HomeMy WebLinkAboutRobert J. Mickulec, Brazos Valley HeroesBy Bill Youngkin
Special to The Eagle
he qualified but never received.
Mickulec's first experiences in combat were also
same of the more memorable ones. As he recalled:
Robert J. Mickulec's home near Gause is at the end "When we went into the line our first day in Belgium,
of a lane far off the road and out of the sight ofpassers- the company we replaced, to best of my memory, had
by. He lives alone on his farm now that Belle, his woes entire comhpany, It made me wander what ourlcompany
of more than 52 years, died in 2004.One thing he do
daily is to raise the American flag each morning and wouldWe mho ed mto theiWfozholes but had to dig a lot
retire it each night. It is something he feels compelled to
do to honor the county he served during World War II. more, I had never seen such snow or experienced such
Mickulec's story began in the Edge Community cold. Some of the guys become snow blind, but I didn't,
of Brazos County on February 1,1921, 87 years ago. When we first moved into the line you thought about .
He was the last of seven children and the only boy. As surviving the enemy. You soon began to think about
recalled by Mickulec, "I worked on our family farm, surviving the weather.
attended school at Edge School until 1938. My sisters °Not long after we went into the line we needed
helped me on the farm and I helped them with the to send out a patrol. One guy was assigned as the first
household chores to include quitting. I became a pretty scout and I was assigned as the second scout. He said
good quitter. I farmed with my Dad and also got a job he couldn't do that so I became the first scout and him
delivering milk 1o the stores in town. the second. We were going through a minefield when `
"I remember delivering milk to Mike's Grocery on one of the guys tripped and fell on a mine. It killed the
23rd Street in Bryan the day after Pearl Harbor was guy that fell but also killed the guy I had traded places
bombed. They had news reports on the radio and that whh Now, if that guy hadn't backed out of being the first '
was the first time I knew about the bombing. There were scout, he would probably be alive and I would be dead,
about eight to 10 people in the store, and when they I was hit with shrapnel in my face, cheek and forehead.
reported the numbers of dead and wounded some of the It bled pretty bad but was not a se~icus wound. They
ladies began to cry, I knew all of our lives were about wanted to send me to a hospital but I wanted to stay
to change, with the guys, so they patched me up and I stayed with
"I continued to farm until I was drafted in 1944. I my outfit.
was inducted into the army in Houston and sent to Ft.
for trainin , We were told and we all thought we "We crossed the Rhine Riuer interman arm InWhen
Hood 9
were going to be sentto the Pacific to fight the Japanese bhetwar endedu my bun t wasl facing the Russians in
until the Battle of the Bulge started.
"We were allowed a week furlough to come home Czeckoslovakia,tbe birthplace of my grandparents."
for Christmas, and I loved being home that Christmas. Mickulec would remain in Europe as part of the
My parents and sisters were worried it would be our last occupation troops until June 17,1946, They flew back
Christmas together but I wasn't too worried about it at to the states and he was discharged on July 2,1946.
the time. later while in the war, I thought several times I After the war he returned to the milk delivery business
might have had my last Christmas with my family. and he also owned and operated with his wife Belle's
"After Christmas we were sent to Europe aboard Dining Hall on the corner of 27th and Tezas Avenue in
the La France to Liverpool, It was a rough crossing and Bryan. He retired in 198310 his farm in Gause.
I have Heuer seen so many sick people atone time as As recalled by Mickulec: "The guys you served with
were on that ship. After landing in' England, we crossed became another family to you. I learned a lot in the
the channel and we were sent to Belgium to reinforce army, but one thing I learned to do was cry. When you
our lines there." lost someone you fought beside, you cried."
It was in Belgium that Mickulec became part Robert J. Mickulec's name is found on the Brazos
of Company F, 314th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Valley Veterans Memorial. If you want to have a name
Infantry Division. Before he would come home he would added to the Veterans Memorial, for more information,
rise to the rank of staff sergeant, receive two campaign ~ make a contribution, or if you know a World War II
ribbons, the combat infantry badge and two Bronze Star veteran whose story needs to be told, contact the BWM
medals. Those medals are displayed in a shadow box
made by his family and hung on a wall at his home. The at www.veteransmemorial.org or Bill Youngkin at (919)
only medal that is missing is the Purple Heart, for which 260-7030.