The remarkable story of WWII hero Edgar Harold Lloyd

Each day thousands pass by Mississippi County's most famed solider perhaps without realizing it.

Buried on the Blytheville courthouse lawn is World War II hero Edgar Harold Lloyd, a recipient of a Purple Heart and the Congressional Medal of Honor for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Those honors hang on a wall at the county judge's office, along with Lloyd's photo and a description of his brave acts.

There is also a memorial for Lloyd on the courthouse lawn, as well as one recognizing other Mississippi County residents who offered the ultimate sacrifice.

There will be a Memorial Day Service at the courthouse at 11 Monday morning honoring those who lost their lives in battle to provide the freedom that Americans enjoy today. Another service will be held in Manila, at the Herman Davis Memorial at 1 p.m.

Lloyd's story is quite remarkable.

The Yarbro native graduated from Blytheville High School in 1939 and was an outstanding student at the University of Arkansas. After graduating UA in June 1943, Lloyd was commissioned as Second Lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia and sent overseas to serve with General Patton's Third Army, as the 2nd Platoon Leader, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 319th Regiment, 80th Division.

He arrived in France on August 15, 1944. The Germans had driven a deep wedge into American lines.

The 22-year-old Lloyd was assigned to lead an attack to expel a well-entrenched force of 200 men near Pompey, France.

On September 14, 1944, his platoon advanced to within 50 yards of the enemy position where they were caught in a withering machine gun and riffle crossfire, which inflicted heavy casualties and temporarily disorganized the platoon. Lloyd had tried to send a messenger across the line, but the man was shot. Enraged, Lloyd dragged the man to cover and charged the enemy alone. He leaped into the first German machine gun nest and knocked the gunner unconscious with his fist.

Then, he dropped a hand grenade and jumped to safety. The grenade destroyed the enemy position. Firing his sub machine gun with deadly accuracy, Lloyd personally destroyed five machine gun positions, pinning the enemy down until he was within throwing distance and then destroying them with hand grenades. His platoon, inspired by the courage of their leader, quickly overran the remaining enemy positions, killing more than 100 men and destroying 12 machine guns.

Lloyd was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge and a Campaign Badge and was promoted to First Lieutenant in the field. He was scheduled to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Roosevelt; however, on November 16, 1944, he was killed by a sniper. His name has been memorialized by a group of six dormitories at the UA, by a street in Battle Park Homes (a housing area on the grounds of Infantry Center, Fort Benning) and by an athletic field in Europe.