Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJames Eward Story, Brazos Valley HeroesBy Bill Youngkin Special to The Eagle First of Two Parts In the story about Wilbur Bird, he mentioned his first night in Africa and sleeping in a pup tent with his friend from Caldwell, Ed Story. Bird's account was when he awakened he saw some Arab kids sitting outside his tent. He got up, and as a joke threw some candy in the tent onto the sleeping Ed Story. The Arab kids jumped on Story, who Bird said, "reacted like the German army had gotten him". I knew I needed to get Ed Story's version of that incident. When asked, Story said, "Wilbur had that about right. It was my first night in a foreign country and in a combat area, and we were all a little nervous." This interview took place in Story's bedroom ' at. his home outside of Caldwell, because he is suffering from cancer. As I sat there taking notes with his children around his bed listening, I was reminded again of the privilege I have to hear these accounts firsthand and to be in these men's presence. I get more out of these stories-than anyone. Ed Story's story began in Dennison, Texas, on February 19,1922. He moved to Bryan, where his Dad farmed on Leonard Road and worked for the highway department. His education was cut short when he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. When asked about that experience, Story replied: "I joined for the money. They paid one dollar a day, and that money was really needed. That was the same reason I joined the national- guard, for the money. What I didn't realize when I joined the army was that my pay was 21 dollars a month. I lost 9 dollars a month in that move. I guess I should have asked more questions before I joined. ' "The army taught me a lot. It taught me that you can't always do what you want and if you do, there are consequences for it. I learned that the hard way when we were on maneuvers in Louisiana. Two old boys from Crockett and I snuck off one night to go into town. When we got back that night, all the company tents were gone. Our outfit had moved during the night and we didn't know where. "We just sat down and waited there until about mid-morning, when a Jeep came for us. Our lieutenant took us to our new camp and then took us to an area where he wanted a garbage pit dug. He gave us the dimensions and how deep he wanted it dug. It was so deep we had to haul the dirt out in afive-gallon bucket by rope. When we finished, he came back and pushed a ladder into the pit so we could climb out. He remarked what a fine job it was and then threw the stub of his cigar into the pit and then told us to cover it up. "When we got to Africa, Wilbur Bird and I not only shared a pup tent together, we trained together. At night while out training you had to watch out for the Arabs because they would slit your throat for your boots if you fell asleep. Wilbur and I would sit back-to-back in a foxhole and when he slept, I watched and while I slept, he watched. It pretty much worked that way until the battle at Salerno, when most of the guys in our company were captured, including Wilbur." Wilbur Bird wasn't the only one from Caldwell whom Story remembered from the war. "Before we left for overseas, George Barnett, who died a few years ago, told my mom before we left for overseas that he would take care of me. And he did. George was probably the best soldier I ever knew. "After we landed in Italy, he would come check on me because of his promise to my mom. I remember once when we were under attack and I'm rooting the ground while George walked around to each foxhole and saying `stay down, boys.' I remember him telling me specifically: `Don't you go and get hurt, because I promised your mom I'd look after you.' For those of us who weren't captured when the Germans overran us at Alta Vista, I don't think we would have made it if it hadn't been for George Barnett." Next week, Ed Story's time behind the German lines and the balance of his service during WWII, which would include being awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. If you want to have a name added to the Veterans Memorial, for more information, to make a contribution, or if you know a World War 11 veteran whose story needs to be told, contact the BWM at www. veteransmemorial org or Bill Youngkin at (979) 260-7030. By Bill Youngkin Special to The Eagle Second of Two Parts Ed Story was one of several boys from Burleson County who had joined the national guard prior to the ? war and was activated into the 36th Infantry Division,, or the "Texas Division" as it was known. The 36th landed at Salerno, Italy, in September 1943 with the outcome much in doubt for several days after the landing. The Second Battalion of the 36th Division, which included Story's company, was overrun ' by German forces and most of his friends from Burleson County were either killed or captured. Approximately a dozen men of the company managed to escape "r capture, and Ed Story was one of those men. He would remain behind the German lines for 10 days before rejoining the American forces. The following f is his account of those 10 days and his remainder of ~' service during World War II. ~: According to Story, "We were under fierce shelling ~; by German artillery almost all afternoon, and we knew they would probably attack about dusk dark. Sure it enough, just about dusk dark, here they came. I was on one of the mortar crews in the weapons platoon and was behind most of our guys in the lines. I guess that was what enabled me to avoid being captured. There were about a dozen of us initially, and we scattered as best we could. I ended up with five guys, to include George Barnett, who had promised my Mom before we left that he would look after me. I guess he still was. "I was in a foxhole somewhere behind what had been our lines, but George got up on a haystack so he could see the Germans through an opening in the brush. When a German came through, George shot him, then another and another until they had moved past us. The last I saw of George was him trailing behind the Germans. "By early evening about four of us made it to a sweet potato patch that we hid in. One of the guys with me was Lewis `Shorty' Luksa from Cooks Point. Shorty was on the edge of the sweet potato patch when a German tank pulled up. It spotted Shorty and lowered its tube at him. Shorty didn't move because none of us thought they would waste a tank round on one guy. But we were wrong. When they shot and killed Shorty, we knew they weren't going to be taking any prisoners to the rear, even if we did surrender. "For some reason they didn't come into the sweet potato patch, but they settled in a barn next to the patch. When it was dark enough to where we thought we could sneak away, we did, and the Germans started chasing and shooting at us. "We had about 500 yards of open ground between us and a river. The Germans chased and shot at us until we jumped into the river with the Germans right behind. Fortunately for us, there was a large rock about 30 feet long and 3 feet high in the river that we could get behind. They stood on the bank and peppered that rock with everything they had. I guess they thought they had killed us, because they finally left. "We left the river and separated, each man by himself. I found an old bomb crater that had berry vines growing over the side and into the hole. I had just got under them when a German mortar platoon came and setup on the edge of the bomb crater. They were so close I could touch their boots as they walked by. "After they shelled some targets, they picked up and moved on and so did I. In the next few days I witnessed the Germans mining a field and copied it as best I could. During my time behind the German lines, the only thing I had to eat was a hard, moldy piece of cheese no bigger than my thumb. -Near the end, I got in a haystack in a barn because I was so weak. When the Americans came and found me in the barn, the only thing they would let me eat was a few beans out of a can of beans. I gave them my map of the German minefield ahd showed them where the minefield was located. "I rejoined my unit, now mostly replacements. George Barnett made it back but was now in another company. We landed at Anzio, fought past Rome and were north of Rome when winter-came. With winter weather, my feet got so bad that I could only limp. I was going back to an aid station to get my feet checked when an artillery shell hit about 30 yards away, wounding me from head to toe with shrapnel. I've picked shrapnel out of my body for years now. Just recently, they found another piece in my jaw when I went to the dentist. "That wound got me out of the war and back home, where I finished the war behind a desk. After the war I came home and raised my family back in Burleson County. Thinking back on all that, I would hate to do it again, but I won't say I wouldn't do it again. I'm proud of what I did." Forhis service to our country, Ed Storywas awarded the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart If you want fo have a name added to the Veterans Memorial, for more information, to make a contribution, or if you know a World War 11 veteran whose story needs to be told, contact the BWM at wwwveteransmemoriaLorg or Bill Youngkin at (979) 260-7030.