Keeping History Alive

Today I interviewed 101-year-old World War II veteran Mr. José! Josè served in the army with the “Big Red One Division!”

José was born on April 27, 1925, in Tampico, Mexico. His father was a former Mexican revolutionary with Carranza, and the family eventually moved to a ranch in Benavides, Texas.
Growing up, the Great Depression was really hard on his family with food often scarce, but being on a ranch they were able to raise things that were needed. When José was just in the eighth grade, he decided to leave school to help provide for his family. When he was 17, he joined the Civil Air Patrol, where he routinely inspected airplanes in Corpus Christi.

One by one, José noticed all his friends joining the army, which he eventually decided to do as well. Just when he turned 18, he enlisted in the army in Corpus Christi, Texas, and was sent to Camp Fannin, where he received 14 weeks of basic training. After training, he was able to visit his family for three days before taking a train up to New York.

In New York, he boarded the Queen Mary—along with thousands of other soldiers and headed across the Atlantic. On board, he even crossed paths with the legendary world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. They landed in Liverpool, England, via a Liberty boat and a small transport, took a train across the country, and later boarded an LST to the French coast, landing in October 1944 roughly two months after D-Day. He got on a truck and was sent to a replacement depot where he would be assigned to his division.

José was assigned as a rifleman to 2nd Battalion, Company F, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). José remembers his first day of combat being sent to the front lines as terrible, as he rode a truck to the front while the Germans launched a four-hour artillery barrage right outside of the Hürtgen Forest. The forest was brutal with very little movement from foxhole to foxhole. German snipers and artillery fired constantly, but they had no idea where the shots were coming from, and artillery support was nearly impossible to use because the forest was so dense.

Before the Battle of the Bulge, a German fighter plane flew above the barn where José’s platoon was sleeping. He ran out toward a truck with a 50-caliber machine gun, but before he could make it, the German plane started shooting at him. He dove under a tree and remembers pieces of the tree falling all around him as the plane tried to shoot him. He also recalls engaging in close-quarters, hand-to-hand combat at least twice.
Josè “celebrated” Thanksgiving, Christmas and new years all on the front lines!

José also fought in major battles like Aachen and Cologne. In Cologne, while a heavy bombardment shook the entire church, José went inside for protection and hid under the organ overnight. As they pushed closer into Germany towards the end of the fighting in the Hürtgen Forest, one of the two machine gunners in his company was killed, so his commanding officer ordered José to step up as a 30-caliber machine gunner.

After nearly two and a half months of fighting, the 1st Division received a rest break, which lasted only two days before the Battle of the Bulge erupted. José was right back on the front lines in the northern sector of the Ardennes. During this chaotic time with all hell breaking loose, his mother received a telegram on, stating he was missing in action, which thankfully wasn't true.

As the fighting intensified in early January 1945, he and another private were sent on patrol duty in the forest. All of a sudden, he heard a German yell and a German hand gr***de went off right next to him, severely injuring him with shrapnel across his chest.

Thankfully, his fellow soldier from his hometown—José Amador Garza from Corpus Christi, Texas—wasn't seriously wounded and stayed with him through the night, applying direct pressure to his chest that ultimately kept him alive.

He was evacuated to a field hospital near Tottenham, England, where he spent a month and a half recovering. While there, a compassionate nurse gave him a chisel and scrap metal so he could make wrist bracelets to pass the time. Once healed, he rejoined his outfit.

As he pushed further into Germany, during a firefight where he was being shot at by a German machine gun, he ran into a house just in time to take cover before a German gr***de blew up right behind the door. Following Germany's surrender, José served as one of the guards for German prisoners and high-ranking officers awaiting trial at the Nuremberg Trials, and later managed automotive repairs and transportation in Frankfurt.

Finally, José returned home to Texas, where life and adjusting back to civilian society were tough. His parents wanted to talk to him, but the memories were too heavy and he just didn't want to tell his story. It took him more than 40 years to finally share his World War II experiences. Today, José feels it is his solemn duty to share the stories of the men of F company of the 18th Regiment.

Thank you for sharing your story, José!

KeepingHistoryAlive.org

On this day 82 years ago, my grandpa and many others from the 1st Marine Div, 81st Inf Div, and 710th TK BTN, landed on the small island of Peleliu.

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to meet my grandpa, but this year I was lucky enough to make it back to Peleliu for a second time.

So on this 82nd anniversary, I remember my grandpa!

KeepingHistoryAlive.org

Well, today I found another World War II veteran. I interviewed soon-to-be 100-year-old Mr. Lester. This is the first time he has ever shared his story like this!

Lester was born in a farmhouse near Swedesboro, New Jersey, and grew up working on his family’s farm. His father had previously worked in the coal mines in Pennsylvania, where he was badly burned, eventually moving to New Jersey and getting into farming.

There were 11 children in the family, and three of the brothers would eventually serve during World War II.

He remembers growing up during the Great Depression and specifically remembers hearing about the banks failing. The family didn’t have electricity on the farm, but his father had a battery-powered radio. That’s how Lester first heard the news about Pearl Harbor.

At the time, he was only about 16 years old and obviously too young to serve. But as the war went on, he was given the choice of being drafted or receiving a farm deferment. He had a deferment because of the family’s need for him to work on the farm, but eventually, he decided to give it up and serve in the army.

He was drafted into the Army and told to report to Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was originally supposed to report on a Saturday, but because of his religious beliefs, he asked to go in a day early.

From Fort Dix, he was sent by train to Camp Crowder, Missouri, where he completed his basic and medical training.

Because of his religious beliefs, Lester went into the Army as a non-combatant. He didn’t carry a weapon, and instead was trained as a medic.

He remembers crawling under barbed wire during basic training with live machine-gun fire going over their heads. The instructors weren’t shy about telling the medics how long they could expect to survive under actual enemy fire: about 20 minutes.

He was originally headed toward Camp Beale, California, which would have put him on his way to the Pacific. But his orders changed, and instead he was sent to Camp Jackson, South Carolina.

From there, he was sent to New York City to board a troop ship bound for Iran. The trip took 21 days. Somehow, Lester never got seasick.

Eventually, they arrived in Iran at a place called Khorramshahr, and he was sent on to Italy.

Lester remembers eating Christmas dinner in Italy!

When he arrived in Naples, he was initially assigned to a 300th Station Hospital, service Company, attached the 5th Army.

He was transferred to headquarters for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where he worked under the medical advisor in the G-4 section.

He remembers sleeping in a former hospital that had been converted into headquarters. There were long rows of bunk beds, with soldiers sleeping head-to-toe.

Eventually, the message came that Lester was going home.

And he had one thing on his mind.

His “special gal.”

While he was in the service, the two of them wrote to each other every single day!

And the rest is history.

This November, Lester and his wife will celebrate their 79th wedding anniversary!!!

And now, at nearly 100 years old, he has finally decided to share that story.

Thank you for your service, Lester.

KeepingHistoryAlive.org

Hey guys! We are so getting close! In just 3 weeks I’ll be taking 3 World War II veterans back to Europe! We’re raising money to help make this trip possible, and any donation will make a difference. Thank you for helping support these heroes!

https://gofund.me/c1abfbfc9

Happy 102nd Birthday to these two legends 🎉🎁

Both of you are my heroes 💪🏼

Wishing you both a happy and healthy birthday!

Frank - 302nd Airdrome Squadron / 36th Infantry Div

Von - 8th Armored Div, 49th AIB, B Co
Half-track driver and Purple Heart recipient 💜🇺🇸

KeepingHistoryAlive.org

Well, today I found another World War II veteran right in my hometown that I had no idea even lived there!

Today I interviewed soon-to-be 100-year-old Mr. Robert. This is the very first time he's ever been interviewed about his service.

Robert was born on September 29, 1926, right outside of Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. He started out living on a farm with his mom, dad, and five older brothers. But after his dad passed away when he was young, the family moved into Sinking Spring.
Growing up with five older brothers meant everyone had to pitch in. Their mom got a job as a cook, and when the Great Depression hit, times were tough. But between the five brothers helping provide and their mom's hard work, they managed to pull through.

All six boys served during World War II. When Pearl Harbor happened, the eldest was already in, and shortly after, the rest were drafted one by one. As the youngest, Robert was the last, getting drafted into the Army in December 1944 just as the Battle of the Bulge was happening in Europe.
After being inducted at Indiantown Gap, he headed to Fort Meade, Maryland, and then down to Camp Rucker in Alabama for basic training. To speed things up, his basic training was compressed to just 12 weeks. But instead of shipping off to Europe, he boarded a train for San Francisco, passed under the Golden Gate Bridge, and headed out for the Pacific.
They stopped in Midway to refuel, crossed the equator, and eventually landed in Manila, Philippines.

By the time they arrived, most of the heavy fighting in Manila had wrapped up, save for a few sporadic instances. Robert was assigned to Company C of the 176th Combat Engineer Battalion, which was attached to the 7th Infantry Division.

He only stayed in Manila for a few weeks before boarding a ship and joining a massive convoy bound for Okinawa. He remembers watching the sun rise and seeing nothing but ships as far as the eye could see.

Robert landed on Red Beach One on Okinawa, somewhere near Naha, coming ashore after the initial waves via an LVT. He stayed close to the beach at first, and remembers his welcome to the island: "Washing Machine Charlie" keeping them awake all night. On another occasion, his tent was completely destroyed by enemy action, forcing them to sleep in a cave that the Japanese had previously occupied.

Even though he had standard infantry training and carried an M1 Garand, his job was with the engineer battalion. They cleared roads, dug ditches for the dead, and repaired bridges so American tanks could cross. Snipers were a constant, dangerous reality on the island, and two men from his company were killed.

Fighting in Naha was particularly tough—Robert remembers most of the buildings were reduced to rubble. He also recalls watching the B-29s flying in over the cliffs on Okinawa after the airfield was secured.

Following the battle of Okinawa, Robert served a couple of months in the occupation forces before finally getting his discharge and heading home to Reading, Pennsylvania. He was the last of all his brothers to make it back, but luckily, all six brothers made it home safe.

To top it all off, Robert and his wife are still happily married after 71 years!! They first met at a dance at the Newmanstown Fire Company, right outside of Reading.

After all this time, Robert has finally decided to share his story. Thank you for your service, Robert.

KeepingHistoryAlive.org