Touch of Gray - November 2004

War Veterans to Receive Special Recognition at Carolina Meadows

War Veterans to Receive Special Recognition at Carolina Meadows
   When Japanese warplanes roared into Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, Roy Proffitt was roused from his bunk aboard the Dobbin, an aged destroyer-tender nicknamed the Sea Horse.

   "We weren't surprised to be at war; but we were shocked that the enemy could so easily sneak up on us. And then we wondered how we'd ever defeat them with the aging vessels under our command," said the Carolina Meadows man who spent the entire conflict in the Pacific and Southwest Pacific theaters.

   Members of Tom Brokaw's "Greatest Generation" responded to this "day of infamy," forming armed forces in the millions to join the Allies in vanquishing the Axis, though it took another 44 months.

   The Residents Association of Carolina Meadows will recognize the survivors in their community on Veterans Day, November 11. There will be an exhibit of their memorabilia in the Club Center early in the month. All veterans will be named in a feature section of the monthly Meadowlark newsletter.

   Of the 155 Carolina Meadows residents who served, 57 enlisted in the Army of the U.S. plus 26 in the Army Air Corps (later Air Force). Fifty-three were in the Navy, including 5 in Naval Aviation and two in the Marines. Seven were in military units of other lands.

   Additionally, twelve women were in the armed forces, three of them nurses, the others in auxiliary units.

   Two-thirds of the total number served overseas and one-third of all were in combat. At least a dozen were seriously wounded; and three spent time in enemy prisons.

   Numerous veterans held positions requiring special skills such as decoding, development of new equipment, weather advisory, intelligence gathering and analyzing, etc. Twelve were doctors, dentists or pharmacists, usually at work soon after their graduate training.

   Four of the women served overseas: Emily Newcity, a WAC with the counter-intelligence section of GHQ in Australia; Pauline Brimhall, a nurse in a field hospital in the "toe" of Italy; Jane Connelly, also a WAC, in intelligence operations at Admiral Halsey's headquarters on New Caledonia in the Pacific; and Gert Kohn with the Army Nursing Corps in Burma.

   "We treated more than American, British and Chinese casualties from warfare," says Gert. "In our tent hospital near the Irawadi River we had men suffering from leprosy, malaria, typhus and a variety of jungle diseases. Among invading monkeys was a little fellow we called ‘Spirit’ who had a habit of staying around the sickest patient – at once a touching and amusing visitor."

   The brunt of close-quarters fighting was done by the infantry and Marines. Army forces were most heavily engaged against the Germans in the closing year of the war.

   Bill Reed, drafted in 1941, joined the 82nd Airborne, getting final training in North Africa with a parachute artillery unit. He engaged in combat operations in Sicily and Italy before flying to England in time for D-Day. Surviving a night drop behind the lines in Normandy, he and his buddies went on to fight their way across France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Recalled to active duty in 1951, Bill joined in airborne operations in North Korea and stayed on for a career that included an advisory role to the commanders in Army headquarters in Danang, Vietnam. A Lieutenant Colonel, he retired with many decorations including the Purple Heart.

   "Yes, I'm proud to have served with those famous divisions," he says, "but it's certainly nothing I'd want to do over again if I were young!"

   Typical of the infantrymen is Allen Evans who saw action in the European Theater. He engaged in combat from Normandy through France, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Rhineland. For 186 days he directed fire for his battalion.

   "The Hurtgen Forest battle was the worst," he says. "We fired from the same position for several different divisions while they were being cut to ribbons by the Germans." Later he supported our troops by firing across the Rhine as the divisions moved down river from the Remagen Bridge.

   Based in England, the 8th and 9th Air Corps engaged in strategic bombing to sap Germany's resources for battle.

   From the Battle of the Bulge until VE Day Robert Huddleston participated in 36 missions as a fighter pilot with the 91h Air Corps. Charles Smith flew 24 missions over Germany and France, and Arnie Post flew 26 without injury. On one mission, Arnie was relieved to reach home base as he only had 10 gallons of fuel remaining.

   Not so fortunate was Bob McCormick, pilot of a bomber in the Mediterranean theater. Anti-aircraft shrapnel set a wing-tank afire over the Sardinian airfield being attacked. Miraculously, Bob was able to escape and parachute to the ground. Other crewmembers perished.

   In an enemy prison for two years, he said, "We survived by being 'good boys', going along with our captors very carefully. I went from 169 to 116 pounds. When at last we heard gunfire and saw the swastika come down and the Stars and Stripes go up, it was the happiest, most thrilling day of my life."

   In the Pacific, the Navy had immense burdens on land, sea, air and under the sea. Officers such as John Russell operated LCT's or larger craft, landing Marines or infantry on beaches, along with all needed armaments and other supplies. John Johnson's ship was larger, needing docks or separate landing craft for attacking troops.

   Fresh out of the Naval Academy, Bill Benedict became a deck officer on a destroyer before being trained in Florida for submarine service. "Then I joined a crew hunting for naval and commercial targets off the Japanese coast, not far from Yokohama," he says. "We were quite successful, but after a year of several cruises we were replaced by more modem submarines toward the end of the war."

   With the development of carriers, Naval Aviation came into being a potent force for offense and defense the "eyes" that made possible surprise attacks such as began the Battle of Midway.

   Mac Converse was a fighter pilot who flew 50 missions from Guadalcanal. His best-remembered moments, "Losing one-third of our squadron, including our squadron leader." In 1944 he became a fighter director aboard the carrier Monterey, accounting for 14 enemy planes destroyed during the liberation of the Philippines.

   Wade Atkins was a radar officer with the First Marine Air Wing in the Pacific Theater from 1943-1945. He stayed on with the Marines after VJ Day. After participating in the Inchon landings in Korea he had responsibilities for logistics, supply and financial operations. Wade remained with the Marines until 1965, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.

   Most ominous for the Japanese was the ability of B-29 bombers to reach Tokyo. Ralph Hemmig was the navigator and radar bombardier for 32 such missions. "On August 6, 1945, " he says, "we were on a mission attacking the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal. Halfway on our bombing run we saw what we later learned was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, 15 miles to the north. That bombing of Hiroshima expedited the processing of the prior surrender of Japan."

   Ralph stayed with the Air Force until 1969, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. He participated in the Berlin Airlift, and flew 52 missions during the Korean War.

   Living most of their lives through the Atomic Age, Carolina Meadows residents have entered this new age of terrorism with more concern for their descendants than for themselves. Will an account such as the above ever be written again? They hope not and pray not. -- John D. Banks, Resident

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