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We often hear statements and speeches about the
"crossroads" in life, or the road we travel, or the direc-
tion our lives take as a result of decisions we make. Few
of us can say that the direction our lives took actually
depended on which way we turned at an actual cross-
road. But that decision and the direction in fife for Elvis
"Boots" Simmons, occurred at the intersection of High-
way 21 and Highway 36 in Caldwell.
"I had graduated from Somerville High in 1938 and had
been offered a scholarship to play football at A&M and the
University of Texas. My father was going to drive me to
school but 1 couldn't make up my mind. When we got to
the intersection at Highway 21 and 36 in Caldwell, I could
turn left and go to Texas or turn right and go to A&M.
'When we got there, my Dad asked 'Which way,
son ?' My decision was to take a right and go to A&M
because my girlfriend would only be 25 miles away if I
went to A &M and 100 if I went to Texas. It was the best
decision I ever made. I will always be an Aggie and she
will always be my girl."
"Boots" Simmons had a stellar career at A &M, be-
coming the co- captain of the 1942 team and bang se-
lected as an all Southwest Conference player.
"It was an honor to play for Coach Norton and to be
with all those great players at A&M in those days. When
I left A &M in 1942, 1 thought my playing days were over,
but after I entered the Army in 1943 and got my commis-
sion, I was sent to Ft. Banning, Georgia, where I played
ball with Cullen Rodgers, my fellow co- captain at A&M,
the great Joe Roud and Emil Allen, who was later a
coach for the Dallas Cowboys for many years.
"They broke up the team in 1944 and I was sent over-
sees to England, where I became part of a replacement
depot where we were organized into infantry compa-
nies. We shipped out of Southampton to Normandy
near Omaha Beach, where we waded ashore.
"We were told to leave our duffel bags on the beach.
That was the last I ever saw of my clothes. We were sent
to the front, arriving at a replacement center, and I was
able to walk from there to the front line.
"I was assigned to the 331st Infantry Regiment, 133rd
Division as a platoon leader. When I dot assigned my
platoon, I asked the platoon sergeant to assemble the
platoon, expecting approximately 40 men. Only six
young man were left in the platoon. Even though we
received replacements from time to time, my platoon
never numbered more than 10 or 12, which would dwin-
dle to six or seven.
"The front line was the hedgerow country of France.
Hedgerows were fields surrounded by mounds or rows
of dirt with trees and hedge growing out of them. We
fought for several weeks there before we could break
out. Just before we were able to break out, we had
3,000 -plus planes bomb ahead of us. Because they
were bombing on smoke, some of the smoke drifted
back over our lines. We suffered casualties, but not as
bad as the Germans.
"After breaking out of the hedgerows the race was
on for Paris, but the 83rd was sent to capture the Brest
and Cherbourg Peninsula. On August 7th, my platoon
moved out to take a hill overlooking St. Malo. The valley
Wow was mined and protected by German machine-
gun positions. We knocked out the machine guns and
took the hill without losing a man. Getting off that hill
was a different story.
"Late that afternoon I was hit next to my spine. I lay
there in that field by myself until about 8:15 that night
when my platoon sergeant found me. That was the thing
that scared me the most - bang alone. He found an
ammo Jeep and managed to get me to a field hospital.
He as always a step ahead of me. He was a good man.
I don't know if he ever made it back. From there I was
evacuated to the beach and then to England."
Simmons was sent back to the states for further hos-
pitalization and surgery. After his release from the Army,
he re- enrolled at A&M, finished his degree and got a mas-
ter's degree. "My wife is the one responsible for those
degrees. Without her hap, I wouldn't have managed it"
Simmons coached and taught for 34 years before re-
tiring in Austin. He moved back to Somerville recently.
"I learned a lot from the war. Those memories are still
vivid. Seeing the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor
when I returned is something I will never forget. I didn't
think I would ever see it again when I was lying in that
field in France."
"Boots" Simmons' name can be found on the Bra-
zos Valley Veterans Memorial. For more information,
to make a contribution, or if you know a Word War
II veteran whose story needs to be told, contact the
BVVM at www.vetermsmemorial.org or Bill Youngkin
at (979) 260 -7030.
US.