC. There, he served as representative of the state of Alabama on a special "fact finding and trends committee" which determined the current state of housing in America, reporting directly to the President of the United States. Al Awtrey was a tireless champion for the city of Hoover. He played an instrumental role in helping to shape the city and bring the American dream of home ownership to thousands of families. Mr. Awtrey was vitally interested in every aspect of the building process from moving the dirt to personally getting to know the workers and tradesmen. He enjoyed seeing others succeed and was quick to help those in need along the way. He was generous and kind, not only to his friends, but to his competitors. In 2009, Mr. Awtrey was given the Freedom Award by the city Hoover. The award is given to those who have dedicated themselves to the ideals of freedom. Mr. Awtrey was born into modest beginnings; enduring the great depression and the ravages of war at a very early age. As a member of the Greatest Generation, he believed that he could succeed and helped countless others to do the same. Mr. Awtrey was an avid supporter and fan of Auburn University. He donated generously to Auburn Athletics, sponsoring scholarships to those less fortunate. In 1964, he was an innovator in building the first "scholarship house" in the Birmingham Parade of Homes, of which the profits and proceeds were utilized to fund the college education of a deserving young person who could not afford it. The program continues to this day. Mr. Awtrey was a follower of Jesus Christ, making a commitment to his Savior at the age of nine at Central Park Baptist Church. He lived life with true compassion and love for others. He enjoyed sharing the good things of life and was quick to pray for and help those in need. Mr. Awtrey was preceded in death by his oldest son, Albert Lawrence (Larry) Awtrey. He is survived by his daughter, Donna Awtrey Trapp, and son, Russell Scott Awtrey, as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren. Visitation for Mr. Awtrey will be held on Monday, August 11th, from 10am to Noon with service immediately following. Both will be held at Hunter Street Baptist Church Chapel, 2600 John Hawkins Pkwy, Hoover, Alabama. A military gravesite service and burial will take place at 2:45pm at the Alabama National Cemetery, 3133 Hwy. 119, Montevallo, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, please lend support to local health care advocacy/volunteerism to prevent elder abuse and neglect. Information: National Center on Elder Abuse at ncea.aoa.gov.
Enlisted 11 FEB 1943 and until OCT 1943 he attended Recruit Training and Hospital Corpsman School in San Diego and carried on US Navy musters.
After his tour with the Marines in 1945, he again returned to the musters of the US Navy, until his Honorable Discharge 13 FEB 1948.
On 9 March 1952 he was commissioned a 2nd Lt US Army National Guard being assigned Medical Service Corps as a Field Training Hospital Administrator in Alabama until some time in 1962. His final rank in 1962 is not known.
Ryukyus Campaign (1945)/Battle for Okinawa
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
June / 1945
Description The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg. was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only 340 mi (550 km) away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall). Four divisions of the U.S. 10th Army (the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th) and two Marine Divisions (the 1st and 6th) fought on the island. Their invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces.
The battle has been referred to as the "typhoon of steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or ("violent wind of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Based on Okinawan government sources, mainland Japan lost 77,166 soldiers, who were either killed or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered 14,009 deaths (with an estimated total of more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds). Simultaneously, 42,000–150,000 local civilians were killed or committed suicide, a significant proportion of the local population. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki together with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria caused Japan to surrender less than two months after the end of the fighting on Okinawa.