HomeMy WebLinkAboutJules Jacquin, Brazos Valley Heroes
We are taught that we are our brother's keeper, but for broth-
ers Jules and George Jacquin, that had a special meaning during
World War II.
Jules Jacquin, now of College Station, was born and grew up in
EI Paso. Although his brother George was a year older, the brothers
arranged to graduate from Austin High the same year so they could
attend A&M together in 1942.
"After we enrolled, we enlisted in the Reserves while attending
A&M. In May of 1943 all reservists were called up and my brother
George and I were inducted at Ft. Sam Houston. We were sent to
the Army Specialty Training Program at Ohio State to prepare us
for a commission. We were in Company K at Ohio State and while
training there I met my future wife. The program ran out of money
and we were both sent, as 'fillers', in February 1944 to the 102nd
Infantry. After a lot of physical training we were shipped to Ft. Dix,
N.J., and then put on board the Swedish passenger ship Kungholm
to sail to Europe.
'We anchored in Weymouth, England, for one night and then
sailed for France the next day, unloading at Normandy Beach. We
offloaded onto rafts which were being manned by German POWs.
We spent a couple of weeks camped in fields near the beach and
some of the men in our unit were used to drive trucks of supplies to
the front lines as part of the Red Ball Express. When they returned
to our unit, we were loaded into French cattle cars and taken by rail
to the Netherlands. When we got off, the first thing we did was dig
foxholes. We knew then combat was just around the corner."
The brothers had managed to stay together throughout their
training and they were now in the same company but in differ~nt
platoons close enough to be their brother's keeper.
"We moved in to the front lines that night, exchanging places
with another company near the town of Utrecht. I've gone back
there after the war. They now have one of the largest American
cemeteries in Europe.
"My memories of those first days in the line were that it seemed
to be always raining, always muddy and always cold. When we
were attacking or moving forward, you never knew who was doing
what. You just hoped that someone somewhere was coordinating
things. In the line, you tried not to lose contact on your left or right.
Battle was never like an integrated functioning machine. It was
always a little here, a little there. Most of the time we felt like we
were on our own.
"I remember at night the battlefield would be lit up by large
searchlights that were directed to the clouds above and that light
would bounce back like moonlight. We used that light to locate our
wounded so we could take them out on stretchers."
By this time, Jules, his bother George, and their unit had crossed
the German border. 'The advance was halted by the Germans
releasing water from a dam above ttiem, flooding the area. .The
other event that halted the advance was the Battle of the Bulge.
"When the Bulge occurred, some of our units were sent south
to help out and the rest of us stayed to-hold the north flank of the
Bulge. We were next to the British, and it was my first exposure to
the British. I was amazed at them and'their habits. They had their tea
every day, no matter the conditions or circumstances.
"On Feb. 23, 1944, we jumped across the Roar River. While
crossing, I saw my first jet plane. It was straifing our positions but
it wasn't effective because it flew so fast. We managed to reach
Boslar, Germany, when the Germans counter attacked. My friend
Duke Kimbrough was the radio man and he called. in our artillery
telling them to give us all they had. They did. Their barrage, along
with the German artillery and tanks, made our area a no man's land.
I was in a building that took a direct hit. It killed everyone but me,
but I was wounded in the thigh. It was what was called a 'Million-
dollar wound,' It got me off the line and into a hospital for a couple
of months but did no permanent damage.".
Brother George also survived due to his being in another platoon
and in another position. He checked on Jules and let everyone know
he would be OK.
Jules returned to his unit and to bother George in April 1945,
just in time to celebrate the end of the war. The Jacquin brothers
became part of the Occupation Army near Passau, Germany, where
three rivers converge to form the Danube.
"When we headed home, we sailed out of France. We were
given two quarts of milk each and some of our back pay. I hadn't
had any fresh milk for a long time, so I drank it right away. But as
soon as that ship got under way, I gave it all back. The trip back took
12 days. With all that back pay, some guys lost all their money gam-
bling, made it all back, then won a fortune and lost it all again."
Jules was mustered out at Ft. Sam Houston in February 1946.
He enrolled at A&M under the G.1. Bill and married on Sept. 6, 1947.
He received a degree in electrical engineering and began a career
at Dew Chemical Co. that took him all over the world and the U.S.'
before retiring in 1989.
"There was a special spirit in this country during the war.
Everybody, military and civilian, understood what needed to be
done and everybody supported the effort. I would also say that
our military since World War II has also been tremendous. They are
as good a soldier and have done as well as any of us did or could
have dorie."
Jules Jacquin's name can be found on the Brazos Valley
Veteran's Memorial. For more information, to make a contribution,
or if you know a World War II veteran whose story needs to be told,
contact the Memorial Committee at www.veteransmemorial.org or
Bill Young kin at (979) 260-7030.