We are very lucky that Kent W. Brown, a resident of Ooltewah, Tennessee, has done some excellent research on his Ohio County family and has decided to share his work with us. Mr. Brown has sent me several documents that I will break into parts and post over the next several weeks (probably months).
Other than Brown, surnames mentioned in the first section include Simpson, Ferguson, Reynolds, Jones, Wilson, Craven, Fitch, Oliver, Hurst, Goff, Robinson, Charles, and more. Mr. Brown's research is heavily footnoted. This is a treasure that we are lucky to have.
The first section is about Mr. Brown's paternal ancestors. There are 15 segments in this section. The first segment is so long, I will cut it into two posts of ten pages each. Of the 15 segments, it looks like I will have to cut five of them up due to their size. So, it will take me about two months to post Mr. Brown's paternal ancestors. Enjoy.
Segment 1
Adril Brown and Garnette Mae Simpson
Early Life
Adril
was the son of Willie Albert and Cliffie Delilah Ferguson Brown. He was
born in the Prentiss community in Ohio Co., KY on October 1, 1919. Though
Cliffie was a small woman (98 pounds at the time of her marriage in 1912),
Adril weighed in at over 10 pounds at birth. He was named after a childhood friend
of his mom who had died at about age 10. At the time of Adril’s birth, his
parents lived in a log home in Prentiss that had been covered with siding.[1]
He was the first son and third of four children born to the Browns.
Garnette
Mae was the daughter of Hardin and Lottie Bell Hall Simpson. She was
born in Ohio Co., KY on May 22, 1920, at 11:30 p.m. in the town of Beaver Dam.[2]
Garnette weighed something just over six pounds. Her mother wanted to name her
Virginia Lucille, but her father wouldn't hear it. He wanted to name her after
someone in his family. A neighbor, Dr. Byer, was married to one of Hardin’s
relatives from the Leach family. Their daughter was named Garnett. So, that was
what he chose. Lottie added the middle name, though she later told two stories
for its source. One was that it was after Nina May Coleman, their next-door
neighbor. The other was that it was in honor of a friend, Lulu May Snodgrass
Ferguson. It may be that both women provided inspiration for the name. It was
Lulu Ferguson who attended Lottie when Garnette was born, washing and dressing
the newborn. When Garnette was just 4 days old, Lulu's sister-in-law, Cliffie
Ferguson Brown, and her eight-month-old son, Adril, came for a visit. They sat
young Adril on a blanket on the floor where Garnette lay. Like all little kids,
he began to ‘slap’ at the baby girl. His mom told him to treat the little girl nicely
because this was to be his future bride.[3]
The women all got a good laugh from the remark at the time. It was to be a
story that was frequently retold in later years.
When Adril was still quite young, his parents informed him that they’d soon be moving to another house. The home and farm that they had purchased in the Cool Springs community had been owned by Otis Rock. They simply told Adril they were moving to the Rock house. Not knowing Mr. Rock, he heard that they were moving to ‘a rock house’. According to his sister, Shirley (Ruby Sherril), Adril got excited, thinking the new home must be a mansion made of stone. His disappointment was great but dissipated quickly when he began to explore the 38 acres of farm and woods. The frame house with wood siding had three rooms: a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Like all homes in the area, they heated with coal and depended on well water. There was a collection of outbuildings: a smokehouse, chicken coop, barn, and two-seater outhouse. When not mining coal, Willie grew corn, plowing with a mule. Cliffie took care of the smokehouse, the chickens, a small orchard, and her kitchen garden. Surrounded by cousins, young Adril fished in their pond, played in the woods, and got into a little mischief. As a
[1]
The house was still standing in the 1980s, though just barely. I was in the
area to do work at the Paradise Power Generating Station in nearby Muhlenburg
Co. My Uncle, Oakley Burris, took me for a drive through the area along gravel
roads and ‘haul roads’ owned by the coal company. One road took us past Dad’s
house. Run down and in the midst of a corn field, without a tree nearby, it
looked desolate. How I wish I’d had a camera.
[2] Garnette's
birth certificate, No. 54843, Ohio Co., KY, May 20, 1920. She was the fourth
child who was born alive and still living; three were born alive but had died
by the time of her birth. Birth certificate obtained in 1941. The birth
certificate gives her name as "Garnett May". As noted, she changed
the spelling of her name to make it more feminine.
[3] At
various times, both Grandmothers took credit for the remark.
Page -2-
pre-teen,
along with some combination of cousins, he ‘borrowed’ a melon from the garden
and dropped it from an overpass onto the roof of a passing sedan. Since roofs
of the earliest sedans were made from a thin cloth, the melon sailed straight
into the passenger compartment. All that the older Adril would say was that ‘it
didn’t go well’ when he got home. In the same period, he received his first
pocketknife as a birthday present. Many years later, Shirley recalled that few
things were safe from Adril and that pocketknife. Much to their horror, the Browns
discovered that Adril had carved his name into the side of the house.[4]
Like many boys, he began to smoke when he was about eight. It was a practice
that he continued right up to his death.
Young
Garnette was her mother's girl, liking what her mom liked, hating what her mom
hated. She grew up with an undeserved 'ugly duckling' attitude. This may have
stemmed from the constant comparisons to her blue-eyed older sister, Donnie
Ethel, but was no doubt enforced after being accidentally dropped on her head (by
Donnie). This blow crossed her dark brown eyes.
In
later life, Garnette would tell of her vivid memories of old gray-haired, Civil
War soldiers sitting in small groups outside of stores in Beaver Dam. Among
them was her own grandfather, Robert Simpson, a former Union soldier. At the
end of the 20th century, Garnette could vividly recall sitting on
his lap, attending his 85th birthday party when she was just 6,
going to his home and to his store, and finally attending his funeral at age 9.
Adril
attended a one-room school in Cool Springs, KY, less than half a mile from his
home. All eight grades occupied the same room and shared the lone teacher.
These had changed little from the schoolhouses of the previous century,
described by President Lincoln as ‘blab schools’, for students were required to
stand and ‘recite their lessons’. The school had been constructed on land donated
for that purpose by Adril’s maternal grandfather, James A. Ferguson. The
building still stands, though it is now used as a house.[5]
A report card still exists from Adril's sixth-grade year (1931-1932). He was
present 51.5 days and absent 4.5 days. He generally had As except for spelling,
where he had one A, three Bs, two Cs, and one F. His teacher, Francis Stevens,
promoted him to the 7th grade.
Garnette
first traveled to Louisville when she was a girl of 10 with Cecil Ezell and his
wife. They stayed for a week.
By the time Adril finished the eighth grade, it was the early 1930s and the Depression had its grip on the nation. There was no obvious benefit of another four years in school, as there were no opportunities in the area, so he quit and began to work the farm with his Dad. Summers meant days spent in the fields, hoeing corn, but there was also time for his great love: baseball. The tall, lean Adril threw right-handed and batted left-handed. A young boy could not escape poverty, and the coal mines with the education available in his school and the poor soil in the area would never support a thriving farm. But every young boy knew the story of Ray Chapman from Beaver Dam. He was one of their own, and he’d made it to Major League Baseball, playing
[4]
Almost 70 years later, Oakly Burris was renovating the house to get it ready to
rent out or sell. One thing they planned was to cover the original wood with vinyl.
He had the contractor cut out the carved board. Oak later presented it to me.
[5]
The building is located near the intersection of the Rochester Road, KY 369,
and Cool Springs Road. It is just across Cool Springs Road from the Cool
Springs Baptist Church and Cemetery (also on land also by James Ferguson, many
family members are buried there).
Page -3-
with
the Cleveland Indians (then called the Naps).[6]
Weekends were spent playing teams from every surrounding community to keep
their dream alive. As he got older and taller (he would eventually top out at
6’2”), he was willing to do almost anything except go to the mines. He saw the
men who were stooped from extracting coal from the thin seams that are the
hallmark of eastern coal fields. They were also aged by black lung from the
years of inhalation of coal dust. They grew old early and died early. There
were few other jobs. He tried his hand driving a lumber truck. As it was one of
the few fresh air jobs, other than farming, there were many applicants and the
pay was low. Adril was about to be stuck in the cycle of poverty common to the
area, but he was determined to escape.
Adril
was close to both of his parents. He also loved his dad's parents (Oliver M.
and "Hattie" Brown) and his mom's mother (Virginia or ‘Ginny’
Ferguson) but couldn't stand his maternal grandfather, James A. Ferguson. He
explained to Garnette that he didn’t like the way that his grandfather Ferguson
treated his grandmother. The sole photo of a Ferguson family reunion, from
1956, is crowded with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Adril and his family are nowhere to be found.
Garnette
had an independent streak that she seems to have passed to her children. It was
at this time that the dislike for her father’s ways began to show. She told of
one of his annoying habits and her rebellious response. It seems that at
mealtime Hardin would be chewing and decide he needed or wanted something that
he could not reach. He would tap his thumb and first two fingers together in
the direction of the desired bowl and make a closed-mouth mumbling sound.
Garnette knew from years of this charade exactly what he wanted but would hand
him everything else on the table but the desired object, all the while acting
innocent and eager to please. Her charade was just as transparent as his, and
the tension would rise. About this time, she also changed the spelling of her
first and middle names (from Garnett May to Garnette Mae), trying to make them
sound more feminine. Determined to make something of herself, Garnette
graduated from Beaver Dam High School, class of 1939.[7]
When
the 1940 census was taken in April, the family was still living in Cool Springs
in the Rockport reporting precinct. Adril (20) was still at home. He and his
younger brother, Cebert (14), were running the farm. His Dad, (49) was working
as a rock crusher for the Works Progress Administration. Adril had worked 30
hours on the farm in the previous week; Cebert had worked 20. The Brown’s were
surrounded by extended family members (both his and hers). Willie and Cliffie
owned their own home, valued at $800.[8]
Adril would later say that they could afford nothing but had everything they
needed.
Garnette (also 20) was living in her parents’ home in Beaver Dam’s Magisterial District #1 when the 1940 census was taken. Though they lived on the edge of town in a rented home, Hardin continued to work as a farm laborer while Lottie kept house. Garnette’s older brother, Stanley (26), was a laborer in a feed mill, and younger sister, Dorothy (15), was a student. Both were
[6]
Chapman (1891-1920) was struck and killed by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays in a
game with the Yankees in August 1920. He died about 12 hours later. The teams
had been using the same ball for several innings, and it was late afternoon. At
the time, it was common for pitchers to put dirt or tobacco juice on a ball to
make it move. Chapman’s death led to the practice of umpires replacing balls
that get dirty, the banning of doctoring balls, and ultimately to the mandatory
use of batting helmets at every level. He batted .300 three times with
Cleveland and led the team in stolen bases four times. He would have been a
hero to every Ohio Co. boy.
[7]
There were 28 students in the Senior Class that year.
[8] It
may be that this one summer of being in charge of the farm was enough to
convince Adril that he would not follow that life.
Page -4-
still
at home. Hardin’s and Lottie’s oldest son, Richard, lived next door, while
Hardin’s stepmother, Laura, appeared on the following page. Lottie’s only close
relative was Thomas Perry Crowder, an uncle, who appeared one page before the Simpsons.
Living on the edge of a small town was harder but more modern for the Simpsons
than country life was for the Browns.
War Years
Adril
was 6'2", 172 pounds, with gray eyes and brown hair when he joined the
army on April 11, 1941. He enlisted in the KY National Guard. On January 17,
1941, the Guard was mustered into Federal Service as the 138th Field
Artillery Battalion. The unit was ordered to Camp Shelby, MS, a 135,000-acre
site on the south side of Hattiesburg. Camp Shelby, which was named for the
first Governor of KY, Isaac Shelby, had been the base camp of the KY Guard in
World War I. When the troops arrived, facilities were quite dilapidated, so the
men lived in a tent city. Within a short period of time, the KY Guard totally
renovated the camp and made it spotless and quite livable. The KY Guard was to
join Guard units of the states of IN and WV. The conglomerate was named the 38th
(Cyclone) Division. At Camp Shelby, the 38th Division trained in the
methods of modern warfare. The 38th Division was to be sent to the Pacific
Theatre, and the 103rd and 106th Cavalry were to be sent
to the European Theatre to support the First Infantry.
Adril
spent a little over 3 months in basic training as a Private. He then served as
a PFC Machine Gunner for a year.
The Second Battalion of the 138th Field Artillery Regiment (which included Adril) was the first unit to receive its orders. It was to proceed to San Francisco, where it boarded the SS President Johnson and set sail on December 3, 1941, in the company of another transport and a tanker but with no military escort.[9] The SS President Johnson was formerly a luxury liner with a passenger quota of 250. The Johnson had been refitted to carry upwards of 3,000 enlisted men and officers. Early on December 4th, some 12 hours after sailing, their commander, Colonel Steven Chase Boldt, and the ship’s captain opened sealed orders that identified their destination. Previously known only by the code name "Plum," the orders revealed the destination to be Manila in the Philippine Islands. So it was that on December 7th, the Johnson was within 700 miles of Hawaii when the ship's radio officer received a message that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. The leadership believed the transmission to have been a mistake, thinking that it had intended to say that the Philippine Islands had been attacked. For four hours they continued to steam for Hawaii. Once the message was confirmed, the ship was ordered to immediately return to San Francisco. Portholes were blackened with paint, and the ship was readied for a possible attack. The foot soldiers were not informed of the historic events. However, the men noted they were no longer sailing west but east. Finally, the Colonel had no choice but to advise the men that a state of war had been declared. The Johnson returned to port in San Francisco at 9 pm on the 9th, and the men were immediately off-loaded. The troops were then loaded onto a faster transport ship, the Matsonia, to return to Hawaii with a destroyer escort this time. Before their December 16th departure, the unit strapped its artillery pieces to
[9] See,
The American President Lines and Its Forebears, 1848-1984, John Niven 1987, for
info on the SS President Johnson. The ship seems to have been built in 1904,
perhaps as the Manchuria. See http://www.usmm.org/presidentships.html. The
Manchuria seems to have been a US flag ship from the start in 1914 it was owned
by the Pacific Mail S. S. Company and listed as 13,638 tons. Troopships were
operated by the Army Transportation Service, with "civilian"
mariners; by the U.S. Navy; and by the War Shipping Administration. A photocopy of
USMM information about a troopship is available for a donation to support their
research and website to USMSV, POB 2361, Berkeley, CA 94702.
Page -5-
the
ship's deck in readiness for attack.[10]
When they arrived in Hawaii, ships in the port were still burning. They dug in
for the invasion that everyone expected. It never came. On February 10, 1942,
the 138th was redesignated as the 198th Field Artillery
Battalion.[11]
In Hawaii, Adril rose to the rank of Machine Gun Corporal (serial no. 35 103
316) in Battery C of the 198th. He supervised crews of nine machine
guns (four 30 caliber and five 50 caliber). Their job was to protect the
artillery and its crews from assault by enemy infantry. He would hold the rank of
Corporal for the duration of the War. During the war, he carried a 30-06 rifle as
a personal weapon and operated both 30 and 50 caliber machine guns (including
the Browning Automatic Rifle).[12]
Adril’s
unit was eventually housed in the Schofield Barracks approximately 3 miles
inland from Pearl Harbor.[13]
[10]
Oral tradition said that the 198th was part of the first wave in
Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. One Internet source (https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC//USMC-M-AvPhil/USMC-M-AvPhil-V.html) places the 198th onshore at ‘A
plus 1’ (one hour after first wave at Leyte Gulf). Documentation of their
assault of Okinawa has not been located.
[11]
Sources differ regarding the type of artillery utilized by the 198th.
The lightest gun cited was the 75 mm ‘pack’ howitzer. It was a highly portable,
lightweight (1,400 pounds), gun that could be air-dropped or mule-packed (once
broken down) in rough terrain. It saw significant use in jungle warfare. The
gun could fire 6-12 rounds per minute and had a maximum range of 5.5 miles.
Units carried a variety of shell types, including armor-piercing and white
phosphorus. The 75 mm was also half-track mounted as an anti-tank gun. Other
sources cite the use of larger 105 and 155 mm towed howitzers, particularly in
the Philippines and Okinawa.
[12] In
late 1942/early 1943, there was a general reorganization of Army Artillery from
a Regimental structure to a Battalion structure. This is described in detail in
the incredible book, Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II, Shelby L.
Stanton, Novato, CA, Presidio, 1984. The book is available online at
archive.org
[13]
Next to the front door of the house on Garden Row, sat a drum table. Its sole
drawer was known in the family as ‘the junk drawer’. In that drawer was a dummy
50 caliber round. I still recall my amazement that anyone had lived through a
war where men shot such things at each other.
[14]
Much of this comes from a Sunday, August 3, 1958, page 14, article in the
Louisville Courier Journal by Alan Levy based on interviews with Colonel Steven
Chase Boldt. Other material comes from the website http://ww2pacific.com/johnson.html
Page -6-
greatly
increase strikes on Australia. After Buna-Gona, the 198th spent as
much as four months during 1943 in advanced jungle training, learning how to
navigate the mountainous terrain with their 75 mm howitzers and how to use
forward spotters to direct fire from underneath the cover of the jungle canopy.
According to the work cited by Shelby Stanton, a typical 75 mm Mountain
Howitzer Battalion consisted of 31 Officers, 1 Warrant Officer, and 538
Enlisted men. Each Battalion consisted of 12 Pack-Howitzers, 9 50-caliber
machine guns, 3 45-caliber submachine guns, 15 30-caliber automatic rifles, 540
30-caliber carbines, 2 support airplanes, a weapons carrier, 4 1/4-ton trucks,
66 riding horses, and 147 pack mules.
In
the battle for Leyte Gulf (17 October – 26 December 1944), the unit was part of
the XXIV Corps. The US had assembled a 738-ship armada for the invasion/landing,
with the XXIV Corps having been brought from New Guinea.[15]
Once on Leyte Island, the 198th was said to have used the heavier 105
mm howitzers that played a critical role in the taking and holding of Catmon
Hill. The hill was the highest point (459’) along the Gulf and used by the
enemy for observation and to attack landing craft on the beaches below. Shortly
thereafter, Adril was present when MacArthur made his famous return to the
Philippines and watched from the shore as the Army and media made multiple
attempts to get the filming ‘right’.[16]
The
Japanese Navy showed up too late to impede the initial invasion but sought to
disrupt the flow of supplies to strengthen the US Army. Their arrival initiated
the Battle of Leyte Gulf (23rd – 26th). After that
battle, one of the largest naval engagements of the war, the 198th moved
to support the advance into Leyte Valley (the lowlands east of the island’s
central ridge). Later, the 198th played a vital role, shelling key
Japanese positions while the infantry advanced towards the Ormoc Valley
(lowlands on the west side of that central ridge).
During
his time on Leyte, the most notable single engagement was likely the Battle of
Breakneck Ridge. The site of the battle was at the far north of the island’s
central mountain chain. Fought from late November through early December of 1944,
the battle required artillery support to assist the infantry in overcoming
Japanese defenses. As was common, the Japanese were well dug in, having
prepared a series of interconnected trenches and ‘spider holes’. At the outset
of the battle, both sides were pounded by a strong typhoon. For a time, flying
debris and falling trees represented as great a threat as did the enemy.
[15] There
had been a debate whether the next US target would be the Philippines or
Taiwan. FDR had settled the debate, choosing the former, no doubt with strong persuasion
from MacArthur. The General was passionate that he be allowed to keep his
promise to the Philippine people to “return,” but tactical evaluation of an
amphibious assault of Taiwan also favored the Philippines. The Japanese did not
seriously contest the landing, having expected the US assault to have targeted
the island of Luzon. The capital city, Manila, and most enemy forces were
located there. The Japanese navy did not arrive in Leyte Gulf until the 24th,
allowing the US to land at least 150,000 troops and their supplies and
establish strong defensive positions. It was in the Battle of Leyte Gulf that
the Japanese first officially used Kamikaze pilots from the Special Attack
Unit. These were suicide missions where the pilots flew their bomb laden planes
into US shipping.
[16] I was
young when he described MacArthur’s landing and honestly believe that he said he
was watching. Now that I know where the 198th was dug-in (Catmon
Hill) and its mission, it is hard to see how a Corporal could have been so far
from his unit. If this is wrong, it is due to my memory. McArthur came ashore
on October 20th at ‘Red Beach’ in the modern-day town of Palo, some
25 miles north of Catmon Hill. Sources still dispute whether the famous scene
with the General wading from his landing craft to the beach was filmed once or
multiple times. McArthur had at first been angered that his landing craft could
not make it all the way to the dry beach. It is claimed that he quickly
recognized the great photo-op this presented and was quite pleased. His landing
craft was LST-542, made in Richmond, CA. Those craft were also manufactured at Jefffboat
where Garnette worked.
Page -7-
In
January 1945, the 198th disengaged from the Leyte action and became
a part of the invasion of Luzon. There they would remain through March. They
were credited with critical support of infantry movements at Balete Pass and on
the Villa Verde Trail (both in the rugged jungle mountains north of Tarlac
City.[17]
Though
the mop-up campaign in the Philippines continued for the rest of the war,
Adril’s unit was dispatched to Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands just southwest of
Japan, arriving as part of the initial invasion known as Operation Iceberg on
April 1st. The battle is usually dated 1 April – 22 June 1945.[18]
After the landing, the unit began to pound the enemy ahead of the advance of US
infantry. The 198th was integral in the heavy combat that lasted
until mid-May along the Japanese defensive line from the town of Naha (on the
west coast) eastward to historic Shuri Castle. Both towns are near the southern
end of the island. The enemy was determined to fight to the death and had
prepared fortified pillboxes and a network of caves and tunnels in the
mountains to reduce their exposure to US air power. Few of the enemy
surrendered, having been told that they would be tortured by US forces. Thus,
the US army had the gruesome task of destroying every fortification after
giving ample chance for surrender. Once the Japanese began to use flags of
truce to decoy Americans to their death, little quarter was given. The island
was declared secure on June 22nd. From Okinawa, Adril watched an
endless stream of B29 bombers take off on raids of the Japanese homeland.[19]
Once
Okinawa was secured, training for the invasion of the Japanese homeland began
in earnest. The men were prepared for the Japanese defense to be fanatical,
involving citizens of every age and gender. Thus, enormous civilian casualties
were certain in addition to those of the enemy military. Given the fervor of
the anticipated defense, high Allied losses were also expected.[20]
So, it was with amazement and great relief when they learned that some new
‘super bomb’ had brought Japan to its knees, obviating the need for a
land-based war of conquest. As Adril was tall, he was almost selected to be
present on the USS Missouri for the formal surrender ceremonies. McArthur,
wishing to intimidate the defeated enemy, had wanted only the very largest
American men to surround the Imperial representatives. At only 170 lbs., Adril
was likely rejected as ‘too thin’. Adril remained on Okinawa for the rest of
the war.
Once peace was declared, troops quickly returned to the States. The 198th returned to the States at Camp Anza, CA. A formal deactivation ceremony was set for November 1st, but most of the men were dispatched to bases near their homes rather than being detained for the event.[21] Thus, Adril was discharged on October 12, 1945, at the Separation Center at Camp Atterbury, IN (located just south of Indianapolis, to the west of I-65 near the town of Edinburgh, IN). Adril’s discharge papers note that he received the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon, with 2 Bronze Stars per War Department General Orders #33/45, an American Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star and a Good Conduct Ribbon. It was noted that he had “no lost time under
[17]
This paragraph is tentative as sources are not in agreement regarding the
actions of the 198th.
[18] Only
a few details of the activities of the 198th while on Okinawa have been
identified. However, a history of the 361st Field Artillery
Battalion was written by its former Captain, Arthur Shaw with Robert L. Wise (82
Days on Okinawa, William Morrow, Inc, 2020). The book provides an excellent
description of how field artillery units were utilized in a tropical setting
and describes the difficulty the Army faced in dislodging a The Japanese from
their entrenched positions. The book does not mention it using any guns smaller
than 105 mm in contrast to the 75 mm light artillery guns used by the 198th.
[19]
Tokyo was roughly 900 miles by air. This was minor compared to the B29’s 5,300-mile
range.
[20]
Sources put projected allied losses between 500,000 and 1,000,000 men.
[21]
Camp Anza was in modern day Riverside, CA, about 60 miles due east of downtown
Los Angeles.
Page -8-
AW
(Articles of War) section 107” and “lapel button issued”[22].
Finally, it was noted that Adril had an ASR (Adjusted Service Rating) of 100.[23]
Finally, his papers noted that he had qualified at both the Rifle Marksman and Carbine
Sharpshooter levels.[24]
Adril
would not tell combat stories. Like many soldiers, he had dreams of the war and
would wake in a sweat. He would tell funny stories. One involved being in the
bush in New Guinea. He and some comrades had perimeter machine gun duty. They
were well dug in and keeping perfect silence so as not to give away their
position. From the bush, an extremely large Python emerged and began to move
towards their foxhole. Adril claimed that it was his worst scare of the war. He
could not make noise or run without alerting the Japanese to their presence,
yet not to do something was to die a nightmarish death. At the last moment,
Adril and his men decided they were more afraid of the snake than of the
Japanese and ‘opened up’ on it with their machine gun. The snake thrashed in
agony, taking down several small trees in the process. When they quit firing,
the stillness of the night returned. Then, small, native men began to appear
out of the bush that the soldiers believed was clear. They lifted the snake to
their shoulders and disappeared just as quickly. Adril believed that they had
been tracking the snake and that both the US and Japanese perimeter guards had
failed to note the movements of the natives.
He
would laugh as he told the story of his only war ‘wound’. While storming a
beach in the Philippines (in Leyte Gulf, I believe), Adril had to cross a
railroad track. He did not see the tracks in his haste to get to cover and
tripped on the first rail. The second rail skinned his shin from ankle to knee.
Seeing how awkwardly Adril fell and seeing the blood on his leg, his buddies
began to call for the Medic. To the amazement of all, Adril got back up and
continued running for cover, all the while cursing the Japanese, the
Philippines, the US Army, and railroads, to name a few.
Like many soldiers, Adril collected the occasional Japanese military souvenir as these were good for bartering with Headquarters personnel. A captured Japanese battle flag was used in this way to barter for a ride in a two-seater P-38 Lightning.[25] No doubt, this broke many rules, but the Army had larger problems than entrepreneurial pilots. Dad reported that ‘he got his money’s worth’ as the pilot put the plane through a series of acrobatic maneuvers. In no time the ’ground pounder’ was ‘swearing up a blue streak’, demanding that they land so he could
[22] The
“no lost time” comment simply means that he spent to time AWOL or I the brig.
Time thus spent did not count as ‘service time’. The ‘lapel button issued’ is a
reference to the Honorable Service Lapel Button given to servicemen to wear
when honorably discharged. It was helpful while traveling and might gain the
ex-soldier a free ride, meal or lodging on the way home. Because of its design,
the Lapel Button became known as the "Ruptured Duck".
[23] The
United States Army used the Adjusted Service Rating (ASR) score during the
World War II demobilization effort. Also called the WWII point system, it was
designed to return troops back to the U.S. based on the length of time served,
family status and honors received in battle. Troops were given a point for each
month served (domestic or overseas). Even more points were given for
battlefield awards (a bronze star) and points were given for having dependent
children at home under the age of 18. Adril’s long and spotless record ensured
that he was among the first to be released.
[24] The
Rifle Marksman qualification indicated an above average level of proficiency
with a soldier’s service rifle (in Adril’s case, the bolt action, Springfield
M1903, commonly called the ‘30-06’ based on the round that it was commonly
chambered to fire0. The rating was intended to instill pride and confidence in
the soldier. The Carbine Sharpshooter qualification was an even higher
proficiency rating, gained using the lighter, shorter (and thus more difficult
to accurately fire) carbine.
[25]
While normally a single-seat aircraft, several two-seat versions were built, including the TP38L trainer. It is likely that Dad’s ride was in one of these.
Page -9-
properly
throw up. It was Adril’s last trade with a pilot. Sometime during the War,
Adril ‘adopted’ a mouse. He would feed it and make a nest for it with straw inside
of his boot. He named his new friend Albert, presumably in honor of his Dad,
Willie Albert. Sadly, a comrade saw the mouse, had no idea that it was a pet,
and killed it. His other stories were more general and focused on the natural
beauty of Hawaii, the stone-age character of New Guinea or food. He came home
with a love for yams (a staple in our house) and fresh coconuts.
Just
as Adril left Ohio Co. to join the Army and hopefully develop skills that would
enable him to leave the farm and avoid the coal mines, Garnette left Ohio Co.
for business school, the first in her family to go beyond high school. She
moved to Louisville to attend Bryant and Stratton Business College.[26]
[26] Bryant and Stratton Business College was founded in 1854 in Buffalo, NY as the Bryant and Stratton National Business College. A Louisville campus opened in 1864. The college moved to new facilities in January 1912 at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Walnut Street (now Muhammed Ali Blvd). The grand opening featured “flowers, refreshments, music and Abraham Lincoln souvenirs”. That structure still stands though its façade has been updated. The Louisville campus would merge with Sullivan College (now Sullivan University) in 1973 and move to their new campus at the Watterson Expressway and Bardstown Road in 1976.
[27] It
was locally known for many years as Jeffboat and its name was officially
changed to this in 1957. Jeffboat was the largest inland shipyard in the US
before its closure in 2018. The Howard Steamboat Museum occupies the former
22-room mansion of the founder James Howard. It is located on Market Street, a
block north of the former location of Jeffboat.
[28]
Common perception of a LST is actually of a LCM (Landing Craft Mechanized). The
LCM was a small, motorized vessel of 45’ to 70’ in length that could quickly
carry 100 men to the beach. These are commonly depicted in movies and seen in
war footage. LSTs were a much larger vessel of perhaps 400’ in length and 50’
in width. LST is the naval designation for ships first developed during World
War II to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and
landing troops directly onto shore with no docks or piers. They had multiple
decks and lite armament. One LST built by Jeffboat, the USS LST-510, has been
preserved and is presently in service a ferry between New London, CT, and
Orient, Long Island, NY. LST-510 took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy
in June 1944.
[29]
Subchasers could vary from 110’ to 175’ in length and carried a crew of 28 men.
Subchasers were outfitted with lite armament, but their principal weapon was
the depth charge. They provided valuable service during the war along the east
coast of the US by protecting harbors and by guarding convoys as they assembled
for the Atlantic crossing. In the Pacific, they protected troop transport and
invasion fleets.
Page -10-
Throughout
the war, Adril and Garnette corresponded frequently. She kept every card and
letter that Adril sent. His letters were very short and said very little. This
was typical of all soldiers, as they knew their mail was censored.[30]
Peace and Family
At
the end of the war, Adril was approached about staying in and making a career
in the Army. But the ties of family were too strong, so he turned down his
Sergeant's stripes and returned to KY. He and Garnette quickly made plans to
marry and start their life in Louisville. A large part of the decision to
settle in Louisville was eased since Garnette was already there and the town
offered the ex-Corporal the best chance at acquiring job skills. Adril briefly
considered a career in law enforcement. His size and military background (where
he had occasionally served as an MP) had left him well-suited to such a life.
But he was generally of an easy-going disposition and was not thrilled at
shooting at people or being shot at; he clearly had enough of that. So, Adril
decided to become a printer. He received training at the Pressman’s Home in the
Rogersville, TN area.[31]
Union card in hand, he signed on as an apprentice printer with Fawcett
Publications, a Louisville-based magazine and catalog company.[32]
Adril
and Garnette were married Saturday, June 1, 1946, at her mother's home in the
Portland community in west Louisville. For a while they lived in Portland. They
spent their wedding night at the famous Brown Hotel on Broadway in downtown
Louisville. They were still in Portland living with Lottie and Hardin in
early 1948 when Dorothy Ann was born on February 26th.[33]
With a growing family, Adril and Garnette moved in 1948 or 1949 to south Louisville to the Standiford Place subdivision. The subdivision was on the very edge of the city limits at the time. Everything beyond that point was rural but would not stay that way for long.[34] Their first house was on Berkeley Square and backed up to the parking lot of what was then the main terminal of Louisville’s principal airport, Standiford Field.[35] After only a very short time in that first house, the Browns moved around the block to 1125 Garden Row. The second house was a somewhat larger version of the one on Berkeley Square but without the airport as an immediate neighbor. It was of all-brick construction, two-bedroom, story-and-a-half with a full unfinished basement and unfinished upstairs. The Browns had completed the move before Kent Wayne was born on
[30]
I’ve had them for 30 years, still cannot read them.
[31]
The training took place at the Trade School at the Pressman’s Home. The
facility included the headquarters of the International Pressman and
Assistants’ Union.
[32]
Through the years, the company was also known as Fawcett Printing Company, Fawcett-Dearing
and Fawcett-Haynes. The business was in the 1100 block of West Broadway in
Louisville. The company was ultimately sold in 1987 to Diamandis
Communications, Inc. and was then sold the next year to Hachette Publications.
[33] Dorothy
Ann Brown, was born on February 26, 1948. She married William Buchanan.
[34]
The land on which Standiford Place was developed had been owned by the
Louisville Railway Company. They operated both railroads and streetcars. Later
they would become the Louisville Transit Company (LTC) as the shift to buses
occurred. LTC had vast holdings in the county that would eventually be sold to
settle LTC debts. Information on the surveys and history of the LTC is
available at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, KY. File locator Mss.
BN L888b.
[35] In
a few years, a new main terminal building would be constructed across the
airport. The Standiford Place side of the airport then hosted cargo services
and private aviation.
No comments:
Post a Comment