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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFreedom [1] FREEDOM July 4, 2009 Special Edition of the City of College Station Heritage Programs Moment in History Newsletter A SEARCH FOR THE FAMILY OF PFC. SAM SLIGHT... Led to a friendship that spans over 60 years, crosses the Atlantic Ocean, and teaches us about patriotism. The following letter was written to me by Pierre Keulers who was a young boy when his village was liberated by soldiers of the 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion. His family adopted a grave of a soldier buried at Margraten outside of Maastricht, Holland, and have cared for it ever since. It was only after years of wondering about who his solider was and where he was from that his search led to my father, Calvin Boykin, who had written a history of the 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion. They became friends just a year and a half before my father passed away. Pierre and I are now pen pals. He is 79 and has only recently begun using a computer. His words are edited only for clarification. His story will touch your heart. He writes: In May 1940, the Nazis came, also in the Netherlands and they are gone after heavy battles. So we are liberated by the US 2nd Tankdivisie of the 1st American Army. That was September 18,1944. You can understand how glad we were, when we saw the liberators with their tanks, jeeps, guns, chocolate and cigarettes and their chewing gum. We were free, but the war was going on, and there were heavy battles in the area of the river RUHR and the area RUHR with very important industries for the Germans. During these battles in November 1944 it was very very bad weather, rain and snow and cold. Many of your young men were killed and the Army top was looking to bury them in a quiet landscape. They found it in the village MARGRATEN, near MASSTRICHT, miles from here. There came so many bodies, that the guys who had to bury them could not make enough graves, so civilians did help them. More then 8,000 men were buried there in row after row after row with white wooden crosses with their names. In May 1945 the governor of Limburg asked people to adopt a grave, to visit it and to Type to enter text Sing a song of Pfc. Sam Slight 1922 -1944 814th TD BN by Anne Boykin [2] bring flowers to these men who had given their lives for our freedom. I got the grave of SAM SLIGHT, died November 29,1944, member of the 814 Tank Destroyers, about whom your father wrote his book. When I am not able to visit Sam anymore, my son and my grandson will take the duty to remember Sam and all his comrades. Some years later (but that is an other history) about 10,000 heros went back to the States, and 8,210 stayed here, so also SAM SLIGHT. I wanted to know, who is Sam, then when I visited his grave, I talk to him, but who was he? Many letters I have written to everyone. I thought they could help me, but the privacy was the reason I did not get information. Even my family in the States could not help me. One year ago, I clicked MARGRATEN and I found a Union of relations of these soldiers and the president of this Union was Mr. Johnston (your father's friend, but that heard I later). He promised to help me and he has done much to find out who is Sam. Then he connected me with your father, also a a member of 814th TD, and that was a very pleasurable conversation. Cal helped me along the way. I am very thankful to him for all the work he has done for Sam and me. And so my Sam got a face and I can talk to a friend and now I know who he is and everything about his family. He had three brothers and he was the oldest. One had an accident,one is missing in Korea and the youngest brother died last year. I now have much information of Sam’s sister-in-law, Marilyn Slight. More then 60 years I was seeking Sam’s story and now I know Sam. As long as Sam rests here in MARGRATEN no one from his family came to visit. I think, no money, another son in Korea missing, so life did go on. Every year I go to Memorial Day and many times I visit his grave and I just can’t be thankful enough, that they liberated us. MARGRATEN has to be a warning to the people what war is doing, but when I look around now, what did the world learn? Pierre✝ This story will be continued. . . MARGRATEN A Memorial Tribute to Our Soldiers In Margraten is the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Europe's third largest war cemetery for unidentified soldiers who died in World War II. 8,302 soldiers are buried here under long rows of white crosses and stars of David. All graves are adopted by locals, who attend the graves and lay flowers. Anne Boykin, Coordinator Heritage Programs College Station Conference Center 1300 George Bush Drive College Station, Texas 77840 E-mail: aboykin@cstx.gov Office: 979.764.3491 • For more information about PFC. Sam Slight, go to the City of College Station’s Historic Online Library Database, Project HOLD at http://HOLD.cstx.gov. His files are in Military > WWII > Veterans > Sam Slight. • To read more of Pierre Keulers’ World War II experiences, please E-mail us at: aboykin@cstx.gov.