Birk, Gereonsweiler, Lindern, Marche-en-Femenne, Rochefort, Bure, Grupont, Tellin, Chanly, Givet, Devantave, Ourthe, Roer, Hoven, Krefeld, Rhine, Weser, Eisbergen, Hannover, Restorf-Pevestorf, Elbe: LEST WE FORGET!
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ABOUT THIS MESSAGE BOARD
by Allan Wilford Howerton,
Communications Sgt., Company K, 335th Infantry, 84th Division
This message board was started as a resource for viewers seeking information about the men of Company K-335 and as a means of drawing attention to my memoir about the company, "DEAR CAPTAIN, ET AL.: the Agonies and the Ecstasies of War and Memory, a Memoir from World War II." To my surprise it soon attracted postings pertaining to other units.
The war was so traumatic that many of us rarely talked about it until late in life, or not even then. Some did not retain their military records or they were lost as time passed. That, and the fact that 80% of all World War II individual personnel records (201 files) were destroyed in a fire at the St. Louis facility of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in 1973 led to an increasing demand for information.
From the knowledge gained through research conducted for my memoir and other information I have collected, we have tried to fill some of this gap. Sometimes we can help and sometimes we can't. We welcome inquiries and are honored to assist as possible.
There are a number of other Railsplitter Internet sites. Here are a couple with message boards . . .
84th Infantry.com is a relatively new site hosted by Rick Bell in tribute to his father, the 1st Sgt. of Company E, 333rd Infantry. The site welcomes posts and photographs pertaining to all division units and encourages input of war stories that convey a picture of what life was like in the 84th during the war.
84th Division Unit Page is one of many unit bulletin boards accessible through www.military.com. Users may post messages and establish personal profiles relative to their background and interests.
The 84th Infantry Division Railsplitter Society, Inc. is another possible source of information. The society maintains a large collection of memorabilia, holds annual reunions, publishes a newsletter twice annually that may be used to try to locate still-living veterans of various units. For information contact Mr. Forrest T. Lothrop, Executive Secretary, 84th Infantry Division Railsplitter Society, Inc., PO Box 827, Sioux Falls, SD 57101-0827 (Phone: 605-334-8787). The Society does not have a web site.
Howerton Books
The easiest way to obtain either of my books, "Dear Captain, et al." or "War's Wake," is to order directly from the publisher (Xlibris) as follows:
Toll-free telephone orders may be placed at 1-888-795-4274 or order online by clicking on the sites below or copying the web addresses to your browser:
DEAR CAPTAIN, et al.:
http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=1001
WAR'S WAKE:
http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=22558
DEAR CAPTAIN, et al. is my personal war story and that of my infantry company. It is a day-to-day chronicle of the war and lists and describes the battle circumstances for every casualty. It is also a wartime love story, a book about coming of age in a difficult time, and a story about leadership as exemplified by the company commander from whom it takes its title. A reader at Oxford University called it "great stuff" and it has been enjoyed by general readers as well as World War II buffs.
WAR'S WAKE is an autobiographical novel. It is a sequel to the war memoir. The story comes from memories of the author's reentry into civilian life as a student at the University of Denver under the GI Bill of Rights. The main theme is an obsessive love affair with many echoes of the war and its impact upon those who came home physically intact but with compelling psychic scars. Through humor, irony, and a dash of absurdity, the story paints a portrait of the mores, morality, and lost illusions of the immediate postwar period as the McCarthy era came on and the Cold War dawned. It's a novel, yes, but sometimes fiction can convey a greater truth. In that sense, there is a lot here about the old Company K communications sergeant as a diffident member of the "Greatest Generation" in the quandaries of its twenty-something years. It is also a hoot and a howl. Abhor novels? Try this one. Enjoy.
Both of these books may also be obtained through some Internet booksellers or ordered through many local bookstores. Prices may vary.
Also available through bookstores and libraries . . .
OVER HERE: How the G. I. Bill Transformed the American Dream (Harcourt, 2006) by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Edward Humes. My war and postwar story is the cementing element of this account of twelve typical WW II veterans whose lives were changed forever by the GI Bill of Rights.
Work in Progress
I am back currently at work on an early-life memoir. Tentative working title is "CAT'S WHISKERS: How dreams streaming from a magical cigar box catapulted a Kentucky preacher's boy into the big wide world."
The back story is that after retiring I managed a cable television station for several years and co-hosted a talk show titled "Conversations in the Weeds and Rust." I never realized, until working on the life-story memoir, the motivation that led me into that rather bizarre endeavor. Like many things though, it had deep roots in the past.
At around the age of eleven, to escape the constraints of the Bible-belt culture of the old middle south, I saved my pennies to capitalize an investment of ten dollars for parts to build a crystal radio. After deriving a coil from winding copper wire around a piece of broomstick, meticulously connecting a cat's whiskers (a twisted bit of wire resembling a spring), a blob of crystal, and other stuff including jacks for a set of headphones, I housed it in a cigar box obtained free from a tobacco-addicted uncle. Attaching it all to a long antenna and using the cat's whiskers to probe the crystal's hot spots, I was able to bring the seductive sounds of distant AM radio stations to my bedtime ears well after my sin-fearing step-mom shut off the family radio.
The influence of this little box has been long-lasting. The memoir attempts to weave the tale of the rather off the wall (in contrast to the years as a bureaucrat) television channel into the story of my early life and that which came afterwards.
A former tentative title, "Baptists, Bibles, and Bourbon in the Barn," will now be a chapter. Thus, the rewriting inherent in the making of a book goes on. If my stamina and resolve holds, perhaps I may even be able to finish in spite of the blood, sweat, and occasional tears that come with the dredging of memories.
62nd RAILSPLITTER REUNION REPORT
The 62nd Annual Railsplitter Society Reunion was held at the Downtown Hilton Hotel at Springfield, Illinois August 23-26. Approximately 240 Railsplitters including wives, widows, children, and others attended. New officers elected include: President, Sylvain Van Gobes; Vice President, Emmet Lang; Secretary, Joe Byrd. New members of the Executive Committee are Bob Johnson, Ed Ries, and Harry Thomas. Executive Secretary Lothrop reported Society membership as of July 1, 2007 as 1259 including 347 widows and 60 children.
One of the highlights of the reunion was a visit to the Illinois State Military Museum which will be the depository for Railsplitter Society artifacts and memorabilia when the Society is discontinued. Members were given a rare view of the working rooms where materials are stored and prepared for preservation. During a presentation at the men's breakfast during the reunion, Museum Superintendent Lt. Col. Whitfield of the Illinois National Guard assured the Society that the museum will be able to receive and maintain most of its memorabilia. Although not required as a condition, the Society will make a donation to help sustain the museum. It receives minimum State or other public funding and relies almost solely on donations to maintain its collections.
The museum is establishing a web site pertaining to the 84th Division. It will eventually include the full roster as published with the Draper history in 1946. To access the site go to:
http://www.il.ngb.army.mil/Museum/default.htm
From there click on Historical Events, then click on World War II from among the options of the top of the page. Scroll down to Associated Units along the left side and click there to bring up the 84th Division pages.
Other matters of interest at Springfield included:
"THE RAILSPLITTER" NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION DATES: February and June, 2008. Please inform the Executive Secretary promptly of any change of address. To assure continuing receipt of the newsletter, members are asked to keep their Society dues and life member assessment paid up.
63rd ANNUAL REUNION: Branson, Missouri in late August or in September, 2008. Specific dates, hotel, and other arrangements to be announced. Reunion Chairman is Daryl Mitchell.
64th ANNUAL REUNION: Colorado Springs, Colorado. August/September 2009, arrangements to be announced. Reunion Chairman is Bruce Morrell.
CONTINUATION OF THE SOCIETY: Outgoing President John O'Malley initiated discussion at the Executive Committee meeting and the general business meeting as to the possibility of associate members (sons and daughters of Railsplitters) continuing the Society when the time comes that 84th veterans will no longer be able to carry on due to age, infirmity, and death.
Some associates have intensively studied and researched 84th's history and this would assure that the division's story is be kept alive and active. It would also protect the copyright name of The Railsplitter Society from infringement. Questions were raised as to whether there would be enough interest among the associates to adequately maintain the Society as an active organization. An article will appear in a subsequent issue of the Railsplitter requesting expressions of interest or other reaction to this proposal.
Although no decision has been made as to discontinuation, it seems clear that the Society will not be able to continue, particularly as to holding reunions, for many more years unless the reins are passed to its associate members. It was pointed out that the division's related units, the 102nd Infantry and the 17th Airborne, are phasing out their reunions this year.
NOTE: The above is a personal report prepared for this web site and should not be construed as related in any way to the official reunion minutes of the Railsplitter Society.
If you got this far, thanks for reading . . .
Allan Wilford Howerton
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This message board report (Copyright, A. Howerton) is produced periodically. Comments, criticism, and questions are welcomed and will get responses. To access other pertinent web sites Google keyword: Allan Wilford Howerton
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This board is dedicated to the memory of CAPTAIN LEONARD REED CARPENTER, Company Commander, November 19, 1944 - March 27, 1945.
BOARD HOST: Allan W. Howerton (E-mail: Allanhowerton@aol.com)