HomeMy WebLinkAboutBird, James W. "Wilbur"Honoring veterans The 36th was the first to land
on continental Europe, liberated
onoring the memory of the first European capital -
H James W. "Wilbur" Bird Rome -and fought its way up
and thousands of other the Italian Peninsula.
officers and men who served in In late summer, 1944, the 36th
the 36th (Texas) Infantry Division landed in the invasion of south-
in World War II is the goal of this ern France. Combat, often fierce, .~'
letter. The division was aNation- took it northward through :
al Guard unit. My hope is to help France and then across the
younger generations to appreci- Siegfried Line and southern Ger- :.
ate the fact that, as the truth many into Austria. By VE-day in ;
goes, "freedom is not free." May 1945, the division had cap-
Brazos Valley Heroes in The tared top Nazis, including Reich-
`
Eagle on Sundays relates moving marshal Hermann Goring, who
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stories from veterans. Thanks for s s~c-
had been chosen as Hitler
publishing these. Atop the second cessor, and 175,000 "official pris-
"
of Bird's story (Eagle, March
half oners of war.
.
16) was the simple notation that HENRY L. ALSMEYER
h
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he "died on Wednesday." ,
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At the end of World-War II, the
36th Infantry fought its way into
Bavaria and Austria. Many were
not there for final roll calls. A
World War TI Army division had
at any one time, as I recall, more
than 10,000 officers and men.
Nearly 6,000 men of the 36th
Infantry were killed. Men from
across the U.S. joined the divi-
sion as replacements for combat
casualties endured by what origi-
nally was the "Texas Army."
A total of 12 units of the 36th
Infantry received Presidential
Unit Citations, and 15 officers
and men received the Medal of
Honor: Eighty others received
Distinguished Service Crosses,
and many others received lesser
combat honors. ~ 1