Roy Walker Coburn was born in 1921 near Tuscumbia to Herman Edison Coburn and Annie Mae (Lewis) Coburn. Herman's father was Theophilus Bester Coburn, Jr. and his mother was Katie Bell (Richardson). In 1940, Roy was living with his father (now divorced) in Birmingham. There he married Alice Elizabeth Cowherd.
He enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, Company A. This unit parachuted into Normandy on D-Day after training in the US and England. They saw combat in France, Holland, and Belgium. He died 23 Dec 1944 in Belgium and is buried in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium (plot F, row 1, grave 19). His rank was Private First Class. His grave marker lists Florida as his home state, probably because his unit was based in Florida.
508pir.org gives detailed information on the history of the 508th.
