John Kilbert was a Baptist minister who pastored the Union Church of Beach Arlington, and was pastor of the Geiger Memorial Church in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when he took a leave of absence during World War II to enter military service. He was commissioned a U.S. Army chaplain and was assigned to the 2d Infantry Division, serving through the campaigns in France. The day after he was killed, the Division’s crudely published newspaper “The Point of the Spear” said of him: “Never shirking, he was always trying to make things comfortable for the boys, bringing literature, obtaining cigarettes, caring for the personal problems of the boys and many other unforgettable deeds.” On the day of his death he had just returned from a compassionate mission for the men. He had learned of a cigarette shortage and with his driver and a cargo trailer, drove to a supply depot in the rear, and after “negotiating” with the staff there, returned with about 800 cartons of cigarettes. That night he was killed and his driver wounded by an explosion of enemy artillery shell.