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Bill
Vick
During World War II most eligible members of each family
served in the military. Some families sent several sons to
war, hoping each one would return. But sometimes not all
the boys came home. Such was the case for the Vick family
of Bryan.
William D. "Bill" Vick was the youngest of three boys, with
Roy the oldest and then Jack. All three served, but Roy didn't
come Tame.
"Our home was located where the Whataburger row exists
on Texas Avenue in Bryan. When the war broke out. I was
attending the University of Texas because I wanted to be a
pharmacist. My older brother Roy had graduated from A&M
in 1935 and was commissioned into the coast artillery. Be-
fore the war started, he was called into active duty and was
ultimately assigned to Corregidor in the Philippines. He was
there when Corregidor fell and was captured by the Japa-
nese.
"My brother Jack went into the Navy and ended up as the
executive officer of the USS Yesemke, a destroyer tender.
I stayed in school kxg enough to get near graduation. We
were told that d we volunteered we would get credit for our
last semester. I volunteered in February 1944 for the Navy
and was able to get my degree at the same time.
"I was sent to toot camp in Ferragot, Idaho, what I thought
then as the coldest place in America. Because l had myphar-
macy degree, I became a Navy corpsman and was assigned
to hospital duty. I eventually ended up in California at what
had once been a race track tending to sick and wounded
servicemen.
"We were part of a hospital unit and were given orders to go
to the Pacific theater We boarded ship at Treasure Island,
California, and headed to Okinawa. It took 30 days to get
there . When we dropped anchor offshore, we want over-
board onto landing ships and headed to shore.
1 was farmed out to the Army and assigned to a hospital at
a place called Naha. There wasn't much left of Naha. The
only structure left standing was a church. My job was to take
care of Japanese prisoners that we were attending to at our
hospital. Some of the guys didn't care for the duty and didn't
mind showing ft, but I felt sorry for them. We had a language
problem, but I did my job and treated them well and they
appreciated ft."
While he was in Okinawa, Vick's parents got word to him
about his brother Ray.
"It seems that the Japanese decided to take some of the
American prisoners from Corregidor to Japan to serve as
slave labor. My brother was on one of three ships the Japa-
nese were using to transport prisoners of war to Japan. Be-
fore they could get to Japan, all of the ships were sunk by
U.S. Navy submarines. They didn't know U.S. prisoners were
on board. Although my brother perished at sea, he probably
wouldn't have lasted long, according to those who sew him
last. It seems he was in pretty bad shape when he left for
Japan. A lot of the men used as slave laborers died working
in the minas."
Vick continued to serve as a hospital corpsman on Okinawa
until the war ended.
"I boarded ship Christmas Day 1945 heading home. I came
home along with my brother Jack. We mustered out of the
Navy in 1946 and soon thereafter, we started Mcks Phar-
macy in Bryan, which we operated until we retired in 1961.
"I often think back on the war and the men I served with and
my brother Roy. You don't forget them and we have never
forgotten Roy. He was the best our family had to offer."
William D. "Bill" Vick's name can be found on the Brazos
Valley Veterans Memorial. For more information, to make a
contribution, or R you know a World War II veteran whose
story needs to be told, contact the BVVM at www.veterans-
memorial.org or Bill Youngkln at (979) 260 -7030.
The Eagle
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