Private First Class James Paul Rose was born Aug. 28, 1923, in Brighton, Tenn., and died Jul 6, 2003, in Munford, Tenn. When he was 19 years old, he was drafted into the United States Army on Jan. 27, 1943, at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., and sent to Camp McCoy, Wis., for training and sent overseas to Europe with the 2nd Infantry Division, 3/18th Infantry, Co. K, on Oct. 8, 1943. Wounded twice, he received the Purple Heart.  PFC James Paul Rose was discharged at Camp Swift, Texas on October 2, 1945.

James  Paul fought with the infantry as a mortar gunner. He participated in the battles & campaigns for central Europe, Normandy, Northern France, and  Rhineland. He was wounded twice on June 9, 1944, and July 26, 1944. His medals and citations include: The Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, the European, African and Middle Eastern Service Medal, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, and Czechoslovakia.

Hear in his own words what life was like growing up in Tipton County and his time in the Army during WWII in an interview conducted by former Tipton County Museum employee, Vincent Clark, on May 13, 1998 at the Tipton County Museum.