African American, Alaska Highway, 97th Regiment Medical Detachment.
Born: 6 February 1920, Camden, Wilco, AL. Died: 6 February 2003, Dayton, OH. Enlisted: 17 March 1941, Ft. McClellan, AL. Education: grammar school. Civilian occupation: chauffeur/truck driver. In 1940 census he worked as a yard man.
His father was Willie Hines and in 1940 census he worked as a laborer in a sawmill. His mother was Lula Bonham Jones and in 1940 census she was a cook for a private family. His spouse was Ruby Louis Hawthorne Hines (1927-1999).
He was a medical corpsman attached to the segregated 97th Engineer Regiment. They arrived at Valdez, Alaska in April of 1942. The ground and surrounding mountains were covered in snow. The temperature was in the low 20’s.
The 97th Engineers built the northern section of the Alaska Highway. They left Alaska in September 1943, returned to Camp Sutton in NC and in April 1944 were shipped to Milne Bay, New Guinea, Philippines.
Serial #34033003