Patriot Stories from the United States Army

JAMES W. FARMER, SR.  – Army – WWII

JAMES W. FARMER, SR.  – Army – WWII

Dec 1, 1998 | ,

Jim Farmer was a cavalry trooper in George Patton’s command before WWII and he had personal interactions with him almost daily for several years. They were together again from the close of the war in Europe up until the month before the General Patton’s death. Jim did not enjoy or benefit from their relationship. In the closing days of the war in Germany, Jim Farmer, acting alone, captured more enemy soldiers in a single action than did Sergeant York in WWI; and for this Jim was honored with America’s second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. Here are a few glimpses from his many years of service. James Farmer enlisted in the Army in 1935 and was...

CARL E. VOTTI – ARMY – Korea

Oct 1, 1998 | ,

Carl E. Votti was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1924. After graduation from High School, Carl enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where he had a scholarship to play on the football team. While downtown one day with a friend, Carl saw a paratrooper and said he could not believe that any branch of the U.S. military could or would dress a soldier in such a stunning uniform, especially, the glistening paratrooper boots. They both decided to choose the parachute branch of service. Carl entered active duty on March 16, 1943 and after basic training was soon going through “jump school” at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was assigned as a machine gunner...

WILLIAM A. (BILL) BRANT – Army Air Corps – WWII

WILLIAM A. (BILL) BRANT – Army Air Corps – WWII

Sep 1, 1998 | ,

"A Lieutenant Meets General George S. Patton, Jr.", a story in Bill Brant’s own words. I had not met General George S. Patton, Jr., until one day in mid-July 1943. But, on that day I met all six feet of him, and more. Actually, as he peered down at me from a standing position in his jeep, I could have sworn he was ten feet tall. I had seen the general several times before in Mostaganem, Algeria, following the Tunisian Campaign, it’s just that hadn't personally met him. Each time I had seen him, it was at a distance. However, on this occasion we were up close, and under circumstances that were not conducive to a very amiable meeting. But, let me first explain the...

VICTOR D. MASSAGLIA – ARMY – Vietnam

Mar 1, 1998 | ,

In 1967, this new Second Lieutenant, fresh out of OCS, took over command of an Infantry Company the hard way, when his Captain was killed in action. In 1972, as a helicopter pilot on his second tour of duty in Vietnam, Captain Massaglia's daring rescue of five soldiers at DAK TO was later written up in SAGA Magazine. This is his story. Victor D. Massaglia was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1940. He graduated in the Spring of 1957 from St. Leo's High School on the city's west side. He then worked for several years in Rochester, Minnesota before volunteering for the Draft in 1965. After Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Medical Advanced Individual Training...

HAROLD J. MARBURGER – Army – WWII

Jan 1, 1998 | ,

Harold was one of the last men wounded in action in WWII, just before the Atomic Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a teenaged college student, he might not have had to serve at all, had he not insisted that the draft board answer his questions about his status. Harold Marburger was born in 1926 in Clearfield, Iowa. He graduated from High School in nearby Coggon in May 1943, and then attended Iowa State University for one year. On a weekend visit home from college he met a local girl, Betty Wenger, at a "skating party" for his cousin. During the Summer break from college in 1944, Harold received his draft notice. Harold was inducted into the Army at Fort Snelling,...

RONALD W. SELLERS – ARMY – Vietnam

Dec 1, 1997 | ,

In November 1972, an aircraft from the 36th Bomb Wing, home based at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, went down in history as the first B-52 Bomber ever lost in combat to enemy fire. Ron Sellers was one of three wounded among the 6-man crew when his plane was hit by a Surface-To-Air (SAM) missile over North Vietnam. For the first time since their dramatic pick-up by Air-Sea Rescue, the crew met again for a reunion 25 years later at Randolph AFB in San Antonio. Ronald W. Sellers was born in 1944 in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He spent his first fourteen years in South America with his family of Texans (his father was with ESSO, now known as EXXON). He was sent home to Texas...

PAT McCASLIN  – ARMY – Vietnam

Dec 1, 1997 | ,

In 1970 Colonel Pat McCaslin was transferred to Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, where he flew an OB-10 light attack plane. He was the commander of a flight supporting Operation Prairie Fire, which, when needed, grew up to 2 CH-53 helicopters and 4 A-1E Skyraiders in addition to his own aircraft. The group was responsible for inserting and extracting special forces ground troops from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. “I can’t remember any of my missions that weren’t done under enemy fire,” he said. “We later found out the enemy knew about our missions in advance because our people discovered a saboteur back at headquarters leaking information to the enemy.” Once, when on assignment over...

ED GARR – Army – Korea

Nov 1, 1997 | ,

Ed Garr lives in Ocala, Florida, but he chose to join the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter in Austin, Texas. He did that just to renew his ties with two fellow Marine Corps veterans whose connections with him came out of two different wars. Ed Garr was a machine gunner with 3rd Platoon, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, in Korea in 1951 when Gonzalo Garza was the Platoon Sergeant (see the feature article about Dr. Garza). Gonzalo received the wound that put him out of the war on May 29, 1951. Ed was wounded twelve days later, on June 10th, when 3rd Platoon, while in the attack, came under artillery and 120mm mortar fire. Ed soon returned to...

HERBERT SPIRO – ARMY – WWII

Oct 1, 1997 | ,

This is a Horatio Alger story if there ever was one. Escaping from Germany and the coming holocaust just before the outbreak of WWII, Herbert’s family settled in San Antonio, Texas. He enlisted and returned to Europe with the 11th Armored Division and was wounded in Belgium. After the war this naturalized American veteran earned his PhD at Harvard and then became a distinguished political scientist, educator, author, politician and United States Ambassador. He is also a charter member who played a big part in establishing Chapter 1919 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart in Austin. Herbert Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1924. Members of his family had lived for...

JACK B. WARDEN – ARMY – Korea

Sep 1, 1997 | ,

Jack saw 222 days of continuous action in Europe and had advanced from being the youngest man and the junior Private to being the battlefield commissioned Platoon Leader, in the same Platoon; all without a scratch. Until just before war's end, his men had believed he could not be hit by German fire. Before returning home after the war, he had the exceptionally rare experience of having gone from Private to Company Commander in the same company with no other assignments outside that unit. Jack B. Warden was born in 1923 in Collin County, Texas. When he was four years old, his family moved to Abilene where he spent all his school years. The Wardens lived three blocks from the...

L.C. CASTRO – ARMY – WWII

L.C. CASTRO – ARMY – WWII

Jul 1, 1997 | ,

The Gold Star mother of this Castro family of Austin, Texas sent four sons off to WWII, three of whom were awarded the Purple Heart. L.C.'s brother, Arthur, wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, died many years ago, but brother, Joe, a combat medic wounded on Saipan, is also in Chapter 1919 and you can read his Purple Heart story by clicking on this link...Joe S. Castro L.C. was the only member of his 10-man bomber crew to evade capture when their aircraft was shot down over occupied France. This story tells how he did it. Ladislao C. (L.C.) Castro was born and spent his growing-up years in Austin. He attended Guadalupe Catholic School and then Austin High School. In Austin...

LESLIE R. HEREFORD, JR – Army – WWII

LESLIE R. HEREFORD, JR – Army – WWII

Jun 1, 1997 | ,

Leslie says he was in combat for 15 minutes, and in the hospital for 22 months. As disabled veteran, amputee, he obtained a graduate degree, had a long and successful working career, and lived his life to the fullest. Leslie Hereford, Jr. was born in 1921 in Tow, Texas. The family farm was located on land that became lake-bottom when Buchanan Dam was built, so the Herefords moved to Lometa in adjacent Lampasas County. Leslie graduated from Lometa High School and then went to Tarleton College in Stephenville for two years. He then transferred to Texas A&M, and he was there at College Station when the United States entered the war. He graduated at mid-term, January 1943,...