re: Relatives that served in World War 2

I've mentioned him before on here,
but my grandfather fought in Europe with the 30th Division "Old Hickory", as a Forward Observer in the 197th Field Artillery. He was about to be on his way to the Pacific when Japan surrendered and was discharged at Camp Shelby, MS with the rank of a Sargent.

He was a Louisiana boy, grew up in the woods between Lafayette and Breaux Bridge, used to tell stories of hunting gators as a teen in the lakes near the current day Lafayette airport.

His division landed at Normandy after D-Day and fought their way through France, Belgium and Germany. He fought at the Battle of Mortain, the Battle of the Bulge and was at the Elbe River when U.S. forces made contact with the Russian troops.

He received the Bronze Star and was up for a Purple Heart after getting wounded but refused it because, as he put it, "I wasn't taking a medal for getting a piece of shrapnel in the butt." Anyway, he was a tough old guy and I loved talking with him about his time in the war.




My PawPaw's on the left.


With my mom while on leave from Camp Blanding in Starke, FL, where the 30th trained before heading to Europe.


PawPaw years later having a beer with Dizzy Dean.