6 August 2011, 7:49 pm
Cecil is my grandfather and for some reason I can't find much on him. He was a fairly private person but I loved listening to his stories and experiences in the war. He's a Bronze Star recipient and a former Drill Sergeant. He died a Corporal after apparently having been demoted more than once, a fact he seemed to find humorous. He also had sandbags on his tank and loved to shoot planes with the Sherman's canon. He was not a nice man, but he did pretty well as a grandfather. He has a story about how the Germans used a donkey drawn cart with a record player (phonograph?) that would play popular American music but then after it had you listening, the record would change to anti-American propaganda and demoralizing messages. He said that their tank was hidden in the ruined walls of a blown out old house and after some time, I always understood it to be a few days, they got tired of the messages etc. One day, after waiting for the music to stop, they shot the cart with the tank. That was one of the more lighthearted stories but he had countless to tell. He even had one he told rather sheepishly where he and his crew were drunk and did not realize that they had crossed enemy lines ahead of Patton... thus making his crew the first to cross, not Patton... I doubt historians would change the records to favor some lost drunks... I would like to have some images from his time in the military. All I have of him are from my life with him as my grandfather and one from his childhood. He was from San Francisco and eventually married Gloria Fitzgerald and moved to Burns, Oregon. He had a gas station in Bend, Oregon and taught welding at Roseburg High School, also in Oregon. He worked for the Forest Service as well after the war, but was working for the Army at the same time. He said that he couldn't go into details on this but had done some engineering work. When he died he had 6 kids, 23 grandchildren and I think 6 great grandchildren (though that has grown to epic proportions). So I am hoping that there are veterans that served with him, people that knew of him or those that just happen to have things etc. Any help is appreciated! Thank you in advance.... Read More »
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