HomeMy WebLinkAboutCicero Allen, Brazos Valley Heroes 7$ ,. #
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After Pearl Harbor was bombed on December dreds of years. We would be on one side and the'
7, 1941, Cicero Allen of the Piedmont Community Germans on the other. You could actually smell
of Grimes County was one of the first to answer the them and hear them talking. One thing you didn't do -
call to arms in the defense of his country. was stick your head over a hedgerow. We finally
"I was sworn into the Army and was on a bus started using the tanks like bulldozers to break , .'
to Houston on December 11, 1941 on my way to through the hedgerows. After we broke through, the
Camp Walters near Weatherford, Texas. From there Germans usually had concrete machine gun
1 was sent to California for more training and then bunkers waiting. It was rough country and tough F
was assigned to a job that had nothing to do with going for an army."
fighting the Japanese. We were ordered to round up "We finally got the Germans on the run. .'
all the Japanese on the west coast and take them During our advance we came to a spring fed stream `l
inland to camps. It was something that I didn't sign that was clear and cool. We were all so dirty and
up for but I had to do for two years." stinky that we all took our clothes off, and waded in .
With the impending invasion of Europe, the the stream to wash off as best we could when along °"
Army realized there would be a need for replace- came two pregnant French women walking across
ment NCO's that were trained in a NCO school. Allen the bridge. They acted like walking past a company !F
was asked to go to NCO schools in California and of naked soldiers was something they saw all the
Texas. After training was completed in Texas, he time because they paid no attention what so ever to
.. was assigned to a 60 man packet of replacement us." .,
NCO's on its way to Ft. Meade, Maryland and then The war for Allen came to an end at a place
on to England. called St. Lo, France. "We halted to dig in for the
"D -Day started on June 6, 1944 and my pack- night, but we were located in an old sunken road.
et went over the Channel to France on June 11, warned the C.O. that the Germans probably had this
1944. We came ashore about 4:00 p.m. and we road on their maps like we did and probably had it
marched inland until 4:00 a.m. where we halted in a zeroed in. He said to stay and dig in. That was the
f! field. About 5:00 p.m. the next day, five of us were last command he gave because sure enough the . .
loaded on a truck and driven about two miles where German artillery hit us hard. He was killed in the s
a guy was waiting and said come with me. We soon first barrage. When I got up to tell the men to move
hit our lines and after reporting to the 1st Sergeant back was when I was hit."
1 was taken into the line to my platoon. When I got Allen was taken to a field hospital for his
€ there, there were no officers or sergeants left in the wounds and later spent considerable time in
platoon. I was now the only NCO in the platoon England before being taken home to the hospital at �"
$', reporting directly to the 1st Sergeant and the C.O. Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. "I had to pass a
who was the only officer left in'the company." physical before I could get out but finally was
"The next day the C.O. asked me to select released from the hospital and the Army on
someone else to be second in command. I picked December 5, 1945. I came home to Grimes County
out a guy and we gave him a field promotion. He and haven't left since."
was killed in the very next battle. I was real reluctant Cicero Allen's name can be found on the
to pick any one else after that." Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial. For more infor-
The unit Allen had joined was Company F, mation, to make a contribution, or to nominate a
Third Army and they were bogged down in the veteran, contact the BVVM at www.veterans-
hedgerow country of France. memorial.org, or Bill Youngkin at 979 - 260 -7030.
"Those hedgerows had been there for hun-
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