CBS News recognizes Taunton WWII veteran

In a CBS Sunday Morning News segment on how the Pentagon is removing Confederate-linked names from military bases, it was mentioned that the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning has been renamed to Fort Moore.
The new name is to honor Hal Moore, a commander of American troops in the bloody battle of La Drang Valley in 1965, which was the first face-to-face battle between American and North Vietnamese soldiers. The name also honors Hal’s wife, Julie (her given name is Julia), who began a campaign to stop impersonal telegrams that the U.S. War Department formerly sent family members when a loved one was killed in action.
During the segment, CBS showed three of those war department letters that used to be sent out. And among the three was one sent to Elizabeth Van Hyfte of Taunton. The family of Corporal Henry Van Hyfte, Elizabeth’s son, was killed on July 27, 1944, while fighting with the 8th Infantry Division, 121st Infantry Regiment.
Henry’s body was buried at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Section D, Row 5, Grave 3.
Because of Julia Moore’s persistent efforts, the news of the death of service members is now delivered in person to a family.
The Mascot has written several articles about VanHyfte, most notably when a young girl from the Twin Cities, Emma Mulhern, wrote about him for a school project on World War II veterans. She was then able to accompany her class to the Normandy American Cemetery and placed a flag on VanHyfte’s grave.