HomeMy WebLinkAboutDuke Hobbs, Brazos Valley Heroes
On Dec. 8, 1941, Duke L Hobbs, now of College
Station, was a junior at Pecos (Texas) High School when
classes were dismissed so everyone could gather in
assembly and listen to President Roosevelt's speech to
Congress.
Hobbs knew he would participate in the war, probably
as a soldier, but he had no idea that he would end his
participation as a soldier imitating Frank Sinatra and as
a member of the Andrews Sisters. But such is a soldier's
life.
"I was born in Iowa, but during the Depression my
family had to move. We were headed to the West Coast
through Texas. We looked like a band of gypsies. We
stopped in Pecos in my Dad's undertaker vehicle, our
family car, when he was asked if he would like to work
for the funeral home there in Pecos. I'm glad we stopped,
because that allowed me later to go to MM."
Hobbs entered Texas A&M in 1943 but was soon
drafted into the Army at the end of his freshman year.
"I did my basic at Camp Hood, where I was appointed
as squad leader because of my A&M training. When I got
my squad lost during a night patrol on Cowhouse Creek,
I lost my rank, a black armband. That was when Germany
started on offensive called the Battle of the Bulge. Before
we knew it, I was on a ship to England and than to France.
I was assigned to F Company, 214th Infantry, 79th Infantry
Division, near the German border at Hagenau, France.
That is where I heard gunfire for the first time. .
~At night we listened to Axis Sally on the radio. Good
music but bad propaganda, when we heard her say,
'You men of the 79th are headed to Belgium where you
will all die.' Sure enough, the next day we headed out to
Belgium. I began to wonder if she was going to be right
on all her comments.
"We were sent into Kampen, Belgium, on the Roer
River. The Germans had mined the area with 'bouncing
Bettys' and we lost quite a few men to those mines. We
were engaged in a pretty good battle and were running
Iowan ammo, so my friend Leo and I volunteered to go
get some more ammo. We headed out of the line going
down an old country road humming 'Stormy Weather'
when a machine gun opened up. We thought at first it was
our guys, but it wasn't. Thank goodness for the stupidity
of youth and the fortunate fact that we were on a sunken
road. We finally made it back with ammo, and Leo and I
got a Bronze Star for doing that."
Shortly after Hobbs' 19th birthday, he and his unit
were to be part of the first group to cross the Rhine Into
Germany.
MI remember our C.O., Captain Palmer, bravest and
---
'g
k
best commander a guy could ever have, telling us, 'Boys,
we're not going to Shirley Temple's birthday party.' But
because of what happened at Remagen we were actually
one of the last to cross and had no problems crossing until
about a quarter mile on the German side.
"We had a machine gun pin us down but couldn't
locate it. Captain Palmer took his Tommy gun and would
fire and roll, fire and roll until he helped us spot their
machine gun. He did that to help us. He taught me that
you need to do what is necessary for your people. It was a
lesson I learned and carried with me throughout my career
after the Army."
Near the town of Duesenberg, Germany, Hobbs was hit
by artillery fire in the left shoulder and over the left eye.
"We were getting shelled and I was in a bunker next to
a slit in the bunker. When that shell hit, smoke, dust and
debris were everywhere and I couldn't see a thing. I feared
I was blind until finally I could see my hand in front of my
face. Until recent years, little pieces of shrapnel would
come out from time to time."
Hobbs was patched up and sent back to the unit,
which was near Essen, Germany, when the war ended.
MI got to hear Winston Churchill's speech on the radio
and I will never forget it. Because I didn't have enough
points, I became part of the occupation forces and part of
the 'Soldier Shows' t~e Army did to entertain the men.
"I did a solo of Frank Sinatra crooning. I had my shoes
nailed to a board and would really lean from side to side
when crooning. I was also part of the Andrews Sisters act.
It was pretty easy to entertain soldiers."
Hobbs was discharged in June 1946 and returned to
MM, graduating in 1949. When the Korean War broke
out, he was recalled as an intelligence officer in the Air
Force. After his retum to civilian life, Hobbs was with
Proctor and Gamble and then The Gordon Company, now
Crossmark. when he retired in 1986. He was asked to
. come back to A&M and teach in the management depart-
ment, which he did until retiring in 1996 as the director for
the Center for Executive Development.
"I grew up in my time in the service. I was a lot older
than 20 when I got out. I realize that I owe a lot to A&M
and to my country. If you don't like it here - then go
somewhere else."
Duke Hobbs' 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 BWM at www.
veterans_~emorial.org or Bill Youngkin at (979) 260-7030.
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