Veterans day salute

The Spirit of ‘45

by Billie Franklin

On February 10, of this year, I answered a call from a friend. “Billie, you better get over here to the D. Q. There’s a bus with writing all over it, and soldiers painted on it, and some strangers in town.

I think there might be a story here.” And so, I went, meeting Warren C. Hegg, National Supervisor for Keep the Spirit of ‘45 Alive and Auston O’Neill, National Bugler and veteran of the Battle of Cameroon, along with his wife. And there in the midst of these very impressive people was long time friend, Mary Virginia Pittman-Waller of San Antonio and Utopia. There, I learned that Congress has declared the second Sunday in August, 2015, to be a day of recognition and remembrance of the contributions of our World War II veterans, dubbed “the Greatest Generation”.

O’Neill was to play “Taps” over the grave of Dr. Pittman, my friend’s father who is buried in the Jones Cemetery. I followed them to the grave site and covered the story. About a week later, I got a call from Mary Virginia requesting me to write about a veteran of World War II each week until August 2015. I gladly accepted her offer and have been meeting some really fine people who served our country in the service seventy years ago. They don’t need a history book to tell them about WWII; they lived it. On a more personal level, my mother and dad met during World War II at Camp Lee, Virginia; I have Kodak pictures as proof. If it had not been for WWII, a girl from Utopia, Texas, Dovie Maddalean “Mattie Lee” Boultinghouse, would never have met William Edwin “the Gentleman” Chamberlin of Concord, New Hampshire, and I would not exist. Their story cannot be told except through my eyes as a child, but the men and women I meet, as they share with me, in many ways, I recall memories of my childhood. Any WWII veteran you know of, please tell them of my promise to my friend. I would love to meet them and tell their honorable story. Call me at 830-988-3258 at my home, or 830-275-1834 on my cell phone. Or you can write me, Billie Franklin, at P O Box 1245, Sabinal, Texas 78881-1245.

Thanks to a friend who called about an unusual bus at Dairy Queen, a meeting with a longtime friend, Mary Virginia Pittman, I have been “commissioned” as it were to tell the stories of World War II veterans, one each week. This week is “Mr. Mac”, Charles McFarland. As he told me his story, he confessed that a flood of memories had come back to him. This is his story. McFarland was appointed Flight Officer in the Army Air Corps.

He was a non-commissioned officer. He got his training for bombardier at the University of Florida and was also offered a scholarship there. Since

he was trained to go overseas, he could not use the scholarship. As bombardier, he put in 450 hours with 18 hours combat and 50 hours night flying. He also had the privilege of flying over Austria where they airlifted French and British POWs who had been prisoner for five years. Some of them were in very bad shape. In 1944, he came to the USA and was stationed at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He got his discharge from Randolph Field. It was at the end of the war, he was 20 years old, and he landed a job as pipe fitter’s helper at South Port Refinery in Texas

Each man in uniform served differently during WWII. Some had a chance to be a hero and some just did their duty. Aldon Coward spent 3 years in the Navy.

At the Great Lakes Naval Base he went to boot camp. Radio school was in Noroton, Connecticut. He, along with a select group, went to Washington, DC, learning the German Navy radio procedure.

He spent several years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, monitoring the German Navy Radio activities. The Navy built radio stations from Greenland to South America and used them in the war effort. After being transferred to Puerto

Rico, Hiroshima happened in August 1945, and by December, Coward was discharged. He found himself in San Antonio and went to Durham’s Business College. He learned accounting, had liked math in school, and made a living at it. He had a blind date with Frances Field, a telephone operator in Uvalde. Thus was the beginning of a lifelong companionship. Twin brother, Eldon Coward, went into the Navy also. His boot camp was in San Diego, California. He served on a destroyer in the Pacific.

Out of the service, he worked for DuPont at their plant in Victoria. Retired, he moved to Bandera where he still resides.

First Generation American Aurelio “Chapo” Valdez Rodriguez at the age of 18 years and 4 months, found himself in April, 1945, in basic training at Ft. Leavenworth, Missouri, learning to be a combat engineer. Then at Fort Frances, Wyoming, he received quartermaster training where he learned how to pack mules to take ammo and supplies to soldiers at the front. He was then shipped to Camp Rose, California, ready to be shipped out.

In February ‘46, he was sent to Germany on a hospital ship. War was over in 1945 but aboard ship, he and others took care of injured soldiers, the

Joe Amaya, born in Utopia, recalled his first job working for Ruth McAllister on her ranch.

He was drafted into the infantry, along with brothers Demetrio, Jr., and Juan. He was sent to Camp Roberts, California. Then he went to the Army Air Corps school and learned to be a butcher, then on to cooking school. He spent his time during WWII as a cook in California. He got out May 10,

first ones being Germans. Once in Germany, they loaded up Americans and brought the wounded warriors to New York. All told, he made 6 trips back and forth, across the Atlantic. He got out November 13, 1946 at the age of 20, having served 20 months. Back in Texas, he went back to working in the fields, same as he had done before the service.

He got married, later got a job in town at Alamo Lumber as a delivery man and worked there 10

1945. He pointed out that the vast mural located in the interior, north side of the Texas Ranch House at 201 East Fisher Avenue held a special place in his heart. His eldest brother, Isidrio Amaya, was working for the Mike Glasscock Ranch at the time of that painting, and is preserved in memory on that wall. Joe landed a job in construction, a heavy equipment operator for H B Zachery in Sanderson. Later he worked for Central Texas Construction Company. In 1959, he married Henrietta Garcia-Ramirez and they have 5 children, all born in Texas.

In 1969, he moved to Illinois where he was a mechanic, worked on electrical and hydro for Bridge Petroleum, better known as B and P. Upon retirement, he moved his family to Sabinal in 2007.

At the age of 18, Frank Carrasco of Uvalde with the written permission of his father, enlisted in the Army Air Corps on June 5, 1941, in Phoenix, Arizona. All of his training was done at Kelly Field, first basic, and then he was assigned to food service where he operated a mess hall. It was his outfit that opened up Hondo Air Force Base, the first soldiers at the then new base. Again, establishing a food service, he operated a mess hall from 1942 to 1943. He married Ada Pichot on January 30, 1943. By September of the same year, due to the loss of so many men, non-combat soldiers were then transferred into the Army. He was attached to a heavy bombing squadron and served under the Third Army under General George Patton. Frank was platoon leader of a heavy weapons unit going through Germany.

He was at the Battle of the Bulge and crossing of the Rhine River, which were the worst. They were pushed back three times during fighting. They went clear to Prag,

City, TX and where he met his first wife, Evelyn.

From that job he went into construction with Ford, Bacon, Davis as a carpenter’s helper. He also played baseball. He was offered a scholarship at Rice University to play football, but that did not work out. Offered a scholarship at Trinity University in San Antonio, he took it and earned his bachelors degree in 2 and 1/2 years by going straight through summer school, all while holding a number of jobs.

He was on staff as a Physical Education teacher at Harris Junior High School in San Antonio and earned his Masters degree while there. C A Pepper and Louis Parker went to San Antonio to persuade him to apply for principal at Sabinal. He already knew Ralph Curtis, the coach who formed the first

Homecoming. He knew the young Jan Jackson and Bob Clary, classmates from Trinity, who farmed near San Antonio and later moved to Kinchelow Prairie. In August 1953, McFarland began working in Sabinal, 15 years as principal and 19 years as superintendent. After his retirement, he worked 19 years for the Special Education Cluster out of Uvalde. Asking him where the Greatest Generation developed their famous “can do attitude”, he said, “World War II touched many people. Their responsibilities and their lives changed so much.”

Did you ever feel that America might not win the war?, I asked. “No, never for a minute.” With that dedication of a generation of young soldiers, the Can Do Attitude was a side affect.

Tommy Oliphant was born on a ranch, the son of a line foreman on the Matagora Ranch. His education was completed through the eighth, when he went to work at Valdena Farms for Mr. Woodriff at the age 14, under Barney Preston. He worked there for four years. He also worked for Mr. Smith, Wayland’s father. Working with horses was what he knew and how he supported himself and his family most of his life. He recalled driving a laundry truck for Hugh Buttler Laundry between jobs and laughed as he remembered picking up the laundry for John Nance and Ettie Garner. He also worked at Garner Field on airplanes before being drafted into

service. Tommy and Maurine Oliphant were married in Uvalde at the home of a pastor there on September 25, 1943.

Waylan Smith and future wife, Mary Jean Cordray, stood up for them when they got married. After he got drafted, he joined the Marines, went to boot camp in San Diego, and was in only one battle, Iwo Jima where he was awarded a Purple Heart. He only shook his head and said it was terrible. Maurine or “Sis” worked for the phone company during the war and daughter, Tommy Lee, was born while he was overseas. He is retired from Sonny Clime Farms and lives adjacent to the horse farm, just down the road.

years. In Uvalde, he worked for Gensco Pipe Supply for 22 years, where he was foreman of the thread shop, threading pipe. He then went to work for Uvalco Supply and did whatever needed to be done. Last year, November 3, 2013, he was on his way to work and was hit from the rear. He was hurt, had a second operation on his back, but found he could no longer work. Now he takes care of his wife, does the cooking and cleaning. Thus he had

The year was 1943, Dan Tristan was single, and was drafted into the Navy. First up was boot camp in Corpus Christi, followed by amphibious training at Ft. Pierce, Florida, and on to Newport, Rhode Island for gas mask training.

From there, he found himself on Pier 92 in New York City from

Czechoslovakia, with the 3rd Army, 90th Division.

The war was over on May 8, 1945, and he came to Fort Bliss, El Paso, where he was discharged. His rank at that time was Tech Sergeant.

Never a quitter, he then joined the Air Force for the second time and went back to food service, this time in Ashiya, Japan and served during the occupation until February 26, 1948. At Randolph Field in 1949, he decided to get out and could since he had indefinite enlistment. He had ended up a Master Sergeant with the Air Force. The thing he remembers the most is that the service men were supported by everybody.

After that, he went into farming and ranching and with his brother-in-law, the late Roger Burgess, was involved in the cattle auction business. He has served as Commander and Chaplain of American Legion Post 26, President of AA R P in Uvalde, was the first male volunteer at the Uvalde Memorial Hospital auxiliary, and volunteered many hours at hospice. He would still be at it, but his body just won’t let him.

where he was shipped out to the Panama Canal. Their orders were to evacuate the US forces from Guadalcanal and destroy all the equipment so that the Axis powers could not use it.

In the Pacific, their mission was to scout the islands and occupy them. Up next was a rendezvous at New Caladonia to head for the island of Iwo Jima, 660 nautical miles south of Tokyo, Japan. There the island was bombed from the air and by ships, but the Japanese were entrenched in caves and many Allied lives were lost. From there, Dan went on to Manila and then to China. Back to Manila in 1944, the ship rode out a direct hit by a typhoon in which everyone felt their lives would be lost. In August, 1945,

Pierce Kellogg tells it like it is. He was told that if he didn’t join the service, in a week he would be drafted.

So, he joined the Navy in Hawthorne, California. He got his basic training in San Diego, 8 weeks of it, and then he was on a ship headed for Hawaii, the year was 1942. He got in on the end of Guadalcanal, then was off to New Caladonia, and so many other islands he couldn’t even remember them all.

Sent then to Washington, D. C., it was decided to have rockets aboard ship.

The men needed to know how to use them. Then

to retire--at the age of 86. He recalled his mother’s words, “We can take you back to Mexico and you won’t have to fight, but this is your country, and you need to defend it.” Many parents took their children back to Mexico, he explained. Some of the mementos he shared with me were his cap and medals from the service and a May 31, 1946 Memorial Day issue from the Uvalde Leader News, preserved to look like new. He closed the interview with the statement, “I am proud that I was able to serve my country.

Japan surrendered and by April 18, 1946, Dan was sent to the separation center located in Port Wallace, Virginia. Two days later he was back in Sabinal. He met his wife at a dance and they were married May 26, 1946. He went to school at Uvalde and learned a trade: painting, body and fender work. School was completed in one year. He built his home in Sabinal in 1948, where he still resides.

Friend Jim Brown told him about a job opening with the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, later the Southern Pacific. He was hired by Fred Harvey and became a foreman on the railroad. He went to Hondo and painted the railroad depot and spent the next 18 years working for the railroad. Needing a job

he went to Fort Pierce for schooling, Boston for LCSL, and then to the Panama Canal in February ‘46. For his service to his country, Kellogg was awarded a Bronze Star. When he got out, he headed back to Uvalde where he moved houses, worked for Julian Dart at the airport, where he also got his private pilot’s license. He got a job in Odessa where he worked in the oil fields, then on to Palestine, he worked for H B Zachery, hauled livestock for 13 years, and did trapping in Kinney County, finally working at the Uvalde Test Track.

He is quite a spinner of tales that happened to him in the military, but swore me to secrecy about most of them. All told, I had the impression that he never regretted a thing he did for his country, nor in his civilian life.

closer to home, he became a government field man and hired people, usually young people.

He held this job for four years.

In the 1960’s he was hired as a foreman for Veg-Pac where he later was promoted to manager.

On the side, he also managed 43 migrant houses to earn more money to support his growing family. After the packing shed burned down, Dan retired at the age of 62, but stayed active, being involved in City politics for many years as well as other opportunities too numerous to mention. To date, it would be impossible to list all the times Dan has been called upon to speak at various functions and always has something to say in support of veterans and their rights.

Jose “Joe” Ramirez was born at home in Hondo and went to school through the sixth grade.

He met his future wife, Margareta Ramos, while at school. After that, he went to work under his dad, Cruz Ramirez, on a farm. When times got tough, they traveled all over the state picking cotton, and went wherever they could find work. He went to work on the Hondo Air Base at the age of 16 as a carpenters helper, from 1941 to 1942. He got his basic training in the U S Army at Kessler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi, which included grenade training as well as rifle usage. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 in Europe, Belgium, France, Germany, and England. Following his service, he got married to Margareta and then went to school on the GI Bill for 6 or 8 months with training in auto mechanics. He got

hired at Jack Winkler Motors in Hondo and worked there for 38 years. He retired, and off and on, went back to work for another 10 years before finally retiring. At the same time, he joined the National Guard in Hondo and served there for over 20 years. He then was able to retire from the Army as well, through his service time in the National Guard.

Joe is a lifetime member of American Legion Post 524 and of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3891, both in Hondo. Medals he holds are the European Theater

THE SPIRIT OF ‘45 Olivia Allen, originally of Concord, Mass. graduated from high school in 1940, her maiden name was Wood. She went into nurses training in 1941. She went to Boston and watched a military parade.

It was so impressive to watch the WAVES marching in the parade that she wanted to join, and did so immediately. She was accepted into the service on December 31, 1943. She was sent to San Diego, California, to the Naval Hospital there. They had the worse cases and she was Born in Sabinal, raised in Uvalde, Juan Rodriguez had just turned 18, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, had a direct effect on him and many other boys about to become men. He was drafted into the Army , went to Fort Sam Houston and then, on to Camp Abbott, near Prospect, Oregon where he got his training as a Combat Engineer. Home for a short leave, he was sent to Pennsylvania for a few short months. Next he went to California, up to Washington State, and then in Paris, Texas he went for infantry training.

There he got a broken finger which prevented him from going with the men he trained with. Once he mended, he was sent to New York and attached to paratroopers. From there, he went to France. Because he had the broken finger, he was not assigned to any unit. They moved by train and when he got to Germany, they were taught to work in pairs. Not very long after that, Germans began to surrender. He and the men he was with rounded up prisoners and had to disarm them. He went to Austria where he applied for leave. He toured London and Scotland. Then he was sent to Czechoslovakia for several months. Then back to Austria.

David Brockman, brother of the late Joe Brockman, served in the service from May 22, 1944 to February 6, 1945. He got his basic training at Camp Wallace, Texas, got more training at San Pedro, California, which was a small craft training center for the Navy. In Seattle, Washington, he was commissioned for a mine sweeper. Back to San Pedro, he got shakedown training, anti-aircraft training for 20 millimeter guns, use of water kites, also how to care for his equipment.

After the training was over, they headed for Pear Harbor, picked up supplies and escorted the USS Whighaugin, searching for mines during the day and patrolling for submarines at night. By March 26, 1945, they were in sight of Okinawa. There they were attacked by a squadron of Japanese zeros.

Young George Dawson was working in a steel mill after graduating from high school. In July of 1943, he was inducted into the Army Air Corp in Youngstown, Ohio.

For radar mechanic school, he went to Boca Raton, Florida. Other training was done in Billoxi, Mississippi.

He sailed over to North Hampstead, England, on the Queen Elizabeth.

Throughout the war, he serviced and installed radar jamming equipment, strips of foil which were used to confuse the enemy radar. He worked exclusively on B 17 G bomber planes. He tuned and installed radar with 3 jamming sets per plane. Following the war, he returned

immediately put to work. The soldiers came in by the boat loads. She was an assistant hospital apprentice and later third class pharmacist’s mate. With 6 weeks training under her belt, she was sent to the Seattle Naval Hospital. She worked at the ENT and dental clinic.

There she helped train other ladies.

The ladies replaced the men to free the men up for more dangerous duty.

This was the first experiment of this kind. The ladies were treated well by the soldiers. Some of the patients had lost limbs; some had facial problems that required reconstruction. She married a B 17 / B 24 pilot, Bill Conner of Uvalde. Her mother-in-law was from Sabinal, one of the Durham family. Her husband graduated from the Junior College and they then went to El Paso where he became a geologist after the war. They moved often. After the children were grown, Olivia went back to school, this time in Tyler, and from Mother Frances Hospital, she became a Licensed Vocational Nurse.

She worked at hospitals and nursing homes all over Texas, including

There he was offered a promotion to corporal but refused the promotion because he wanted to see Rome, which he never got to see. Back to France, to New York state and on to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas where he received his discharge. Then he moved back to Uvalde. He went to school under the G I bill for two years at SWTJC. He landed a job at Alamo Lumber Company in Uvalde. They sent him to San Antonio where he learned to service appliances. He did electrical wiring for homes, floor coverings, and during an explosion at the Uvalde Country Club, he was burned. When he recovered, his brother in Ohio invited him to go to Ohio. There he became an industrial supervisor in the mobile home industry. The then landed a job as a welder. He also attended Holy Spirit Seminary and was ordained in 1975. He also worked for American Can Company for 11 years in Ohio where he did office work. Once they put him in production, he quit.

In Wausegon, Ohio, he became a permanent deacon where he worked with marriages and was able to baptize his own children and grand-children. Because of his age, 89, the church offered him senior status making him not as active.

Patrol planes shot them all down. In the harbor, the ships all made a smoke screen to protect them from the enemy. On April 3, 1945, they helped with the landing of troops by covering them with gun power. Again they were attacked by Japanese planes.

One plane was shot down and the ship ran over that plane, damaging part of their mine sweep. First order of business was to rescue the survivors and render first aid. It was then that David learned how to give morphine and worked for 72 hours straight, just rendering aid.

His mine sweep, the USS Facility AM 233, went to the Carolina Islands for repair. Once repaired

from Europe on a B 17. He was discharged November of ‘45 in Dayton, Ohio. He enrolled in Hiram College and he “got the call”, felt an urge to devote his life to the Lord’s work, while still a freshman. He received a BA in Christian Ministry and was a minister in Greenfield, Ohio for over 5 years. From there, he served in several other churches in Ohio. He was a music minister at Intermountain Bible College located in Grand Junction, Colorado. Other places he served as minister were in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Kentucky, Louisiana, and of course Texas. In 1990, he moved his family to Sabinal and was minister at Central Christian Church. He retired from the ministry in 2003. He remarked that he has lived in Sabinal the longest of anywhere.

Alfonzo “Red” Emmerson, and if you are old enough to remember him as a child, was known as “Booger Red”, went into the Navy on August 5, 1943.

He went for boot camp at San Diego and in 90 days, was aboard his main ship, the USS Maury. He also served on the USS Stewart, and the USS Martin H Ray. He was trained as an aircraft gunner and seaman. He went through most of the landings in the Pacific, “It was hell “ he remarked.

He received the Bronze Star, 5 Silver, 10 Blue for the Philippines, 50 Green, 1000 Red which were for landings and the Presidential Citation for finding the Japanese fleet. Most of the island names he can no longer remember, too many of them he said. After his discharge in June 1946, he came back to Sabinal and worked for the Fowler Brothers in construction: homes, buildings, and the girl scout camp at Utopia. Then he worked for Fred and Mackey Woodley building barns. He worked for Doc Saunders at Sabinal, built the Sunny Cline Farms with Sammy Felts. After that, he went to work in Utopia for L A Waters. He has been there for over 35 years and at the age of 89, is still repairing water gaps and grateful for the rain. He barely had time for an interview last week.

Born and raised in Kerrville, Allie Burton graduated from Tivy High and then for one year attended what was then called Schreiner Institute, now Schreiner University.

At the time it was a military school, the students wearing uniforms, learning rifle training, military science, and tactics training. Then he went to the University of Texas in Austin for engineering school. In 1942, he went for aviation cadet training and the Army Air Force gave him pilot training with basics taught at Perrin Field near Sherman, Texas. Primarily he was taught at Hicks Field near Fort Worth. Advance training was taught at Eagle Pass. He received his pilot wings and made 2nd Lieutenant. He then taught pilots at Perrin Field and spent World War II as an instructor. He received his discharge at San Antonio and went back to the University of Texas. Before completing his graduation, his father died suddenly and he went to work at his father’s business. He remained in

Amistad. She and her first husband were married 47 years. He died in 1989. Moving to El Paso and on to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, she met John Allen. They were married for 5 years.

He passed away at Audie Murphy Hospital in San Antonio. By that time, she decided to volunteer at Audie Murphy and did so for 12 years. She and her group were known as the Alamo Waves and became ambassadors for Audie Murphy Hospital. She is very proud and happy with her life and will turn 92 in August. Every time I interview someone who served in the service during WWII, I get a surprise, and this lady was the biggest surprise yet. She asked me if I knew of a couple, the man was from Concord, New Hampshire, and his wife was from Texas. She recalled that the woman was in the WAC’s. She could not recall the name of the couple. I mentioned that my dad was from Concord and my mother from Utopia. “What’s the name,” she asked? When I said, “Chamberlin”, she pointed and said, “That’s the name.” I told her that she had shared her entire life with me during this interview, and she brought me right back home, to where I belong.

In September of 1944, Ben Harp of Uvalde found himself in the Army Air Corps, in the middle of the Mojave Desert. “It was hot there,” in Inyokern, California, was what he recalled. At the onset of World War II, the Department of the Navy located a new warfare center at Inyokern and the base was later moved to nearby Ridgecrest. It is currently the home of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. This is now the Navy’s largest single land holding, which does most of the weapons and armaments research development,

and out of dry dock, they headed to Okinawa, hit a fierce typhoon, rode out the storm, and were at Okinawa for about a week. They were called to sweep for mines in the China Sea. While there, the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrendered. Next they went to Sasebo, Japan and swept Hiroshima Bay, in full view of the destruction by the atomic bombs. He recalled the look of the children, especially. They were malnourished, acting more like animals than humans. Then David suffered an appendix attack, was packed in ice, and as soon as was possible, he was placed on a hospital ship, the

At the tender age of 17 in 1943, Al Dalton went to San Antonio to join the Marines. He went to boot camp at Parris Island, officer training and military college for 11⁄2 years. He was attached to the Second Marine Division in the Pacific. In 1945, they were preparing to invade Japan. With the dropping of the atomic bomb, the invasion was changed to an occupation of Japan. This went on for about a year, disarming the country. In July 1946, he was discharged in San Diego, California. He learned about some tests, an interview, and background check for 100 men to be hired by the Texas Highway Patrol. From the 8,000 applications, 95 men were picked, Al among them.

They trained at Camp Mabry, in Austin. In 1950, once again his country called and he went to Korea. When he found his dad had cancer, he got discharged and worked for the Highway Patrol in Corpus. As his father’s illness worsened, he transferred to San Antonio to be near him.

After that, an opportunity came up in Hondo, where he spent 4 years and made sergeant. His next move was to

Born on July 20, 1924 in Elk Rapids. Michigan, Kenneth Kline recently celebrated his 90th birthday. He went in the Navy on February 19, 1942 and was in for 5 years. His training on torpedoes was done at the Great Lakes Naval Station and he was a torpedo man first class. Awards he received during his service are the American Theater Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Atlantic and Pacific Theater Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Army of Occupation Medal in Japan. When he got out of the Navy, he got a job as a stonemason in Elk Rapids, holding that job until it played out. Jobs were scarce then, so he enlisted in the Air Force in January of 1949. He went in with the rank of Sergeant, got married in Fort Worth on July 11,1950 to Nora Ann Druesedow of Haskell, Texas. He served in Alaska during the cold war until 1966, and came out a Master Sergeant. When he got out of the Air Force, he served as an office clerk for the U S Postal Service in San Antonio for 20 years. Then he finally retired in 1986. When he lost his wife in 1995, Kline moved to the hill country to be near family. He now resides at Uvalde Healthcare and Rehabilitation.

the active reserves the entire time. Korea became the next war effort and his squadron was called to active duty. He became a ferry pilot at Kelly Field and at the Dover AFB in Delaware. His job was to move planes to where they were needed, jet fighters and so on. He would go to Lockheed Aircraft plant and Republic Aviation of Long Island, New York, and deliver new planes to the Air Force, F-84 jet fighter bombers. He later went through gunnery school at Luke AFB, in Arizona, and then went on to Korea. He was wing man for the mission leader for 40 planes over the Ch’ongch’on River.

His plane was in a vertical dive and was shot down, snapped over vertically with no controls and the tail section gone. The fuselage was left the plane and he had to parachute with his plane exploding in a ball of fire. Upon landing, he was captured by about 200 angry soldiers. Eight men held guns and formed a firing squad. He was ordered to run down the hill, but refused to do so. He advanced toward the soldiers, trying to get in the midst of them to avoid being killed. He was then ordered to go down a steep hill, a foot path, and insisted that he be surrounded by soldiers during the movement. They showed him his airplane, completely consumed by

acquisition, testing and evaluation. While there, young Ben worked on planes in an assembly line, was a member of the gas crew, and for entertainment, hunted coyotes. In April 1946, he returned to Uvalde and attended Southwest Texas Junior College for a year and a half. He landed a job at the Uvalde Coca Cola plant on South Getty in the office, checking the trucks. Later he got a truck route, it paid a little better, he explained. “It put groceries on the table,” he said.

He retired from Coca Cola in January 1987.

USS Samaritan. After surgery, he stayed for 21 days in recovery. Back on his mine sweep, they headed for home. They towed yard mine sweepers back, leaving several in different places on their return.

Discharged on February 26, 1945, he went home to Quemado Valley and went into farming. He attended a vocational school at Normandy for 33 months to learn his vocation better. He was taught mechanics, welding, and learned by on the job training. He met his future wife, Ethel, when she moved to Quemada Valley. By 1979, he went into the pest control business, joined later by his son-inlaw. At the age of 62 he semi-retired, letting his sonin-law buy the business. He still works part-time, has a small pension from the Navy, and with social security benefits, he and his wife live comfortably.

Victoria where he spent 6 years and rose in ranks to lieutenant. In San Angelo, he spent another 6 years and then retired from the Texas Highway Patrol with 20 years of service.

With his success in law enforcement, he was approached by Humble Oil and was hired as a special agent for the company. He spent 4 years in Midland and was in Dallas for 11⁄2 years. He became the Chief’s special agent and was made assistant chief while in Houston. When that chief retired, he became the chief and held that post for 23 years, when he retired for the second time. Always a family man, he moved to Hondo because his son, and more importantly his 4 grandchildren, live here. So, he is where he needs to be, close to family, and enjoying those special children in his life.

Ramon Cortez of Hondo was in the Army from 1942 to 1946. Drafted, he received his training near Riverside, CA, then on to Camp White, Oregon, in the Agate Desert, which had the misfortune to be referred to as the Alcatraz of boot camps, then trained at Camp McCoy for combat tactics. Finally he was sent to Camp Lee, Virginia, near Richmond. In Camp Lee, he was one of many prison guards for 12,000 German prisoners of war. It was there that Ramon picked up quite a bit of the German language, which he can still recall to mind. He spouted off a joke, half in German, half in English, one half of which I did not understand! Many of the German

fire. He was held one month as a prisoner, a war criminal, and subjected to interrogation a number of times. As a war criminal, he was denied warmth, stayed only in a concrete room with no windows, nothing in it. The temperature that winter dropped to - 30 degrees Fahrenheit. His toes became black and at night, or when alone, he would rub them to try and keep the blood circulating. He also moved around, exercising to keep warm. He was also moved several times during that time. Most of the Communist interrogators spoke broken English and were hard to understand. However, near the end of the month, a very finely dressed Communist officer began his interrogation. He spoke fluent English.

Allie recalled that at Williams Field in Arizona, a number of Chinese soldiers trained for Chaing Kai shek’s Free Chinese learned how to speak English. This one then came home to China to join the Communist Army. As a ploy, Allie asked the officer, “Wouldn’t you rather be eating an ice cream cone in Phoenix right now?” The officer asked him what he meant and Allie replied, “You know what I mean.” The officer then left the room and never returned. Allie was later moved to another building where there were a Marine Lieutenant and an Air

prisoners became U S citizens after the war because of the good care they were given, as opposed to POWs in other countries.

According to the Associated Press, the German and Italian POW camps are an “all but forgotten part of history.” He went on the G I bill to school for a while and was on a milk delivery route.

His brother-in-law taught him about electrical work and under his teaching, Ramon became an electrician. His company was Cortez Electric, located in Hondo. Most of his work involved new homes, building the middle loop on poles and electricity to houses.

He retired because of his age, which made it unsafe for him to use ladders any longer. On August 31, he will celebrate his 91st birthday.

Force Lieutenant. Then they were put on a truck and at night, they arrived at a building where there were about 30 soldiers. He was overjoyed to find out that he was at a small P O W camp. While in captivity, all of the P O W’s were subjected to brain washing by their captors. They were in an old Korean school house with windows half way up one wall and a small fire for warmth. They had to rotate to keep the fire going, day and night. He volunteered to break the ice every morning so they could get water. They slept on the floor. They were taken to Freedom Village for the return of prisoners at the close of the Korean War. Allie was assigned as jet pilot instructor for generals and field grade officers at Andrews Air Force Base. He also flew high ranking officers and Congressmen when and where needed. He also had additional duty at the White House and was there during the Eisenhower Administration. His duties consisted of helping host official functions such as receptions and dinners.

Allie remained in the Air Force and retired in 1970, coming back to the Kerrville area. He went into the real estate business and then bought a ranch. He is still ranching to this day.

Elgin Weimers was drafted into the Army September 30, 1941 and served until January 1945. First he was at Ft. Sam Houston where he received infantry training.

He then was sent to the Panhandle of Texas near the Oklahoma border, then on to San Diego, California for antiaircraft training. At Fort Ord, there was hand to hand combat training. Finally he was put on a troop ship to the North Pacific. His outfit was backup for the infantry at Attu, the western most island of

the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. There his outfit was a part of the only World War II land battle fought on incorporated territory of America.

Presently it is designated as a U S National Historic Landmark. The men were not issued clothing suited for the cold climate and many lost their lives due to the freezing weather, instead of battle. The first wave of fire power was a winner for the Japanese who were situated in caves and with comfortable heat. The second wave sent the Japanese running.

Weimers group was located on the south and were not fired upon. Once the enemy saw they were losing, most, all but 20 of the Japanese, committed suicide rather than be captured. Later the Sea Bees built Quonset huts for the Americans to live in and they stayed on Attu for 22 months. The promise of discharge and going home for Christmas was not kept. At Manilla, they found their ride had

already left, at Honolulu again they just missed the boat. They got on a barge and 45 days later got to California. Discharge was done in El Paso and finally on January 6, 1945, he got back to Hondo. In February, he and Velma Muennink were married at New Fountain Methodist Church, the rain coming down so hard that the ladies had to be carried into the church. The home they built is still standing today. Both of their sons were Eagle Scouts with their dad as Assistant Scout Master. The Weimers home that they built is still standing today. Both he and she worked, active in the church. His varied jobs have been delivering gasoline and kerosene, working at Universal Rundall, mechanic, fireman, John Deere, auto mechanic, and then at the U S Postal Service delivering the mail for 28 years. Upon retirement, he then worked for the Soil Conservation Service and

retired from that after 7 years. His wife inherited some land and they developed it into a cattle ranch, still in the family today. When he developed double pneumonia, they moved into Hondo Health and Rehab on 30th Street. He also lost one eye to the shingles. Velma and he will celebrate 70 years of marriage February, 2015.

After going through boot camp getting shots, blood tests, he then was sent to Coronado Island where he learned how to run landing boats.

Then he was sent to North Island, slept on the deck of his ship, and was sent to Pearl Harbour for two weeks.

He was sent to Kauai to Barking Sand Air Base on Kauai. He was assigned to the Navy Amphibious

Squad, nicknamed the suicide squad. His training was done with an LCMS 2 landing boat that would hold 50 men. He landed many men on islands all over the Pacific. He received his discharge at Ft. Wallace, Texas. He then went to Del Rio, visiting with family for several months. When Garner Field was abandoned by the government, a tri-county college was started. With the G I Bill, Woolf was in the first class at SWTJC. He took pre-engineering classes. He skipped a year to start his own electrical

business, which is still in operation today. In 194849 he went back to school to complete his degree.

His business did electrical work for schools, churches, gas stations, and ranches from Edwards County through Zavala County. He sold appliances, did air conditioning as well. Because of his health, his son-in-law took over the air conditioning part of the business and his son takes care of the electrical part. However, he is on the job, taking messages and phone calls for his son.

Ventura Hernandez Rodriguez, known to all as Bennie, was an amusement operator in Castroville, Eagle Pass, Hondo, and San Antonio while in school. He was 18 years old when his country called him. On December 7, 1944, he reported to Fort Hood to get his basic training for Army infantry. At Fort Mead, Maryland, he was issued heavy equipment and clothing for winter, ready to go to Germany as special services. Before he could be shipped out, VE Day occurred. He was then issued mosquito nets and light gear and was sent to Camp Stoneman, California, for two weeks.

He was put on a ship, one man among 5,000 men.

In 28 days,16 ships with 5,000 men on each and protected by 4 destroyers, went to Manila. Attached to the 123 infantry division, they searched at night, men in a close line, looking for mines. They went to Baggio, Japan, then Luzon in the Philippines.

On August 6, Hiroshima was bombed; August 8 Nagasaki was bombed; Japan surrendered on the 15th. From there, special services men were ordered to pick up weapons, bayonets, rifles, and other arms to be confiscated. After that was accomplished, he was assigned to the 42nd General

Hospital as a guard. At that time, he became a tourist off hours, visiting all the large cities in Japan. In November, he was sent to California, receiving his discharge December 16, 1945. When he came home, he took off a year to visit family and unwind. Next he went into civil service at Lackland Air Force Base and was there for 34 years. He went into business for himself in 1950, at the same time working civil service. He retired from civil service in 1985, but maintains several businesses in D’Hanis now. One thing he is very proud of is that he and all of his nine brothers have served in the military, beginning with WWII. Brother Cecil was Army, Gene in the Navy, Pete, Ted, and himself were Army, Torivio who was killed in an automobile accident in Florida was Air Force, Chris and Louie were Marines, and Gilbert was Air Force. Because of this important connection of family to the military, he and his wife own and operate the Veterans Lounge in D’Hanis.

They lost their anchor, then to top it off, collided with another ship.

Needless to say, they got a new commander, a full captain, and had no more troubles. After that trip, the ship was sent back to Norfolk for a refit and to be repainted. Then they were sent to the Caribbean through the Panama Canal and on to Pearl Harbor in June 1946.

His medals he received are the American Campaign, the World

War II Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and Asiatic Pacific Medal. When he had enough points for a discharge, he was sent on a troop ship to San Francisco, California. He was discharged at Camp Wallace, and in August 1946, went back to A and I for a degree in vocational agriculture. He taught in D’Hanis for 36 years, met his wife, Dorothy Rothe, there. He also served in the Naval Reserve in D’Hanis. When Dottie inherited land in 1968, they took up ranching in addition to his teaching job. When he retired in 1984 from teaching, he then went full time into ranching until 2008.

Milton Woolf was running movie theaters in Del Rio when he was called up in 1944. He got his physical, trained another man how to do his job for a few months, then was sent to San Diego in March, 1944.

Because of his experience running movies, he was designated to be an electrician, first job was to repair a pump that was 3 foot under water.

Bill Soyars was a second year sophomore at Texas A & M in 1944, working toward a degree in animal husbandry and playing football.

Uncle Sam interrupted his plans, ordering him to report to Wichita Falls for Army Air Corp basic training.

Flying the military way was a wash out for him and he was sent to Madison, Wisconsin for radio mechanic school. After two weeks, it was decided that his talents were not to be found in the radio mechanic field. He was given orders to go to Italy in January, 1945. While in Europe, he contracted malaria, one of the few soldiers to do so in Europe.

On board a troop ship to Japan through the Panama Canal, he was detained at Trinidad. He spent two weeks there, the atomic bombs were dropped, and again he was not needed there.

However, a general had heard about Soyars talents in football and wanted a football team for the Air Transport Command. He soon found himself

with the team. However, because he had been overseas, he was given 45 days leave at Dallas Love Field. After four or five months, they went to Hamilton Field in San Francisco for several weeks. He received his discharge papers at Ft. Sam. Coming home to Sabinal, he needed a job and under training by Tom Johnson, he learned how to use a bulldozer, riding with Tom for about 3 weeks. Al Rehm offered him his first civilian job.

After a month and a half, he married Mary Howard from Concan. Other jobs he held were working for Paul Fitzgerald, doctoring sheep for screw worm, working on the Annandale Ranch, working commercially as a hunting guide in 1946. This job he held for 16 years, also attending college to complete his animal husbandry degree. In 1947, because of health issues, he gave up football but took up rodeo. In 1949 he was on the A & M rodeo team in calf roping. By 1950, he was in the rodeo finals. Following graduation, his family lived in the old Heard home. In 1956, he was hired as an instructor pilot at San Marcos, with his wife and baby moving the following year. He ran cattle operations from 1960 to 2005, has over 18,000 miles in flying time in his 65 years as a pilot.

Wayne Cheney is originally from Raymondville.

At the age of 16, he was in college at A and I and at 17, he went to Harlingen to enter a special program offered through the Navy in electronics.

His parents signed the papers to allow him to go into the Navy when he turned 18. He really wanted to be in the war effort, so he and some friends went to Corpus Christi to join up, telling the recruiter that his parents had given him permission. Besides, he explained, what he wanted was to be in gun fire control, not electronics. By October, 1944, he was in San Diego for boot camp and was able to go into

gun fire control while there. The top half of the students, of which he qualified, went for more training at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida another 2 months, May and June of 1945. He was assigned to the new ship USS Navasota out of the Philadelphia Naval Yard. Then he waited in Newport, Rhode Island, for the new ship. First the crew went on a shakedown in the North Atlantic, had a full commander in charge.

Born on the Ellis Ranch on February 3, 1928, the son of Vollie and May Pierce, Bill R. Pierce attended school at Camp Wood, a graduate of the class of ‘45. He went into an Army program at the college level for 17 year old boys in Texas and neighboring states at Texas A & M University, a course in engineering through the Army Reserves. It was offered with the understanding that at 18, they went into active duty, and when the time came, he reported in at Fort Sam Houston.

Basic for Bill was at Fort Bliss in air defense artillery, then on to Fort Sill, Oklahoma to field artillery school. He served a year and was discharged at the age of 19. On the GI Bill, he then enrolled at the University of Houston where he obtained a business administration degree. The

Army established the ROTC program and he graduated from it in June 1950, as a military distinguished cadet. On June 25, the Korean War broke out and he applied for active duty. He was assigned first to Fort Lee, Virginia for one year, where he was involved in basic combat training of new soldiers, and then to the San Antonio General Depot for a year and a half, where he was on July 27, 1953 at the end of the Korean War. Next up was Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss, followed by an assignment at Fort Carson, Colorado. He then went to Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1955, was assigned to the third Armored Division, serving from 1956 to 1959 as platoon leader and company commander there and Frankfurt, Germany, and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal in 1959.

He was then assigned to the Quartermaster School at Fort Lee, Virginia from 1959 to 1961. He was then selected to attend the University of Texas, where he received a Masters Degree in business administration in 1962. He was then assigned to the 8th Army Headquarters in Seoul, Korea, serving as a general staff officer for one year. He next went to Munich and Augsburg, Germany as a quartermaster supply officer. He attended the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for six months, He was next assigned to the Headquarters of the Third Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, as a general staff officer. With the buildup of troops in Vietnam, he was then transferred as a general staff officer just after the TET offensive in 1968. For his service during Vietnam, he received the Bronze Start Medal. He served at Karlsruhe, Germany in the U S Army Computer Systems Command. There he remained until his retirement in 1971, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, the only soldier to obtain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel from the Nueces Canyon. He had served

26 years in the military. But he wasn’t finished yet.

He moved to Austin to be near friends and relatives and went to work for the Texas Department of Human Services as an administrative assistant staff officer, working from 1971 through 1990 when he then retired. Bill belongs to the Military Officers Association, American Legion, and the Admiral Nimitz Foundation. The latter is the one he is very proud of, recruiting donors primarily from Camp Wood, and the Nueces Canyon, but also Austin and Uvalde, for engraved bricks honoring all branches of service men and women who have been in service to their country. He is also a Master Mason, teaches a one hour class each year at Nueces Canyon high school on the history of Nueces Canyon and Texas history. He is married to Christa Neuroth of Frankfurt, Germany. On Friday August 29, Bill, along with several other major donors, will be honored at the Admiral Nimitz Museum located in Fredericksburg, Texas., for his contributions to the Admiral Nimitz Foundation, which are ongoing.

He’s not finished yet.

Thomas Chilton Stoner was born at home in Uvalde on February 20, 1924. Schooling was done in Uvalde and he was a graduate of the class of ‘43.

After graduation, he decided to join the Navy and be a sailor, even though all his friends joined the Marines. He also bought a small ranch, paying for it with money earned while in the service. He went to San Diego for basic training and then to Salinas, California where he was sea drafted to go aboard a battleship, the USS Idaho, and headed to the South Pacific. There he spent 30 months and was in 13 engagements and 9 major battles. The USS Idaho

shot down 9 kamikazes, 5 of which were down in less than 4 1/2 minutes.

A couple of enemy ships were also sunk and the number of submarines they sunk is unknown. All you saw was an oil slick, he explained. The USS Idaho was in Tokyo Bay on August 14, 1945, when Japan surrendered, and at the signing of surrender on board the USS Missouri. After that, they headed for Norfolk, Virginia. He received his discharge in Houston in January ‘46 and came back to Uvalde.

He ranched for a while, then decided to go back to school, attending SWTJC in Uvalde, to obtain a degree in agriculture. From there, he went to Alpine where as a senior, he held a 4.0 average. He obtained not only the BS in agriculture, but went for a master’s degree as well, in the biology of range plants. He worked on a survey crew for a while, but at the urging of Dr. Sterling Fly, applied to teach at SWTJC as an Ag instructor. He was there for 32 years, ranching

at the same time. His is a yours, mine, and ours marriage of 50 years this Christmas, to Shirley Harp, sister to Ben Harp, himself a veteran in the Army Air Corp. (Refer to the April 30, 2014 issue.)

Both Chilton and Shirley had lost their first mates, loved to dance, and that is how their relationship grew. He had a daughter, she had a daughter and son, and they had one of each. All five children attended Nueces Canyon ISD. Where the Stoners currently reside, just past Elephant Mountain in the north west corner of Uvalde County, has been in his family for over 100 years.

Hubert Hermes, born in Bandera, grew up on a farm and ranch in Tarpley. He began his schooling in Tarpley, going to Hondo for high school. After graduation, he went into cabinet making, learning his craft from Corwin Allen of Sabinal who built several Sabinal homes, some still in use today. Hubert joined the Army Air Corp, serving from October 1942 to November 1945.

He began his basic in San Antonio at Fort Dodd, completing basic in Hondo.

It was there that he stayed, working in plane parts supply, later working up to crew chief, where he was closely involved with pilot training. He did some work at Randolph when

called upon.

After the war, he went back into cabinet making and custom orders for furniture on weekends and evenings at a shop at his home, while working for Alamo Lumber during the week, for 27 years. The wooden filing cabinets that are still in use in the tax office were crafted by him. He was approached

by Hondo ISD to become a shop teacher, instructing students in cabinet making and building trades. He went to South West Texas State for his teaching degree on the G I Bill and taught for 18 years, retiring in 1987. Hubert was married in 1942 to Bernice Brucks and lost his wife in May of this year.

Bill Berger, now 96 was born at home in Ferris, Illinois. When he was 12 years old, he had a carrier delivery route, later becoming a correspondent for Illinois and Iowa daily newspapers. He went to Carthage College which was then located in Illinois, again writing for the Handcock County Journal as well as selling subscriptions. Following college, he continued sales for the paper, then joined a circulation service company which served Midwestern daily newspapers. He first became a district manager for the Topeka State Journal in Kansas which led to circulation manager for other daily newspapers in Iola, Kansas; Rolla, Missouri; and Yankton, South Dakota. He then left the circulation business to become managing editor of the Tuscola Review in Illinois.

Next in his career, he began his

service in the military, attached to the 95th Infantry Division, beginning with basic at Camp Swift near Bastrop, Texas. This soon led to his meeting Jerry June Barnes of Waelder, and in February, 1943, they were married at Fort Sam Houston and still are married today. Other places he served in were Camp Polk, Louisiana; the Mojave Desert in California; Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Lewis, Washington; Hawaii; the Philippines; and when the atomic bomb was dropped, instead of invading, he was a part of the occupation of Japan. Discharged at Fort Sam Houston in February, 1946, he joined his wife who was teaching in Gonzales. He started working at the Gonzales Inquirer.

While there, he began searching

for a newspaper that might be for sale. In Hondo, a publisher offered his paper for sale that he had owned since 1900. He persuaded his wife to become an editor and they moved to Hondo. Other weeklies that they bought were Lacoste, Crystal City, Carrizo Springs, Seguin, the Sabinal Times, and Waelder. They also published a military paper for Randolph AFB and another at Schertz. The one they retained has been the Hondo Anvil Herald. They also established a radio station in Hondo in 1979 and sold it in 1994.

Bill was elected president of the South Texas Press Association, serving in 1954 and 1955; president of the Texas Press Association in 1963-1964. In Hondo, he was commander of the Veteran of Foreign Wars, president of the Hondo Lions Club, and treasurer of the hospital board during the founding of the hospital. He served on the University of Texas School of Communications Advisory Council, and along with John Connally and

Gordon Fulcher, founded the Texas Star which was a supplemental magazine carried by most large Texas newspapers. Bill served on the campaign staff for both Lyndon B Johnson and John Connally.

He was appointed a member of the Texas Water Commission by Governor John Connally in 1965 following a term as a member of the first Texas Tourist Development Agency board of advisors. He then worked on the Texas Water Quality Board, as a research director on the Insurance Board and assistant to the Railroad Commission. He retired from his service to the State of Texas in 1980 and began newspaper brokerage to help publishers buy and sell newspapers. He still writes a weekly column in the Hondo Anvil Herald and will celebrate 72 years of marriage in February this next year. As he heard me read this article over the phone, for any corrections that needed to be made, his comment was “I didn’t know I had been so busy.”

Ernen Haby was born in Selma, California, but at 2 months old, his parents moved back to Utopia to their roots.

His dad, Tommy Haby, and a neighbor, Adam Wilson, hired a teacher and his education began at the Wilson’s school.

He then attended the Haby school, finally going to school at Utopia.

He was more interested in working than in school and was employed at Station C, north of Utopia as soon as they would hire him.

Drafted into the Army, he reported to Bandera on February 13, 1942. He spent 13 weeks at Ft. Knox, Kentucky at tank mechanic school and 9 weeks at motorcycle mechanic school, used by the military police. He then was transferred to Camp Campbell, Kentucky to go as cadre form armored division to Camp Chaffe, Arkansas. With the rank of Staff Sergeant, he was in charge of the motor pool for the military police. As a division, they went to Europe, sailing to LaHavre, France, on to Germany, and ending up in Pilson, Czechoslovakia. On May 8, 1945, the war in Europe ended and he received his discharge in San Antonio. In addition to Wharton College change his position from Dean to Registrar.

He also he was at Ft. Knox 13 weeks, tank mechanic school 9 weeks with the last 3 days about motorcycles. He came back to the ranch, worked again at Station C, until 1949, when he was laid off. He went to school at San Marcos on the GI Bill and in 2 years,

9 months, he had his bachelors degree in agriculture. He and his wife Gracia moved to the Kinchloe Prairie where he farmed and his wife taught at Sabinal ISD. The drought of the ‘50’s took its toll on his farming and they moved to Ranger Junior College, where he taught agriculture and history; Gracia taught accounting and typing. They were there during the ‘60’s. He obtained a Master’s degree, again at South West State Teachers College. It was then that the President asked him if he would be Dean and Registrar and he did so, with no training.

“Just get in and do it” were his words. He also holds 3 hours at the University of Texas and 3 hours jointly between Trinity University and A and M University. A year after the president of Ranger Junior College moved to Wharton Junior College, he called Ernen and asked him if he would come and be Registrar there. He stayed for 17 years, retiring in 1984. Ernen returned to Utopia and has been here now 30 years. He credits his excellent health to not smoking nor drinking. On the wall in the dining room is a plaque from Wharton Junior College which commends him for his accuracy of reports, loyalty, non-time work schedule, and his work ethic. Now at the age of 96, he feels he never has really quit working. He is involved in experimental grasses and weed and grass control. “Keep your mind busy; work toward a goal is his sage advice.”

Alejandro “Role” Castillo was born at home to Esebio and Josefa Gonzales Castillo on West Main Street in Uvalde in 1917. He was told that he could not go to school until he had shoes. Dad provided them. He went two years and then his parents were told that Role couldn’t learn. So, at the age of 9, he went with his dad on the sheering crew. He gathered the wool, working under relatives. Some of Uvalde’s families they worked for were the Pulliams, the Smythes and later the Horners. He also picked cotton and did some fencing repair. During the depression, there was very little transportation and not much work. He went with his dad to Bakersville, California, lived with relatives, doing migrant work and sheep sheering. He got drafted into the army October 14, 1941, inducted in Los Angeles. First training was at Camp Roberts, CA, then on to Fort Ord, and finally to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he completed his infantry training.

He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. At San Diego, he got amphibious training. They learned how to disembark large ships onto smaller landing crafts, and how to assault the beaches. In September of ‘42, the 3rd Infantry got aboard trains and went to Camp Pickett, Virginia. He was 25 years old. Next up was North Africa followed by the Sicilian campaign, and most of his fellow soldiers were wounded, killed, shot down, or stepped on land mines. His turn came to be

Mel Singleton was born on February 1, 1923, in Parsons, Kansas. Mel’s mother died when he was 10 and the State of Kansas sent him to live with his mother’s relatives in Arkansas. It was 1933, times were tough, and money was scarce.

When they finally learned his father was in Crystal City, Texas, they wrote to him and asked if he could be sent to Texas.

Mel then went to high school in Crystal City, but did not get to graduate. At the age of 19, he joined the Army Air Corp at Ft. Sam Houston. He had basic training first at Shepherd Field near Wichita Falls, TX, where he volunteered to go to Mess Hall school and was taught to be a cook and baker. He put in to be a gunner on a bomber, he didn’t like being a cook. His basic training continued at Squaw Valley, California. At McCord Field in Washington state, he had rifle training. After that he was sent to New York and went on an English ship to England via Scotland.

He was attached to the 55th fighter group of the 8th Air Force. His was the 338th fighter squadron. At Colchester, Essex, England, they were picked to cook for the American pilots. He worked every third day and on his time off, he toured London, flew to other bases to visit, and chased English girls. So far, war wasn’t bad. Then they went on to Germany. They took over Caulfuren, an abandoned German base, using landing mats to restore the landing strips. Still a cook, he noticed the stainless steel cook stoves, the finest in their time. At DeKalb, he visited an abandoned concentration camp. The dog pens were still there, everything was empty except the human ashes in barrels, most of them full. Mel got out in

point man and he was fortunate to find an empty town, a ghost town.

There were only 4 of his squad left when they advanced to Salerno, Italy. Over and over, incident after incident, Role realized that he was spared, “Gracias a Dios”, while the men around him were not.

On October 27, 1943, he and several others were sent on a scouting mission. Machine gun fire from German soldiers fired upon them. He was hit on the left foot and another man was wounded on his leg. They were carried back to the Allied lines. After some time, they were taken to a field hospital and then to another hospital. Completely exhausted, little food or sleep, loss of blood, Role has no memory of where he was sent. He fell asleep and did not waken for 16 days he reports, and then developed pneumonia. He awoke to find skin grafts on his foot. He left Europe May 24, 1944, and arrived states side June 6. He was admitted to Stark General Hospital at Charleston, South Carolina and later to McCloskey General Hospital in Temple, Texas, where he remained a year. In addition to wounds he was treated for malaria.

He received an honorable discharge from the Army on November 1, 1944, receiving the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star, European-Africa-Middle Eastern Medal with 3 battle stars and 2 arrowheads, American Defense Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He went back to Texas, working for

November 1945, got his discharge at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

He went home to Parsons. His cousins, Howard and Gene Laffon, decided to go to Arkansas and invited him to join them. They went to Yellville, where he went job hunting. He was hired as a fry cook at a local restaurant and that job paid for his room and board.

He quit cooking, got on a bus to San Antonio, and went to Crystal City on the train. His dad, sister and husband, lived there. His sister and husband moved to Eastland and Mel went along. He got a job with Coca Cola there and worked a year. He then went back to Arkansas, got a job working on the Bull Shoals Dam, just manual labor.

He decided to go back to Eastland and after a few days, got hired again at Coca Cola. He was given a route, a new truck, and after 3 years, due to the Texas drought, got laid off. These were tough times in Texas. He loaded up his car and went to Kansas City, Missouri, where he went to work for Ford Motor Company. Other jobs he held were at General Motors and International Paper Company. He owned a house trailer so he could move to where the jobs were. At Rock Island, Illinois, he was hired to work at John Deere. Then he went to Peoria, now headquarters for the Caterpillar Tractor Company. He was hired and this he liked, working there for 30 years, retiring in 1985.

He and wife Ruth now make their home in Uvalde. He has a tremendous sense of humor, lots of funny stores to tell, and is quite happy about how his life turned out, so far.

HEB in San Antonio for 2 1/2 years. Then he went to Uvalde.

Once again he went to sheep sheering and road construction, employed by E E Hood on and off. He moved to San Jose, California and worked at the canneries there in the 1950’s.

He also did sheep sheering and construction, anything to make a living. In Uvalde, he opened a bar “El Palomar” on West Main Street and maintained it for several years. Then he got on with Ballard and Haile, driving a dump truck, plus did odds and ends. At 80, he had double knee replacement and finally retired. He turns 97 on Tuesday, September 30. His great regret in life was that he had little education and he emphasized to his 3 daughters and one son to get an education. His encouragement was what they needed because they lived out Role’s dreams.

W. H. Cowden, known by friends as “Tuffy”, was born in Mineral Wells and at the age of 1 month, his family moved to Mountain Home. First year of school, he attended the Dee Hughes School, second grade was the Dietert School, and in third grade he attended Kerrville ISD. When a senior at Tivy but not yet time for graduation, he was offered his diploma early on the condition that he go into the service. In the spring of 1944, he joined the Navy, had boot camp at San Diego California. Following that, he was placed on a troop transport sailing in the

Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands. In September 1944, America took over the island of Ulithi Atoll, in the Caroline Islands, and it became a bigger Naval base than Pearl Harbor. It was there that he was placed on the LST (Landing Ship, Tank) # 1001.

This LST was an LST-542 class. He served on it for one year, moving ammo, troops, trucks, and mail where needed. He was in and out while the battle of Okinawa raged from April 1 to June 22,1945. They had radar based guns, every third bullet had a tracer which could be tracked at night, so they were left to defend their position in the daytime only. He recalls being in Saipan, Tinain, which is in the Mariana Islands, and to islands all over the Pacific too numerous to mention, delivering men and supplies

where necessary. A typhoon hit on the beach in Buckner Bay while they were at Okinawa and they lost their anchor, The loose chain, whipping against the ship, did major damage to their vessel. When trying to move the ship from danger, the orders were to prepare to abandon ship. It did not become necessary. The ship got started and they moved around in Buckner Bay to stay afloat. After the typhoon passed, and using plywood and hull plates, they worked around the clock, to repair the ship.

The ship had one battle star from WWII. Because the ship was in such bad shape, they had to go from Hawaii to San Francisco, down the coast, and passed through the Panama Canal. In Galveston, they dumped their ammo, then went to Houston to

the Brown Ship Yard. It became a decommissioned ship on February 26, 1946. When he had enough points, he was discharged in the holding grounds between Galveston and Houston and came back home. Plans to attend College Station on the G I Bill were scrapped when his father offered him a partnership in the ranch. He went into banking and continued to ranch, still does. He used the G I Bill to learn how to fly airplanes and was taught in Kerrville. He married his schoolmate, Tommie Jean Womack, and they were married for 32 years. They had two sons from that union, both successful in their own right.

Rodney Reagan was born to J. B. and Annie Reagan on a ranch north of Leakey. At the age of 18, he met Deloise Moffet, daughter of Ester and Lois Moffett of Rio Frio, when she was only 12, rescuing her little, red purse from a pen of cattle. Shortly before he graduated, he volunteered to go into the Air Force. He was taking the test to enter and it was meal time. The test was stopped to allow him time to eat. While eating, he was told that the volunteers for Air Force pilots was closed. So, he went home and waited to get drafted. He then graduated from Leakey High School in 1944. When he was drafted, he reported to San Antonio, and upon request was assigned to the Navy submarine service. He was put on a train and during the summer of 1944, got his basic at San Diego, California. After completion,

he was sent home on leave, then back to San Diego, San Francisco, and on to submarine school for three months at New London, Connecticut, Then, he was sent to Mare Island near Vallejo, California, and then to Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. Next he was shipped to the Pacific with two destroyer escorts and at Pearl Harbor, a platoon of Waves was unloaded. On to Samar, in the Philippines, and then Subic Bay, where he was on a submarine tender to be refurbished. On the 9th of November, 1943, the SS 238 Wahoo submarine was reported sunk. On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered. On April 22, 1946, at 6:30 in the morning, he was on a transport

to San Francisco. On an old map in his trunk of treasures, was written the fact that he was 1 1/2 inches away from going 1/2 way around the world. He was discharged at Houston and went home to Leakey. He helped build the American Legion Hall in Leakey when he was 20 years old. He went to school on the G I Bill, studying mechanics and agriculture. In Rio Frio, Deloise Moffett, then 14, heard that Rodney was home from the service and soon they were dating. He was nice and polite and they dated for the next two years. When she was 16 and he was 22, they were married in the yard of the home of a preacher. It was a double wedding; the other couple

were her best friends, Feleta Crider, and Carl Chisum. The four travelled toward Rocksprings, then Sonora, and Cloudcroft, New Mexico, on their double honeymoon. When they came home, the Reagans lived a short time on the ranch, then started farming on the shares in Rio Frio. He bought a farm through the Farmers Home Administration and built a home on it. During the ‘50’s, he worked for Dow Chemical at Lake Jackson. Then, as soon as the drought broke, they went back to the farm. During the Korean War, Rodney worked at the Hondo Air Base as an airplane mechanic and baled hay at the farm in Rio Frio, late into the night. He and his wife celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary in May of this year.

Henry Cannon was born in 1923 under the stars, on the side of the highway, near San Diego, California, where he was raised. He attended school until the 10th grade and quit in order to work and help support his family through the Great Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corp had a camp at Ocean Side, California, and it was there that he found a job for $1 a day, planting pine and holly trees. On December 7, 1941, World War II broke out for America with the sinking of their fleet in Pearl Harbor. He wanted to join the Navy, so in order to get his choice of service, he slept on the street, waiting his turn to sign up.

He recalls his sister bringing him sandwiches to eat. By December 13, he was in the military and instead of the usual 6 weeks training, they got only 3 weeks. They drilled in civilian clothes while training and used wood for rifles. Soon he was shipped out on the USS Tennessee to the South Pacific. That ship saw 16 battles, 16 engagements, Troy Smith was born up the creek from where he now lives, born to Joe and Delilah Roe Smith. He went to school at the White School located two miles down the road for six years. He then went to Ingram a year, then Hunt for a year. He finished up his schooling in Kerrville at Tivy and graduated after eleven years of schooling, in 1941. Eleven years was the normal schooling offered at the time. As a civilian, he went to Aircraft Engine School and became a civilian technician at the age of 17. He worked at Duncan Field, a division of Kelly Air Force Base. He found out that they wanted volunteers to go to Station X. He had no idea what Station X was, but persuaded his dad to sign a release so that he could go. Still a civilian, he recalls the journey on an old, wooden ship and soon found himself at Burtonwood Air Field, two miles north of Warrington, Cheshire, England. There he worked on B 17 engines, four engines to each plane. He was there for two years and it was in nearby Warrington that he met and married Barbara Brown. In June of 1942, the airfield was taken over by the US Army Air Corp and still a civilian he was sent home. When he was transferred back to America, he resigned from his job and joined the Marine Corp. He recalls on the trip back to America that his wife was on the Queen Elizabeth, got there a month before he did, and

and the names Midway, Iwo Jima, the Philippines, Serengeti Straits of Gibraltar, rolled off his tongue.

On April 12, 1945, he was hurt, thrown into the air, and spent his nights sleeping on the top deck, refused pain medication, preferred to handle the pain himself.

He was in bad shape, head wounds were treated last, and that meant he had to wait. He became a disabled veteran with 10 % disability. He was placed in an Army hospital in Saipan. By November 25, 1947, he was discharged. Back in California, jobs were scarce and he walked the streets. He learned that in La Jolla, California there was a new Veterans hospital. He was there for a month and a half, found out that he had kidney damage, and the doctor said he would never be able to work again. They awarded him a 50% disability. Later he was awarded at 100% disability. He has had 5 operations for cancer, from asbestos wounds. He began working out

he came on a merchant ship. While in the service, his wife stayed with his parents.

He was in the battle of Okinawa, a fierce fighting, then on to Guam and China. In China, they accepted the surrender of a Japanese division and sent them back to Japan. His division then occupied that part of China, staying there for six months.

He received his discharge in San Diego, California, and came back home to his wife and family, including a 3 year old son. At first he leased a place from his uncle and later his uncle sold part of his place to him.

Troy did carpentry, explaining to me “I like to build things”. At first he worked for others and later did free lancing. He got a job at the State Hospital in Kerrville, living on site. At his home, he built a bridge near his house which made it easy to change the oil in his vehicle.

He did construction, then maintenance, and then became foreman, later plant engineer, and director of auxiliary services. “Just because you have an engineering degree is no guarantee that you can do the work,” he emphasized.

He retired from the State Hospital in 1987, but remained in ranching. Now with health problems, he can reflect on his life and feels that he has led a very productive life.

His son lives near; and his daughter, in a neighboring town, comes to help with housework and anything else he might need. He turned 90 in May.

of San Diego, truck driving, and finally in construction, but when they were to build a dam in Guadalajara, he decided it was time to fulfill a promise made under fire. Recalling his promise during battle made to another sailor, a man from Texas who was buried at sea, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas. His first job was for Bill McDavis Pontiac as a salesman. “I can sell snow to the Eskimos” he said. He soon was their top salesman. He went back to California where the Teamsters Union ruled. He refused to work for Jimmy Hoffa and in 1964, came back to Texas. He has worked all over the state and has lived a full life in spite of his health problems. Other accomplishments during his lifetime, were his love for dancing, having won many dance contests; he fought professionally in 1947 in the Golden Gloves; has been a used car salesman, still is; began riding motorcycles at age 15 and still does. He also flew to Washington, D C in September of this year, where he and another WWII veteran were able to place a wreath on the World War II memorial.

Tom Jordan found himself in August of ‘43 in the Navy, in boot camp in Corpus Christi. By December ‘45, he had reached the rank of Seaman 1st Class. He served on the USS W E Anderson AP 1-11, a troop ship and was in Europe and India. By December of ‘45 he received his discharge in New York City.

In January ‘46, he enrolled in the Ranger Junior College to get a degree in business administration. In May ‘47, he was hired by the Singer Sewing Machine Company as assistant manager in Temple, Texas. He travelled to Bryan, then Uvalde, up to San Angelo, on to Vernon, some for as long as 5 years, some for just a few months. He then went to Roswell, NM as an employee of

by Sears and Roebuck, staying there from 1957 to 1962. He was sent to Temple, TX, still with Sears. In 1965, he was hired by Montgomery Ward and was with them for 6 years, first in Lubbock and later in Tyler. In February, 1970, he went to Bentonville, Arkansas, working for Cooper Communications, Inc. and was involved in building retirement communities,

working every day, no days off from Easter through Labor Day weekend. In 1975, he helped build the Bellavista Baptist Church, knew Sam Walton of Walmart fame very well. Looking back, he feels this was the best part of his life, while he was in Arkansas. By May 1975, he moved to Arlington where he worked for All American Homes, becoming involved in real estate. In Bedford, he formed Tom Jordan Homes in 1982. He retired for the first time in May 1987. By 1992, he and his wife moved to Hondo, since they were closer to her family. Still a realtor, he kept busy. In 1995, he did a lot research and finally decided to build a funeral home. “Do your research before you jump off,” he cautioned. A friend in the funeral business gave him the plans for a funeral home and with a small adjustment, by 1997, the Hondo Funeral Home came into being. He sold the business to Roger and Mercy Hernandez, but still has an interest in the business. He helps with the day to day business and places notices out.