Patriot Stories from the United States Army

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,...

ROBERT H. HARWOOD – ARMY – WWII

ROBERT H. HARWOOD – ARMY – WWII

May 1, 1997 | ,

Robert H. (Bob) Harwood was born in Milam County, Texas. His family lived at Gause and Bob graduated from the nearby High School in Hearne. Bob was working on road construction when he first met Roberta Cole, a Southwest Texas State College girl on a weekend visit to Gause. Roberta graduated at San Marcos and got a job teaching school in Burnet County, not far from her family home in Bertram. Robert and Roberta had stayed in touch but didn’t see each another very often until Bob's company sent him to build the highway be­tween Buchanan Dam and Llano. That made it con­venient for a lot of Saturday night dates going to the movies in Burnet. Then the war came. Bob enlisted...

J. D. STALLINGS – ARMY – WWII

Jan 1, 1997 | ,

This colorful figure became a rodeo performer at age 7, a horse cavalryman (Texas National Guard) at age 14, a skilled trick-rider as a teenager, and was a stunt rider for Republic Pictures in 1930’s western movies. He was also wounded eight times in the Pacific while serving in the 112th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team. This is his story. Jesse Daniel (J.D.) Stallings was born in Terrell, Texas, in 1915, and he spent his early years on a ranch near Bryan. He rode in his first rodeo in Navasota, at age seven; and by the time he was a teen-ager he was an accomplished stunt rider, particularly skilled at taking an intentional fall without injury from a galloping horse. In 1929,...

JOHN M. BRYANT – ARMY – WWII

JOHN M. BRYANT – ARMY – WWII

Dec 1, 1996 | , ,

John suffered a grievous wound in the air over occupied France that put him out of the war. Over 50 years later he and his wife became the subject of a personal interest story in the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. This is his story. John Bryant graduated from Harlandale High School in San Antonio in May 1940, and so did his girlfriend, Ruth Byrom. John went into the Army shortly after Pearl Harbor, and was quickly accepted for flight training. He spent almost all of 1942 successfully completing training courses at Waco Army Airfield at Waco, Texas. Finally, on January 13, 1943, John was commissioned as an Army Aviator. John’s parents drove up from San...

MILFORD R. DAVIS – USMC – WWII

MILFORD R. DAVIS – USMC – WWII

Sep 1, 1996 | ,

Milford was a North Texas school teacher and football coach for seven years before the beginning of WWII. His advantages from that maturity and experience quickly advanced him from draftee to Captain in command of an Infantry Company in combat in Europe. It may also be the reason Milford is the only person we know who did not get flustered when in the presence of General George Patton. Milford Davis was born and grew up in Eliasville, Texas, a picturesque “old-Texas” community on the banks of the Brazos River a few miles downstream from Fort Belknap. His grandfather had come to Texas from Tennessee after the Civil War and initially settled in Coleman County; but finding...

BILL KERR – ARMY – WWII

BILL KERR – ARMY – WWII

Jul 1, 1996 | ,

After the fighting in North Africa, Bill Kerr’s hometown newspaper in Missouri carried a feature article announcing his award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster. Here are some excerpts (in italics) of that news clipping. Following that is Bill’s personal story about an almost amusing instance of Field Artillery being used in an Air Defense role. “…Blond Billy Kerr, who went from the University of Missouri into the Army and now wears three ribbons on his khaki shirt…was decorated for extraordinary gallantry (in an action) February 15, 1943 at Sidi Bou Zid when Field Marshal Erwin Rommel staged his big tank smash...

WILLIAM H. DECKER, JR.  – Army – Korea

May 1, 1996 | ,

William H. (Bill) Decker, Jr. entered service in the Marine Corps, June 29, 1948. He served in Korea in the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. They were part of the summer offensive in 1950 that carried all the way to the Manchurian border. Bill Decker was part of the fighting at Inchon, Kimpo Airfield, and Seoul. In Seoul on September 26, 1950, Bill was wounded by mortar shell fragments. He was in the Wonsan landing and at Hamhung, where the 5th Marines continued to advance. At Chosin Reservoir, the Marines dug in on November 3rd, only 36 miles south of Manchuria. They held that position until the Chinese Army came swarming down on November 25th. Then began a long and...

MAX L. NOE – ARMY – WWII

Sep 1, 1995 | ,

Max Noe was born in Uvalde, Texas in 1916 and he was raised in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. His family moved from Rio Hondo to Austin in 1934. Max graduated from Austin High School and went to work for the Post Office. He had five years experience as a postal employee when he entered Army active duty on January 29, 1943. After Basic Training at Camp Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas, Max was assigned to the 28th Infantry Division and he joined them in training at Carrabelle, Florida. The 28th Division sailed for England on October 8, 1943, arrived safely on October 18th, and was stationed at Tenby in Wales. Max Noe was a Sergeant in APO 28 (APO stands for Army Post Office),...