Maxwell Rayadon Conerly (b.1913 - d. 2008)

Maxwell Rayadon Conerly was born on October 6, 1913 in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana just west of Kentwood, Louisiana and not far from the Louisiana/ Mississippi state line. He was the grandson of Jabez Newton Conerly, the son of Thomas Byron Conerly, and younger brother of my grandfather, Uldric Earl Conerly. When Maxwell was about 5, one of his older brother’s, Claude Iddo Conerly died in the US Army in WWI at Camp, Beauregard Louisiana. A year or so later, when Maxwell was about 6 years old, his mother Arie Varnado Conerly died in a hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In December of 1922 Maxwell’s father Thomas Byron Conerly remarried, giving Maxwell at the age of 9 a stepmother, Bertha J. McDaniel.

His obituary states he enlisted in the US Army right after high school however, on closer examination of the dates it appears he may have worked several years before entering the service. It also appears he followed in his older brother’s footsteps and joined the military sometime in about 1935, at the age of 22. He spent over 20 years in the military, perhaps as much as 26 years of service and retired in 1961.

I don’t have Maxwell’s actually military records, which I’m sure would be full of details but, I have pieced together this much from the articles and papers below. Joining the military was just one of several career similarities he had with his older brother Uldric Earl. He also started out as an enlisted member and worked his way through the ranks to at least a Master Sergeant. Then, as his brother did, he became an officer and retired a Major, just as his brother. He also spent most of his career in the “Field Artillery”, also like his brother. He served during WWII and the Korean War and, according to newspaper reports, earned the Bronze Star (as Uldric Earl) for service in WWII in Holland and Germany between the dates September 15, 1944 through May 8, 1945. He was also credited with 5 Battle Stars. Usually, in WWII “Battle Stars” signified campaigns in which the wearer participated.

His obituary states he was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC for a time and as mentioned, his Bronze Star indicates he was in Holland and Germany during WWII. Also, looking at the service dates, this leads me to believe he very probably served in the US Army Airborne and dropped into Holland during the now famous “Operation Market Garden” (September 17–25, 1944). This was the allied operation under British Field Marshall Montgomery to encircle the heart of German industry, the Ruhr, in a pincer movement. The northern end of the pincer would circumvent the northern end of the German military “Siegfried Line” giving easier access into Germany. The aim of Operation Market Garden was to establish the northern end of a pincer ready to project deeper into Germany. Another goal was to help open the port of Antwerp, which the Allies desperately needed. The operation was also made famous again by the US movie “A Bridge to Far” with Sean Connery.

Maxwell married his wife Ama Allene Hullett Conerly in 1940 and they remained married over 65 years, until Alma’s death on April 2, 2006. Maxwell died on January 18, 2008. Both he and his wife are buried at the Fort Sill, Oklahoma National Cemetery in Elgin, Oklahoma.

Maxwell R Conerly