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Show Charles Norman Fowler Charles Norman Fowler entered the Army on 24 February 1941. He was attached to Battery B of the 222nd Field Artillery Battalion which served in Luzon, Philippines, and the Bismarck Archipelago in the Southern Philippines. He was a battery clerk for his unit, in which he was responsible for payroll and all the soldiers' service records, correspondence, typing and even as chauffeur. He earned the American Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with Bronze Star and the Asiatic/ Pacific Campaign medal with three Bronze Stars. Submitted by Mary Fowler, wife Maynard A. Garfield Maynard served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 as a sergeant. He took his basic training at IRTC Camp Walters in Mineral Wells, Texas, and was stationed there as a discharge manager. Rulon R Garfield Rulon Garfield served in the Army in WWII as a training and transportation officer. He rose to the rank of second lieutenant. He also served in the Korean War. He saw combat at the Punchbowl, Heartbreak Ridge and Chorwon Valley. He was awarded the Bronze Star or CIB. He described himself as 'one of the 120 day wonders' from Ft. Benning. Eugene Gonzales In 1943, Eugene received his enlistment notice while living in Nampa, Idaho. He reported for duty at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, Utah. He completed his basic training at Camp Adair in Philomath, Oregon. He was assigned to the 361st Infantry Division, 91st Division, 5th Army under General Mark Clark, and was transferred 90 to Oran, Algeria in Africa. There they trained for the upcoming beachhead landings in Anzio, Italy. Eugene was trained as an ammunition bearer, and jn the early morning of 22 January 1944, Eugene and the 5th Army, landed on the Italian coast below Rome and established a beachhead far behind the enemy lines. In the four months between this landing and 5th Army's May offensive, the short stretch of coast known as the Anzio beachhead was the scene of one of the most courageous and bloody battles of the war. Eugene recalls the horrible scene of dead and dying Marines who were the first to land on the beaches, and how he would step over these bodies under enemy fire, in order to get the ammunition to those who needed it. Several months after the successful landing, Eugene and his unit were on R & R (rest and relaxation). General Clark wanted to thank the men of his 5th Army; and after his speech, Eugene was able to shake hands with General Clark. Five days after the allies invaded Italy, the Italian army surrendered and declared war on Germany. The Italian soldiers were placed in U.S. uniforms; and because Eugene was Latino, and spoke Spanish, he could understand the Italian language. He was assigned to translate between the Italian and American Armies. He would also act as a courier, carrying secret documents between Italian and American forces. At only 18 years old, he was relied upon to carry these documents at night, despite enemy harassing fire and snipers. He was constantly afraid of being shot or killed. As an ammunition bearer, he later was assigned to the Italian Army and was responsible for translating the Italian orders for ammunition into English so the U.S. Army could keep them supplied. His duties included being a sniper hunter. He would go out ahead of the lines to identify German snipers and try to kill them before they killed Americans. On most occasions, he would find a wounded German (most likely snipers), and he would give them first aid and transfer them to an American aid station. The dangers of being an ammunition bearer became even more dangerous on the steep Italian slopes. It was impossible to carry the ammunition by hand, so they loaded up mules and made them carry the load. On one occasion, he was trailing another soldier leading a mule bearing ammunition, and the mule stepped on the German tellermine. The mule was blown to pieces, and Eugene was stunned, and covered in mule flesh. He fortunately was not injured, but he was thankful for the mule saving his life. In another incident, he was traveling in a truck with another buddy. They were both sitting on a toolbox in the back of the truck. Suddenly, the truck hit a tellermine and the drivers were killed immediately. His friend was thrown off the truck, received a concussion from the blast, and was bleeding from his ears. Eugene was thrown in the air, landed on his shoulder, and rolled away from the vehicle; but was not permanently injured. To this day, his shoulder still bothers him. Eugene was awarded the Bronze Star for "heroic and meritorious achievement." He reports that he was very fortunate not to have been seriously wounded, and credits God for protecting him. Victor David Green_ Vic met his wife, L. Maurine Duffin Green, at a matinee dance at Weber in early 1942. They worked together on the 1942 Acorn, and remember very vividly as they watched their classmates leave for the war, or the war industries. Vic entered the Army in 1943 and served in the South Pacific Theater. He received the Army Commendation medal with the First Oak Leaf Cluster. After the war, he made the Army his career, where he served for 24 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Wayne Arthur Grose My father, Wayne Arthur Grose served in the U.S. Army near the end of World War II. He was in several battles and also served in occupied Germany. He helped repatriate citizens of Poland. He graduated from Weber State in about 1968 and taught remedial math classes on campus before teaching full time at Ben Lomond High School. He is retired from Ogden City Schools and Hill Air Force Base. Submitted by Elaine G. Seaman, daughter Derlin R. Hadley I went to work at the Ogden Arsenal in 1941, making bombs at the bomb plant. World War II was raging over in Europe at the time. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the United States had entered the war. I continued working at the Arsenal until 1944 when I joined the Army and went off to war. We had two children when I left to go in the Army. Duane was four-years-old and Brent was one-year-old. 91 |