Samuel James Colyerwas the son of James Garfield “Jim” Collier and Maude Billings.
He enlisted on 14 August 1942 at Ft Oglethorpe, GA. He died in action while serving on Bataan with Company F, 152nd Division Infantry, 38th Infantry Division on March 17, 1945. He is buried in Brown Cemetery, Roane County, TN
The Chattanooga Daily Times, September 8, 1945
Pfc. Colyer earnerd the right to the Bronze Star Medal for heroic service in connection with military operations on Feb. 7, 1945.
The citation read, “When the advance of his platoon was checked by a devastating machine-gun fire, coming from a pillbox to its front, Pvt. Colyer, upon his own initiative and with utter disregard for his own safety, crawled forward under heavy fire to a position from which he could bring the fire of his own automatic rifle to bear upon the embrasures of the pillbox. In spite of the hail of bullets about him, he fired directly into the embrasures and knocked out a machine gun therein. His steady fire prevented other enemy soldiers in the pillbox from manning the gun and, under cover of his rifle, the platoon advanced and destroyed the pillbox. The meritorious action of Pvt. Colyer, the citation continued, is worthy of emulation and reflects great credit upon himself and the military service.
- Rank: Private First Class
- Date of birth: 21 October 1921
- Date of death: 17 March 1945
- County: Roane
- Hometown: Ten Mile
- Service Branch: Army/Army Air Forces
- Division/Assignment: 152nd Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division
- Theater: Pacific
- Conflict: World War II
- Awards: Bronze Star, Purple Heart
- Burial/Memorial Location: Brown Cemetery, Rockwood, Roane County, TN
- Location In Memorial: Pillar XVII, Top Panel
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