GUILFORDIAN SERVED WITH HEAVY ARTILLERY

Herman “Red” Osborne, at 90, still walks softly, but he doesn’t carry the big stick his 741^st Field Artillery unit carried during World War II.  His hair isn’t as red as it once was, but his eyes are still bright and engaging, especially when recounting his unit’s 227 days of continuous combat. 

Before being drafted in April, 1943, Osborne punched several Guilford tickets – he was born in Glenwood, lived in Colfax for a while, on a Climax tobacco farm after that, and back into Greensboro for work with J. A. Jones Construction Company until Uncle Sam called.

By his own admission, Osborne’s family was different, “In addition to my one brother and one sister, my parents raised one of my first cousins and one boy they took in from off the streets.” 

Osborne also punched several Army tickets – Fort Jackson, Camp Hood, the Tennessee Maneuvers, Camp Forrest, Liverpool, Normandy, and into the war zone. 

HERMAN OSBORNE HELPED CARRY A "BIG STICK"

“We moved 75 miles on September 14, 1944 to come in range of the enemy.  That night we surveyed our site, laid wire, positioned our guns, and at 10:30 fired our first combat round.  We had practiced a lot at Fort Jackson, and the folks in Columbia sometimes complained about the noise our guns made – but we made more noise the night of September 14 than all our practice firing combined,” recalls Osborne.

The standard light artillery piece in World War II was the 105mm howitzer, which had a 4.1 inch projectile.  Next largest piece was the 155mm howitzer, known as “Long Tom,” with a six inch projectile. 

Then there was the 203mm “big stick” of Osborne’s 741^st Field Artillery Battalion, with an eight inch projectile.  According to literature provided by Osborne, “The eight-incher could change battle fortunes in short order.  It was ideal for clearing out concentrations of enemy troops and/or defeating fortified positions.  It was the largest self-propelled artillery piece available to us at the time.”

OSBORNE'S ARTILLERY PEERS ADDED NEW MEANING TO "HEAVY ARTILLERY!"

Typically, a crew of 14 operated each gun, which could fire an average of one 200-pound projectile each minute with a range of over 11 miles.

With the enemy in retreat, the 741^st moved faster and more often.  “On April 25 we moved three times, no sooner than we set up, we took down and moved out,” says Osborne.  Other records show they took six positions in eight days, and on another occasion, moved five times in one week.

Osborne had a moment of doubt when they were ordered to cross the Moselle River on a temporary pontoon bridge, “Our guns weighed 17,000 pounds each – we gave one up for a test, but the bridge worked just fine.”

V-E Day (May 8, 1945) found the 741^st in Augsburg, Germany.  Even though Osborne’s unit had been bombed, shelled, and strafed in their foray from Normandy to Augsburg, they had suffered minimal casualties.  Sadly, one of Osborne’s favorite officers was shot by a German civilian in late April and died on May 5. 

Osborne reflected, “Even after the surrender, German soldiers were hiding out all over the place, we never knew when we would run into one, or what their disposition would be.  One cornered himself in a haystack and would not come out, but others came forward willingly to give themselves up.

We fixed up a German motorcycle retrieved from a lake.  As we rode it around town, several enemy soldiers surrendered to us.  Occupation duty wasn’t all work, Bob Hope and Jack Benny put on shows for us, plus we visited Munich, Dachau, Oberammergau, Berchtesgaden and Paris.”  

The 741^st spent the first week of August, 1945 on the firing range, ramping up for deployment to the Pacific theater for the invasion of Japan.  Even after V-J Day, the unit remained on occupation duty in Germany, returning to the states on January 6, 1946.  They wore campaign decorations for Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe.

Two corporals from the 741^st wrote, “A History of Charlie Battery,” quite a definitive combat journal.  Besides Osborne’s, the only other copy I could locate is in the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA.  

OSBORNE "WALKS SOFTLY," BUT AS A GREAT AMERICAN

On November 1, 1947, Osborne married Jean Loman.  They are members of Emmanuel Wesleyan Church and have three daughters, one son, eight grands, and nine great-grands.  Osborne worked as a heating and air conditioning technician with Dick and Kirkman for 38 years.

For the record, the two other boys from the Osborne household also served in World War II – Carl Osborne as a B-24 gunner and Tommy Younts as a paratrooper.

RECRUIT TRAINING TAKES DIFFERENT TWISTS

Military stories come in various shades of interest.  The era of service has a lot to do with the shade.  Seeing that Ted Russ’ two years of peace time military service coincided with two of my rather docile four years, I couldn’t fathom his story becoming a best seller.

A sizable segment of the population would beg to differ.

The son of a Fort Bragg barber, Russ graduated from Wake Forest College in 1955 with degrees in general science and education.   He was drafted into the Army the following year.

After basic and advanced training at Fort Hood, Texas, Russ deployed to Germany.  Perhaps in recognition of his college background, he traveled from base to base as a chemical, biological and radiological inspector/instructor in the Chemical Corps of the 2^nd Armored Division.

His overseas deployment completed, Russ returned to Fort Hood where he instructed new Army inductees.  It is unknown how much an inductee from Tupelo, Mississippi remembered about his two-day training cycle on chemical, biological and radiological warfare, but Russ, his instructor, remembers the two days like yesterday.

While Russ doesn’t recall the names and times of all the soldiers he trained, he particularly remembers training Private Elvis Aaron Presley. 

TED RUSS AND HIS MOST FAMOUS TRAINEE

“We took groups of recruits out in the field for two days at the time.  It seemed that everyone in Texas knew Elvis was in recruit training at Fort Hood.  We knew he would come through our training cycle at some point.  I was quite inquisitive about how training the King of Rock and Roll would work out. 

 

Elvis was a good trainee and well-liked by his Army peers.  He took his celebrity status in stride.  He realized that learning how to use a gas mask was serious business and went through exactly the same training as all other recruits.  He asked no favors or for any special treatment,” Russ recalls.

Surely it was coincidental, but General Colin Powell also met Presley while on active duty.  According to Powell, “I saw him as Elvis Presley, the soldier – not as Elvis Presley the celebrity.”  Right.

RUSS RECALLED ELVIS PRESLEY COPED WELL WITH HIS CELEBRITY STATUS WHILE IN THE ARMY

Russ would not go so far as to say Presley was a typical Fort Hood doughboy, “His company was the only one that had gasoline-powered lawn mowers.  All other companies had push mowers – I always thought Elvis funded the gasoline mowers and the government funded the pushers.

Elvis did not perform for the public during his Army service, but his handlers released enough films and records to keep his fans in a frenzy.  Anytime his fans could get on base, long lines developed at the slightest hint of an Elvis sighting.”

Russ has several photos of Presley.  His personal favorite may be the photo of Russ and Presley together, “When we show that photo to friends, my wife always tells everyone that I am the good-looking one.”

About the time Presley deployed to Germany, Russ deployed to civilian life and returned to North Carolina, “Since I enjoyed teaching and instructing so much in the Army, I got a job teaching high school chemistry, biology and physics in Camden County, making $331 per month.”

Russ may have enjoyed teaching soldiers, but found that high school teaching wasn’t his forte, “I quit teaching and went to work for Breon Laboratories in pharmaceutical sales for ten years.”

After a stint with Key Homes in Greensboro, Russ formed Russ Realty Company in the early 1970s.  He retired in 2005.

Russ was a Baptist, but married a Methodist.  He readily admits his wife was the better salesperson – they are long-time members of West Market Street United Methodist Church. 

He and Carolyn Alston, whom he says was an avid Elvis Presley fan, were married in the Greensboro College Chapel on June 10, 1961.  They have four children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. 

TED RUSS HAD A SMILE AND HANDSHAKE FOR EVERYONE 

While Russ has carefully preserved his 56-year old photos of Elvis Presley, I was surprised he had never attended an Elvis Presley concert – or visited Graceland, “I always wanted to do both, but just never got around to it,” he says. 

Disclosure – I married an Elvis fan who owned his every record.  We have been to Graceland.  We also enjoyed Elvis’ Greensboro Coliseum concert of April 21, 1977. 

Elvis Aaron Presley died August 17, 1977.  In addition to being a good soldier, he was the best-selling recording artist of all time.

VETERAN'S STORY HAS UNUSUAL TWISTS

Among the military veterans I’ve written about, Hank Brodt may have the shortest length of service – only two years active, three years reserve. On the other hand, the months and years he spent overseas during World War II compare most favorably with other veterans. 

Hank Brodt spent all of them overseas.   

 

More precisely, his wartime experience includes time in five German concentration camps, a three-day death march without food or water, and one forced labor camp. 

In addition to being a U.S. Army veteran, Hank Brodt is a Holocaust survivor.

Post-war, he testified at trials of accused Nazi war criminals at Dachau and Bremerhaven.

Liberated by the U.S. Army’s 80^th Infantry Division on May 6, 1945, Brodt did kitchen patrol and odd jobs in the motor pool for Army occupation forces, “There wasn’t much pay involved, but I met many fine soldiers who befriended me – I learned a lot.”

After rotating back to the States, one of those soldiers sent Brodt paperwork towards visiting the United States and becoming a citizen.  Just four years after being liberated from a concentration camp, 24-year old Polish-born Hank Brodt immigrated to America.

While living in Chicago in 1950, he was drafted into the Army during the build-up for the Korean War.  Ironically, Brodt was sent to Germany, where he worked in the motor pool.

“After being discharged, I settled in New Jersey, married in 1952, and two beautiful daughters were born to my wife and me.  At this time, I have one grandson, one granddaughter, and two grand-Shelties!”

Brodt was under a year old when his father died.  As a child, he became the breadwinner for his mother.  He never saw her again after they were separated by the Germans in 1943. 

He never saw his brother again after he was drafted into the Russian Army.  “After years of searching, I did not find my brother but did eventually locate his widow.  She led me to my brother’s grave in Israel,” says Brodt.  Hank Brodt’s first wife died in 1978 and he remained single for over 20 years.

ADA AND HANK BRODT STAY BUSY WITH SPEAKING EVENTS

In 2000 Brodt married again.  Ada Brodt, who had been born in Russia, came to New Jersey in 1997.  Her father was Polish and had been taken as a prisoner of war by the Germans. 

She was college-trained as a construction engineer and worked for the Russian government, “When Gorbachev came into power, I was among a large number of people who lost their jobs and faced severe persecution.  A friend from Richmond, Virginia helped me obtain a guest visa and I later became an American citizen,” she says happily.

The Brodts moved  to High Point in 2005, they also have a home in Sparta.  They are active members of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro.

Brodt, now 90, is in high demand as a speaker and spends much of his time sharing his Holocaust experiences, “I want to tell others for the ones that didn’t make it!”  A retired carpenter, he is well-known and appreciated among Habitat for Humanity volunteers in Greensboro, where he used his carpentry skills many hours when his health was better.

Brodt makes annual excursions to Poland and Israel as part of the International March of the Living, an annual education program which brings individuals from all over the world to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hate.

Greensboro businessman Don Freedman has an interesting take on the 2015 excursion.  “My son, Charlie, a high school junior, and I were looking forward to rooming together.  Instead, I was given 89-year old Hank Brodt as my room-mate. I was more than willing to help him with his baggage, but he kept offering to help me first – he is Mr. Energy!

It was an honor and privilege to travel and share rooms with Hank Brodt.  While memories were made that will last a lifetime, the timeliness is stark.  The Holocaust ended 71 years ago – the Hank Brodts of the world are becoming fewer by the day.”  

On May 5, 2016 Fort Bragg’s 18^th Field Artillery Brigade sponsored the Holocaust Days of Remembrance ceremonies – Hank and Ada Brodt were honored guests.

COL. GUY TROY USA (RETIRED) WITH ADA AND HANK BRODT
GUY IS A WW II VETERAN WHO FIRST MET HANK DURING THE WAR TRIALS

Even though he lost his family and suffered through inhumane conditions throughout his youth, “I actually consider myself extremely fortunate, “ Brodt admits. 

The U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates over two million Jews died in German concentration camps.

WWII VETERAN HAS STAYED BUSY FOR 96 YEARS

Some entered World War II feeling they were born to fly.  Others felt born to sail.  Lynn Rachel knew he was born to drive a jeep.  “They made me an ammo carrier at first, but when the opportunity to drive a jeep came up, I jumped all over it!”

GREENSBORO'S LYNN RACHEL SAYS HE WAS BORN TO DRIVE A JEEP

Rachel logged a good number of stateside miles in Army jeeps, but the drive from Normandy to Austria is most memorable – the timeline of his war is marked by jeep events.

“We had to get our jeeps and trucks all fixed up before leaving the States, I must have fixed 40 flats one day!  I shouldn’t have worried, because when we got to England, I never saw so many jeeps – they were all brand spanking new!

We hiked and trained all over England, it seemed, but no one complained – we knew we were headed for the war zone soon.  In short order, I learned to drive my jeep on the wrong side of the road and to always carry a raincoat – it rained almost every day we were there.” 

   

On an LST landing craft headed to Normandy, Rachel learned about sailors, “They got upset because I didn’t tie my jeep down – I got upset because I couldn’t find any ropes or chains.  Fortunately, the seas were calm and my jeep stayed put.”

The Battle of the Bulge was on the horizon when the 99^th Infantry Division made shore.  “We convoyed 200 miles towards Bastogne.  At first, the weather was decent so we were ordered to drive with windshields down and tops off.  The order never changed, even when it rained, and then snowed – I learned that was the Army way! 

RACHEL FOUND DECK OF "RACHEL" GERMAN PLAYING CARDS IN PILLBOX

Major General Walter Lauer was our commanding officer -- he said he knew we could fight, and exhorted us to do it!”

Rachel’s division manned a 22-mile battle front under trying conditions and unfavorable odds, “The Germans stole our uniforms, weapons and even radio frequencies -- and used them all against us.”  The Germans made some advances, but the 99^th Infantry Division held their sector.

With the arrival of better weather and General Patton’s 3^rd Army, Allied forces prevailed.  The march toward Germany began.  Rachel had a marker for that too, “General Lauer stood on the hood of a jeep to tell us we did a good job and that the Germans were on the run.”  

Enemy pillboxes along the Siegfried Line were impressive to Rachel, “They were made of steel and concrete four feet thick, with steel doors like those on ships.”  Even more impressive was a deck of German playing cards he found in one of the pillboxes – engraved, “Rachel.”  He carries a “Rachel” card in his wallet to this day. 

Rachel was up close and personal with the race to the Rhine, “After Bastogne we moved north for a while before being ordered south.  After almost 300 miles we came upon the worst traffic jam I ever saw.”

The 99^th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen.  Ironically, Hitler had ordered the bridge destroyed after German troops withdrew.  The bridge withstood attacks from weaponry of all sorts: mortars, mines, howitzers, rockets, and Luftwaffe bombers.  It collapsed on its own, just days after the last U.S. troops crossed.

ONLY WEST COLUMNS OF BRIDGE AT REMAGEN REMAIN -- MUSEUM UNDERNEATH.  WRITER AND WIFE VISITED SITE DURING RV CARAVAN IN 2000 

“We proceeded up the Ruhr Valley and across Germany, liberating two concentration camps and collecting over 3,000 German prisoners,” recalls Rachel.

“We were just seven miles from Austria when V-E Day was announced.  After the war, a German general said nobody fought harder than the 99^th Infantry Division.”

Before being drafted, Rachel worked at Proximity Mill – he returned to Proximity after the war and retired 40 years later.  Insisting that staying busy keeps you young, Rachel worked in maintenance at Four Seasons Mall for 27 years, retiring again in February, 2017. 

At 96, he lives by his “stay busy” mantra, “I go to the mall and walk four or five days a week.”  The day before I visited, he was busy trimming and mowing his yard.

He married Ruth Manuel in 1946; she died 15 years ago – they had one daughter, four grandchildren, and two great-grand-children.

RACHEL ENJOYS SHARING WW II MEMORIES WITH FRIENDS

Rachel and friends have met for coffee over the past 40 years.  At their bequest, on Rachel’s 95^th birthday, Congressman Mark Walker presented him a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol, and a letter commemorating his service. 

His friends also submitted a copy of Battle Babies, a book written by General Lauer about the 99^th Infantry Division, to the Virginia Military Institute library -- Rachel has a framed letter of acceptance.

GREENSBORO VETERAN THINKING POSITIVELY AT 100-YEAR MARK

Without argument, Herbert Woodrow “Red” Strader is a numbers man – starting with birthdays – of which he had his 100^th on April 29, 2017.

"RED" STRADER AMONG SEVERAL CENTENARIANS AT FRIENDS HOME WEST 

 “My first job was delivering papers for the Greensboro Record, at $2 per week.  My second job was with Swift & ConAgra Foods, at $15 per week.  After two years, I received a raise to $17 per week.”

His earnings took a hit when he joined the Navy in 1943, “I earned $21 per month and nearly froze to death doing it!”

After basic training at Bainbridge, Maryland, Strader underwent four months of anti-aircraft amphibious training at Lido Beach, Long Island, New York.  “Reveille went for us at three in the morning.  We practiced going out to sea and coming back ashore over and over again.  The main thing I took away from Lido Beach was that I was cold and wet the entire time I was there!”

Strader was an optimist, even in his younger days, “At least, I didn’t get seasick like many of my peers.”   However, he learned more about seasickness on his way to Okinawa aboard the USS Typhon, “We had some really bad sea days and I felt extra terrible.  It didn’t help my feelings one bit that the captain and many crew-members were seasick as well.”

STRADER MOPPED UP OKINAWA AND TRAINED TO INVADE JAPAN

From Okinawa, Strader witnessed the massive build-up of men and materiel in preparation to invade the Japanese homeland.  “We had already started training for the Invasion when President Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bomb.  To this day, I give him credit for saving my life.  There is no telling how many American and Japanese lives would have been loss had that Invasion taken place.”

Even though Strader was well-practiced in amphibious landings, Okinawa had already been taken when his contingent arrived.  He helped establish and secure Navy facilities on the Island, “We were continuously harassed by Japanese troops who held out to the bitter end.”  For one such confrontation, he received a commendation and a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, James Forestall. 

Even though Stader felt “extra terrible” when crossing the Pacific, he fared even worse when Typhoon Louise hit Okinawa in October, 1945.  “Tents and anything made of canvas were blown away, as were 80% of all buildings on the Island.  We were without food for several days.  I laid in a ditch to survive the storm.”

Two of Strader’s brothers also served in World War II – Frank with the Army in Italy, and Jack with the Navy in the Pacific.  “I have no doubt that both of them would have been involved in the Invasion of Japan as well – I’m so thankful it did not happen.”

Greensboro born, Strader’s family included six boys and one girl, “My dad lost everything we had in the Great Depression, I don’t see how he was able to feed our family – but we never went hungry!” 

Long life-spans ran in his family – his mother died at 98, his sister at 99, and his brothers into their 90s.  After attending Pomona, Peck and McKeever schools, Strader graduated from Greensboro High School in 1935. 

As a centenarian, Strader’s recollections might shock Millenials, “I never rode a school bus in my life.  My wife and I traveled a lot -- gasoline was fifteen cents per gallon.  America is the greatest country on earth.  I have surrounded myself with good and knowledgeable people – hopefully, some of that rubbed off on me.  Money and material things are good, but not nearly as important as family and friends.”

Youngsters of all ages will marvel that Strader reads three newspapers daily and follows the stock market relentlessly.  Oh, he doesn’t wear glasses either!

Post-World War II, Strader worked 44 years with ConAgra Foods Inc., which morphed into Swift & Company.  Along the way, he and his wife formed Yancey Investment Company, Inc., with considerable holdings in real estate and other investments, “I’ve turned all that stuff over to my son and grandsons now, I know it’s in good hands!”

STRADER AND HIS CPA, DEBBIE MARLOWE

According to Debbie Marlowe, his accountant, he has not lost his passion as a numbers man, “I wish everyone brought their tax paperwork in as well prepared as Mr. Strader!”

Strader is a lifetime member of College Place United Methodist Church.  He and his wife, Nessie “Nip” Myrick Strader, were well-traveled – it would be easier to list world-wide venues they did not visit rather than those visited.  Nessie Strader died in 2004 after 66 years of marriage.  They had one son, three grandsons, and two great-grands.

At his 100^th birthday bash, Strader philosophized, “I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life, but God has always been there to pull me through.

   

FORREST BRAY -- WW II SAILOR, RECYCLER, BUILDER, POLITICAL ACTIVIST 

The Navy recruiter probably didn’t ask Forrest Bray about his work ethic.  At Asheboro High School, he had lettered in baseball, basketball, football, played in the band, become an Eagle Scout, and elected student body president.  He also had part-time jobs -- firing the gym boiler and delivering the Greensboro Daily News. 

However, even during World War II, the Navy had a sense of humor, “I wanted to go into Naval Aviation, so the Navy assigned me to the Navy Armed Guard aboard the Billy Mitchell, a Merchant Marine ship named after an aviator.”

FORREST BRAY (R) DURING HIS EARLY WW II DAYS

During World War II, 144,900 U.S. sailors served in the Armed Guard aboard 6236 Merchant Marine ships – 710 ships were sunk, 1810 guardsmen killed in action.

The Billy Mitchell reached England in May, 1944 with assorted Seabee materiel and two Navy PT boats on board.  “We unloaded and left for the States on June 5, the day before D-Day.  We had to dodge a sea of ships to leave, but thanked the Lord for getting us out of harm’s way before hostilities began.”

The Billy Mitchell returned to the war zone by way of Glasgow, Scotland, where two ocean tugs were off-loaded.  Next stop was Omaha Beach, where they anchored for six months, “We were like Ace Hardware at sea, with 2 X 4s, plywood, nails, all sorts of building materials needed by our forces on land.  The ocean was adrift with floating material that had been lost or thrown overboard.  I built a small boat for scavenging useful material when we weren’t busy.”

Being anchored for six months almost did the Billy Mitchell in, “We unloaded at Cherbourg, France in November, 1944 and headed for the States.  We couldn’t maintain convoy speed across the Atlantic and were left without an escort – that was a little scary!”

Bray went aboard another Merchant Marine ship, the E. Kirby Smith.  “We sailed for Europe again.  The Germans were retreating on land, but enemy submarines were still active.  We stayed at general quarters from dusk to dawn.  Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar in single file -- three ships ahead of us were torpedoed. – that was our closest call.

All ships went on full speed.  We could only make six knots but finally made it to Port Said, Egypt for repairs, then to Calcutta, India.  Next ports of call were Sri Lanka; Mozambique (where we learned about V-E Day); Cape Town; Trinidad; and New York.”

After assignments at Charleston, South Carolina and San Diego, California, Bray reported aboard an aircraft carrier, the USS Kwajalein, at Pearl Harbor.  “At last, I would learn about airplanes, something I had always wanted to do.” 

BRAY'S DREAM OF SERVING ON A CARRIER FINALLY MATERIALIZED
BUT HIS CARRIER HAD NO AIRCRAFT

That was not to be, Kwajalein’s airplanes had been taken off and the carrier was being used to bring troops home from the South Pacific – the war was over!”  Bray was honorably discharged on May 10, 1946.

His parents had moved to Greensboro during the war, “I got a job at Sears Catalog Order Plant that lasted 14 years.  During that time, I started part-time in real estate and building.”

After Sears, he formed his own development company, Bray, Inc.  “We were fortunate to add a good number of residential and commercial buildings to the Greensboro landscape, including some sizeable developments and a few subdivisions.”

He was also active with the Homebuilders Association – on the local, state, and national levels.  He served as president of the Greensboro Builders Association and was Homebuilder of the year in 1981.

 

It wasn’t all work for Bray.  He found an 88-acre play haven to which he would eventually retire – in the Bethany community of Rockingham County.  “I wanted to experience building as did my ancestors – cut the timber, hew the wood, build the structure – and never take any trees down unless absolutely necessary.”

A self-acclaimed “tree-hugger,” 91-year old Bray is also a consummate recycler.  “Just about everything on my property is built from previously used material.  My chimney isn’t even pure-bred, the bricks come from four different structures.”

Bray is politically outspoken and has consistently offered himself for public office – in both Guilford and Rockingham Counties.  He has made unsuccessful runs for county commissioners in both counties as well as for mayor of Greensboro.

FORREST BRAY IS DOESN'T MIND OFFERING HIS TIME AND TALENT
 "TO FIX BROKEN SERVICES"

“I’ve slowed down a bit nowadays, but still attend school board and county commissioner meetings, as well as a lot of committee meetings.”  He also posts political commentary at www.rceno.com and has hosted a monthly radio show on Madison’s WLOE.

FORREST BRAY IS LIVING HIS DREAM ON 88-ACRE DOMAIN OF HIS OWN

His former wife is deceased – they had two children, three grands, and five great-grandchildren.  Bray attended Westover Church in Greensboro, but now attends Smyrna Presbyterian Church in Bethany.

     

 

  

WW II CORPSMAN HAS STRONG CONNECTIONS TO GUILFORD COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY

James Campbell “J.C.” White entered Guilford College three times: in 1942 after graduating from Curry School; in 1946 following World War II; in 1950 after care-giving his parents through a seize of illnesses. 

Pragmatic beyond his 92 years, “After one year in college, I knew the draft board would be coming for me, so I went to them first.  It was Army-Navy alphabetically, so the W’s went Navy.  One year of pre-med at Guilford placed me in Navy Hospital Corps School.  One autopsy took all plans of medical school off my plate.”

He worked for the Postal Service after dropping out of college to take care of his parents.  “That was a great job, paid well and gave me time to help with my parents.”  It also gave him time and resources to invest in rural family land that was becoming less rural by the moment – it was near the intersection of Friendly Road and Dolley Madison Road.

His third enrollment at Guilford College was more typical – he graduated in 1952 with a degree in history.  He was already aligned with Greensboro history – he was delivered by Dr. Wesley Long. 

In the war zone, it took White a while to find his LST-456 duty station.  “The Navy flew replacement crewmen to their ships wherever they were posted.  Before my ship could be located, dysentery and dengue fever put me in a Brisbane, Australia sick bay.

J. C. WHITE AND FIRST COUSIN DURING WW II

That wasn’t bad duty – major league baseball stars, Phil Rizutto and Johnny Mize were there.  Rizutto’s bunk was next to mine.  When I left for New Guinea, he asked me to send him back some guineas.  Another memory – Rizutto received more letters from more women than anyone I ever knew!”

White caught up with LST-456 in the New Guinea theater, but did not follow through on his bunk-mate’s request.

WHITE'S LST-456 WAS ACTIVE IN PACIFIC THEATER 

As the junior corpsmen aboard ship, he spent much of his time giving shots.  “I know some of those shots were quite painful.  I don’t think I could do that now, at my age.”

With editorial license, I find that strange – As a sea-going Marine 60 years ago, corpsmen uniformly assured me, “This shot won’t hurt a bit!”

White recalls one sailor who wanted to choose his own doctor, “We were off the coast of Borneo.  I was the only corpsman on the ship when two crew-members got in a fight.  One suffered a split scalp but didn’t trust me to fix it.  ‘That’s fine with me, I told him -- go ahead and bleed to death – it’s your call.’ 

He changed his mind and I sutured him up, but he complained afterwards that my stitching left his bald head looking just like the lacing on a baseball.  I told him to grow lots of hair and no one would notice.”

White added, “We had a doctor aboard for a short while – he was a pediatrician – I never could figure that out!”

LST-456 earned eight combat campaign stars during the war, several of them after White came aboard.  He became a golden shellback when his troop carrier crossed both the Equator and International Date Line.

LST-456 EXTRACT SURRENDERED JAPANESE FROM LUZON 

He has indelible memories from the Philippines, “We beached our ship on Luzon to take on Japanese troops as prisoners of war.  A Japanese major went ashore with a bullhorn to coax them out of the jungle and to surrender their arms.”

He well remembers the day the war ended, “We were below deck watching Gone With the Wind for the umpteenth time.  Anti-aircraft guns started firing from all over the place, and the announcement came over the PA system, ‘The war is over.’ “

Memories were also made after sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, “ Welcome Home, Boys had been painted on the Alcatraz water tank.”

Even then, he wasn’t home free, “Several of us weren’t paying attention and got on the wrong train in Chicago.  The conductor was going to kick us off, but three women passengers talked him out of it.  We got to Atlanta, where we caught another train to Greensboro.”

White traces his Quaker heritage back to Cane Creek’s Simon Dixon.  Late in life, he married Winifred Lincoln, an Englishwoman and daughter of a British engineer working in the U.S.  She had a son and daughter.  Winifred White died in 2014.

The son has also passed away, but his step-daughter, Joan, is around to dote on White, “She is the daughter I never had.” 

J. C. WHITE AND BOB BENBOW -- WW II LST SAILORS IN DIFFERENT THEATERS
BUT TOGETHER AT FRIENDS HOME -- GUILFORD

White spent most of his working career with Dillard Paper Company, “I couldn’t have chosen a better place to work.”  His venture into real estate is a stand-alone story.  Parcels of his land were once owned by a Payne family.  They had a daughter named Dolley.

   

   

  

BENBOW'S NAVY SERVICE A TESTIMONY FOR PEACE

On January 1, 1942, John R. “Bob” Benbow attended the first Rose Bowl game played away from Pasadena, California.  (Duke Stadium, Durham, NC – Oregon State 20, Duke 16). 

On January, 19, 1943, Benbow joined the U.S. Navy.  After boot camp, he went aboard the Navy’s first tank landing ship, LST-1. 

Of 1000 LSTs manufactured during the war years, Benbow’s was the first to float.  “We left New York on April 14, 1943 with a full load of tanks, trucks, jeeps and lots of supplies.  We even carried a 131-foot landing craft tank on our main deck.  Pontoons were attached to each side of the LST for unloading tanks and heavy equipment.

Bermuda was our first port of call – it was the first and last friendly call for the next two years.”

BOB BENBOW IS OAK RIDGE, NC NATIVE AND
GRADUATE OF OAK RIDGE MILITARY ACADEMY

Arzew and Bizerte, along the African Coast, were less friendly, “We got our introduction to the real war there – air raids, bombs, and firing our anti-aircraft guns at enemy planes.”

Sicily was even less hospitable, “We were bombed almost every day and sometimes at night – just enough to keep us up and wear us out.”

LST-1 made several supply shuttles back and forth to Africa.  “On one trip, we took on 400 German and Italian prisoners of war and transported them to Africa. 

On another trip, I met the Army doctor who had come aboard for the Invasion of Sicily.  He was a major and I was enlisted, but we developed a special bond – his name was Dr. Maurice LeBauer, from Greensboro, North Carolina.

TROOPS OFFLOADING AT SALERNO, ITALY

The September, 1943 Invasion of Salerno, Italy came next for us.  We got there a few days after D-Day, but were still within firing range of the Germans.  We stayed at general quarters almost all the time.”

LST-1 went into the supply shuttle mode again, making several voyages across the Mediterranean to Northern Africa.  “We knew another invasion was being planned, but the ship was on lock-down secrecy.  After sailing, we were told – Anzio.”

There was hardly anything about Anzio that Benbow approved, “It was poorly planned and the execution was worse than the planning.  Allied lives were lost unnecessarily!”

The fact that U.S. ships were raided by Luftwaffe bombers and received heavy barrages of fire from inland gun placements -- including Germany’s infamous railroad gun -- surely clouded Benbow’s perspective.  Many companion LSTs were hit and some sank at Anzio.

COMBAT LOADING AT SALERNO FOR ANZIO INVASION

After Anzio, LST-1 returned to dry dock in Sicily, featuring rest & recuperation for the crew.  The welcome this time was friendlier than on their prior visit.

Benbow lost his Oak Ridge Military Academy class-ring in Sicily.  “That broke my heart and I looked all over for it.  After the war, I went back to Oak Ridge for one semester.  A guy from New York sent the ring to the president of the school.  He had traded a carton of cigarettes for my ring in Salerno.  Fortunately, he was a good guy -- my name and the school name was engraved inside the ring.” 

By early May, 1944 Benbow was in Swansea, Wales, enjoying what turned out to be a lull before the storm.  “This was our first English-speaking port in over a year, but even with my Welsh heritage I had a hard time with their brogue.”

LST-1 had been combat-loaded for four days when she slipped from an English port on June 5, 1944.  “I was up early the next morning – you could see ships in four directions and airplanes in four directions – that’s the only way I can describe it.

We anchored off Omaha Beach D-Day afternoon and sent a landing craft ashore with a load of Navy beach-masters.  They would supervise off-loading from the ships.”

Benbow’s second visit to Omaha Beach was on June 12, 1944.  It was a mind-changer.  “My walk on the beach that day is burned in my memory.  Those memories will haunt me forever.  Ships were sunk or partially submerged, tanks and vehicles over-turned and burned, dead soldiers were lying in the sand – body parts were still being collected.”

For decades, 93-year old Benbow did not talk or write about his WW II memories.  Eventually, he started writing – then talking -- he feels people need to know about the awfulness of war, and that war is not always the answer.

WORLD WAR II VETERAN OF FIVE CAMPAIGNS VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE
BUT PRAYS THAT WARS CAN BE AVOIDED IN THE FUTURE

The North Carolina State University graduate worked with Nationwide Insurance for 31 years.  He has been retired 33 years.  He married Reba Lowdermilk in 1949 – they have three children and three grand-children.  

In October, 2016 Benbow was among the 1942 Rose Bowl attendees invited back to commemorate the occasion – only one of the football players was still alive.