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Text originally published in 1985 under the same title.
Pickle Partners Publishing 2016, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.
Publishers Note
Although in most cases we have retained the Authors original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern readers benefit.
We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.
THEY HAVE SEEN THE ELEPHANT*:
VETERANS' REMEMBRANCES FROM WORLD WAR II FOR THE 40 TH ANNIVERSARY OF V-E DAY
1985
BY
DR. LYNN L. SIMS
*Alexander the Great. 326 B.C. referring to his Macedonian Warriors who defeated the Elephant Mounted Army of King Porus, meaning these men have seen to war for their country.
FOREWORD
While reading these stories, I was struck by the diversity of experience, and the personal sacrifice made by so many. Overshadowing everything was the spirit of patriotism. I know these veterans don't think of themselves as special, but their generation preserved our way of life. They produced the weapons, carried supplies around the world, and met the enemy in battleeverything necessary for victory.
I find books like this, about ordinary experiences, instructive because they show each of us as part of a larger endeavor. As individuals we are important, and together we have a great strength and ability to defend America, no matter the place or time.
I applaud those who served our country during World War II. I thank those who have taken time to share a feeling or experience.
Thank you, Honored Veterans.
LTG Robert L. Bergquist made this book a priority task since it fits into a Logistics Center goal of learning from the past. These stories happened over 40 years ago, all over the world, and they are set down here so they can remind us of other times and places where Americans fought for their country. No single soldier won the war, rather each was trained, went where he was told and did his job when needed.
War became a way of life, an opportunity for undreamed-of travel, a time in which many grew up, some received equal treatment for the first time, some enjoyed working as part of a team, some felt proud, but for all it was an experience few would have wanted to miss, but none would want to repeat.
This-book was an enjoyable project. The veterans were helpful and patiently explained their part in the war. They all insisted their story was average, I assured them, that was all right.
The Fort Lee Civilian Personnel Office searched their files for a pre-1924 birthdate, and a veteran's preference. That gave me a list of 276 names. All were contacted by mail and these 68 carried through the oral history, and agreed to have their story published. I interviewed most by telephone, typed the conversation, and mailed it to them for corrections. The returned stories were proofread and retyped in final form. The stories were then divided by theater of operation, European, Pacific, and all others went into a third section. Within each division the stories are alphabetical.
Dr. Steve Anders, Quartermaster School Historian, interviewed several men and read all the submissions. Sharon Sims proofread the copy. Sandy
Robertson and the ladies of the Word Processing Center gave their best advice and assistance in the typing process. All errors of commission and omission are mine, j amp sorry for them.
And while I am talking to you mothers and fathers, I give you one more assurance. I have said this before, but I say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars.Franklin D. Roosevelt, in Boston, October 30, 1940, (13 months before Pearl Harbor).
Readiness, obedience, and a sense of humor are the virtues of a soldier.Brasidas of Sparta, Speech to the Lacadaemonian Army at the battle of Amphipolis, 422 B.C.
EUROPEAN THEATER
Grover C. Boone
I am originally from Petersburg and took my basic training at Fort Lee. I was assigned to a Service unit, the first one to go over to England. Our men were trained as cooks, drivers, mechanics, and had many more skills, including infantrymen. Any unit needing us would get to use us and then we'd go back to our unit. On 6 June, I was assigned to the 3238 th Quartermaster Service Company in Liverpool, England, at a staging area pulling maintenance on equipment due to go to France. Our unit was also waiting to go over, as we did on about D+5.
When we first got to France, we set up and they began pulling our men away for all kinds of duty. One day they came looking for truck drivers and mechanics. That was my specialty. I was assigned to a new unit created for the purpose of getting gasoline and supplies to General Patton. They called us the Red Ball Express. We drove 2 -ton trucks, 2 men to a truck. We hauled mostly gasoline but took other supplies too. We would make a run up a marked route, deliver our load, and return as soon as possible. The road was guarded all the way, but occasionally we'd hit an ambush or get some fire from the air.
Everyone knew Patton was depending on us so we would speed right through. One day, I got to the end of the run and there was General Patton and his staff waiting. We used to form what we called a human pipe line to offload the cans of gas right to the waiting tank. This day, Patton himself helped to unload my truck. When Patton worked, everybody worked! There was no one standing around with their hands in their pockets. We would pass the cans to the tank and bring the empties back to the truck. I would then return to the supply point with the empty cans and I'd do it all again, but never as fast as the day Patton helped to unload my truck. I really respected General Patton; he got the job done. The only way to get it done was to work together, especially in wartime.
The most scared I ever was, was when we were in camp outside of Paris and the Germans were sending over V-2 rockets or buzz-bombs. They sounded like a freight train coming in. When they'd run out of fuel, they would light up in the air before they hit. One fell about 300 yards from my tent and exploded. That was the most scared I ever was.
After the War, I got out of the Army but went back in and retired in 1971 as an E-5.
