HomeMy WebLinkAboutFrank J. Kocman, Jr., Brazos Valley Heroes *.'
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Generation" who served our country during World War 11
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Frank J. Kocman Jr. was born, raised and has lived battle and in more snow than I had ever seen in my life. I II
his whole life in Brazos County except for two years, It was a big change in my life. We were in the Vosges
1944 to 1946. Those two years changed his life. mountain range just south of Strasburg, Austria, and
"When I graduated from Stephen F. Austin High the fighting was pretty heavy. After about two weeks,
School in Bryan in May of 1944, I knew it wouldn't be we were pulled out of the line and sent 150 miles north
long before I would get my draft call. By July 1944, I to join with British General Montgomery's Ninth Army
was on my way to Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, for the inysion into Germany."
where we were issued uniforms, and then on to Ft. Because of Kocman's youth and time in service, he
Hood for basic infantry training. On December 21, became the company runner, or messenger. Part of his
1944, we were out on west Ft. Hood training to fight job was to carry an extra set of batteries for the radio
the Japanese. It was raining and sleeting and we were set. t
u. in pup tents trying to sleep when early that morning the "We crossed the Rhine River at Dinslaken in small its
first sergeant walked by, hit our tents with a stick, plywood rowboats where the river was about 1,500 :1
which sounded like thunder when it cracked the ice feet across. With the batteries, my sub - machine gun,
C. that fell from our tent. We were told to get up and pack grenades, and two bazooka rounds I had to carry, if
SI
up. those little rowboats were capsized, I would have
"We were assembled and marched into Hood and drowned. The only guys lost on the crossing were due
were told to turn in our rifles wet. We knew something to drowning, not enemy fire. ler
was going on, because you don't ever turn your "At Durer, the Germans demolished several dams. Hilb
weapon in wet. That afternoon, the commanding gen As a result, we were caught in a flood that was 15 -20
eral gathered all of us in the theatre and addressed us mites wide. You couldn't see land and we were sleep
as 'gentlemen'. We knew then that something really big ing on rooftops. I strapped myself to a tree so I would -
must be happening because until then • we were n't float off or drown if I went to sleep.
addressed as the most worthless, terrible bunch of
recruits our instructors had ever seen. , "Near Dortmund, Germany, a mortar round hit,
"We were told that we were being issued delay in wounding our C.O., the radio man and several others.
route orders so we could all go home for five days The X.O. asked me if I still had the extra batteries and
starting that day, before we were to depart to the east how grab I became, w , wt, ithou set any yp ny trai aning whatsoever, follow atso him. That ever, the
coast. We were told that the Germans had started a
how
winter offensive and we were needed. That offensive company radioman. I remained the ra until the
war ended. th e. When it ended, I had helped stay in u Germany the radio io as
part of the occupation force and helped set up the radio ... J
later became known as the Battle of the Bulge.
"I came home to Bryan with some other Bryan boys, and telephone communications at the Hall of Justice
Paul Ponzio, Joe Piccolo, Lewis Fain and Robert for the Nuremberg Trials."
Mickaluk. The day I left, my parents took me to Van Kocman returned to Bryan, eventually enrolling at
Dyke studio on South Main to have my picture taken. It Texas A &M under the G.I. Bill, where he received an
was the first photo I ever had made of me and I knew accounting degree and worked as an accountant for
it was done so they would have something to remem- A &M until he retired, 41 years later.
ber me by if I didn't come home." IA
v.
Kocman and his partially trained fellow soldiers "I came through the war without a scratch. Some of
the memories and experiences I could have done with
headed to the east coast, getting shots at every stop out, but the discipline I learned and the camaraderie I .
• until they shipped out on New Years Day, 1945. They developed are things that have positively impacted my
arrived at Glasgow, Scotland and immediately were life since. I would be willing to do it again."
delivered by rail, boat and truck to LeHavre, France,
were they were issued new rifles and were told to zero Frank J. Kocman's name can be found on the Brazos
them in. They were hauled to the front lines near the Valley Veterans Memorial. If you would like to make a e
Austrian border. contribution or know a World War 11 veteran whose
story needs to be told, contact Brazos Valley Veterans f
On the 17th of January, we were laying down fields Memorial at www.veteransmemoriai.oig or Bill
of fire to advance German positions in snow that drift-, Yougkin at 260 -7030.
ed to 20 -foot depths. In less than 30 days, I had gone
from raw recr in Cantral Tp.XAS to tha frnnt linac in
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