Commie Guy Combs was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina on November 28, 1921 to Harvey Roscoe and Genie Johnson Combs. He was the fourth child born and one of five brothers who served their country in wartime. Four brothers served in WWII and one served in the Korean War.
He was inducted on December 19, 1942 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He became a munitions worker and specialized in the use of the 30mm caliber rifle.
Commie left the United States on May 5, 1943 for active duty overseas. It only took seven days to cross the Atlantic, landing on May 12, 1943. He had four months to prepare for the battles he was to participate in. The majority of his time was spent in Italy. He was in the 684th Ordnance Ammunition Company in the 5th Army commanded by General Mark Clark and General Lucian K. Truscott. He participated in the Naples-Foggia Campaign, the Rome-Arno Campaign, the North Appennines and the Po Valley Campaigns. After months of fighting in difficult terrain, horrible weather conditions, and shortages of troops, supplies, and ammunition, they managed to liberate hundreds of miles of Italian country. At the end of the fighting in Italy, allied losses had amounted to 312,000. Of those, more than 19,400 were Americans. Commie was awarded the EAMET Campaign Medal with 4 Bronze Service Stars and the Good Conduct Medal.
Commie's tour of duty ended and he sailed for home on August 15, 1945, arriving back in the United States on August 26, 1945. Commie was killed in an auto accident on Highway 115 in Wilkes County only seven months after returning home, on March 25, 1946. He is buried in Lewis Baptist Church Cemetery in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
