December 5, 2019 My brother, Paul Rex Combs, was born in Herne Bay, Kent, England on March 3, 1946. Our parents met while our father was stationed in England at the end of the war. Dad was a highly decorated soldier of WWII, Lt. Rex G. Combs, and our mother, Audrey M. (Willis) Casagrande, served in England's RAF women's corps during the war. Our father preceded Paul and mother to the United States a couple of years after the war, and Paul and mother finally were able to join him a year or so later. Our father grew up in a rural area of northwestern Missouri and was quite the outdoorsman, which rubbed off on Paul. When Paul was about six, we moved from Missouri to the northwestern corner of Washington State, to a cozy little house on the edge of Lake Samish. It's a beautiful little lake set among the forested hills just south of the town of Bellingham, which is a water port on the upper end of Puget Sound just south of the U.S. - Canadian border, where fishing and forestry were main industries. Dad spent a lot of time with us in the outdoors as kids, and Paul loved going fishing, hunting, camping, scouting and helping out with local wildlife conservation and environmental protection projects in the community. With dad's coaching, Paul shot competitively with the local rifle team both in small bore and hi-power rifle matches. Over the years, he won numerous medals in state, tri-state regional, and national competitions. Growing up, Paul was really mechanically inclined and gravitated toward fixing motors in old lawnmowers, trucks, and even bulldozers. Eventually, he owned a 1947 International pickup and a 1953 Ford flatbed truck he was always going to "trick out" with vertical "stacks" and other "amenities". Paul attended Bellingham High School, where he played football and excelled in marine biology, a special interest of his. Related to the marine biology, he loved to snorkel and got into scuba diving. We ate a lot of crab during the summer when he went diving, which was okay with me. After graduating from high school in 1964, Paul started taking classes at the local college and worked a number of different jobs - sort of trying things out, I guess. He worked for a time for the Washington State Fisheries Department, then for Bloedel-Donovan Logging Company as a logger and was "in training" to be a "Powder Monkey" - the guy who set TNT charges to blow up big rocks, trees, etc. that were in the way. Then he took a job working for the INTALCO Aluminum plant. That was his last civilian job before he joined the Army. During this time, Paul also married a girl named Mary Jo Brazier and in December of 1965 had a son, who was named after him. In 1967, Paul joined the Army. Sadly, his wife decided she wasn't cut out for being married to a soldier, and the marriage didn't last. She left and Paul's son was cared for by our father until dad passed in 1976. "Little Paul" still lives in the Bellingham, WA. area. Paul was killed in action in Vietnam on January 21, 1968, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds while clearing an underground enemy bunker that was connected to a tunnel where enemy soldiers were hiding. Paul was four years older than me and was always a great older brother. He allowed me to tag along with him and his friends on many boyhood escapades and adventures. Paul was tall and strong. He was a quiet guy - kind, good-natured, and well-liked by his peers in scouting, on the rifle team, and on his football team. Our family is very proud of Paul's service to our country. He is still remembered with much love and is sorely missed by his family. Brother, Jeff Combs

 

Local Soldier Dies In Action Paul R. Combs, 21, has been killed in action in Vietnam, his father, Rex Combs, 2031 Roy Road has been notified by the Defense Department. Sergeant Combs, was killed Sunday while serving with the 23rd regiment of the 25th Infantry Division in the Iron-Triangle area. A graduate of Bellingham High School, Sergeant Combs attended Western Washington State College for a year before enlisting in the Army in 1966. He was promoted to Sergeant two weeks ago. Survivors include the father; a brother, Geoffrey, a senior at Sehome High School, and his grandmother, Mrs. Gussie Combs in Missouri. His father said today the Defense Department said the family would be notified later this week when the body would be returned for services and burial. Sergeant Combs is the 23rd area man to die in the Vietnam conflict. (The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham WA, 23 Jan 1968) In addition to the family mentioned in article above, he was also survived by his son Paul W. Combs, ex-wife, Mary Jo Combs (divorced 19 January 1968), and his mother Audrey M. (Willis) Combs Casagrande (1923-2003). Upon his death, his father received the following letter from Paul's Company Commander, Captain Gordan Lam. SGT Paul R Combs received both Bronze Star Medals; one for Valor and the other for Meritorious Service. SGT Paul Rex Combs, his brother Rex, Jr., and his father Rex Garland Combs (1912-1976) are buried in Kirk Cemetery, Allendale, Worth County, Missouri.         - - The Virtual Wall, December 5, 2019

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