Fry, James Clyde.

Fry, James Clyde, born 25-12-1897, in Sandpoint, Bonner County, Idaho, to Harry Sunday Fry (1865-1950) and his wife Corien, born VanHees Fry ( 1869-1951) James had three brothers and one sister Harry Sunday James Fry 14891-1975) Pearl Nevada Fry Wilson (1894-1973), Arthur Raymond Fry Sr. ( 1895-1969) and Runy Belle Fry Grewelle ( 1905-1997).

Fry grew up on his parents’ farm several miles from Sandpoint, Idaho where Fry and his brothers and sisters attended school. Fry quit high school and went to work in the nearby Talache silver mines for a few years. Then one day when walking past a local country store Fry observed two men loafing on the store porch spitting tobacco juice and it was at that moment Fry decided he would return to school as such a life was not for him.[2] Fry graduated from high school in 1919 and was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point

that same year.

James graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 14-06-1922. He was assigned as assistant Military Attaché to Egypt in September 1941 until June 1942. He became the Commanding Officer 69^th Armoured Regiment in 1943 and from April 1944 until March 1945 the Commanding Officer 350^th Infantry Regiment in Italy. In March 1945 transferred to the 88^th Division, nickname, “Fighting Blue Devils”  as the Assistant Commanding General with General, John E Sloan, in Italy, until 01-02-1946. The 88^th Infantry Division was one of the first all draftee divisions to enter the war.It was unique in that it was the first Army of the United States division to be created “from scratch” after the implementation of the draft in 1940. Previous divisions were regular army, reserve or National Guard. Much of the experience in creating it was used in the subsequent expansion of the Army of the United States.Shoulder patch: A blue (for Infantry) quatrefoil, formed by two Arabic numeral “8s”. A rocker above it with the nickname “Blue Devils” was often worn. During World War II, the Germans thought the 88^th was an elite storm trooper Division. This was most likely due to parallels between the “Blue Devil” nickname and patch rocker and the German SS’s use of the Totenkopf  death’s head insignia.The unit was in combat for 344 days and sustained 15.173 casualties (killed, wounded or missing). The 88^th was driving through the Dolomite Alps toward Innsbruck, Austria where it linked up with the 103^rd Infantry Division, nickname “Cactus Division”  when the hostilities ended on 02-05-1945. Major General, Anthony McAuliffe famous from Bastogne was also commander of the 88^th from January–July 1945.

       The  Fry was attached to Headquarters Army Ground Forces in February 1946 and in 1947 attached to the General Staff of the US Army until 01-11-1949. He became the Deputy US High Commissioner to Austria and in 1952 he became the Commanding General 2^nd Division in Korea.

General, James Fry, who was married three times, Marjorie Holloway Fry ( 1902-1970, married in 1924), Catherine Murphy Fry ( 1899-1974, married in 1971) and Helen Elizabeth Ramsey Storms Fry ( 1892-1988, married in 1975), with one son James Clyde Fry Jr (1925-1996) of Marjorie Holloway Fry, retired from the Army in 1957 and died at the old age of 84, on 27-10-1982 in  Falls Church, Virginia. James Fry is buried, with his wife Marjorie, born Holloway, who died age 68, on 08-08-1968, on Arlington National Cemetery, Section 30 Lot 615.