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Veteran's Day

Freedom's Price

This article was written by my grandson, Daniel Panebianco, who is in the tenth grade. This was part of an English project/ROTC contest. There were many submissions with only two selected as winners. They were both read  at the Matthews, NC Veterans Day Memorial. The two winners were also awarded $100 from the ROTC. Dan decided to return his $100 back to the ROTC. The local ROTC said it would be used to help support local veteran’s families in need.

" Soon we will be celebrating Veteran’s Day.  This is the one day a year set aside as a day that Americans can honor all the men and women who have served our country and protected democracy here and around the world.  Democracy, in our minds, is synonymous with freedom.  Freedom should be the light of all people and yet this is not the case for so much of the world’s population.  The problem with freedom is that there is a price to pay and nothing that is truly good ever comes for free.  Freedom and democracy may be all people’s right but with every right there is responsibility.  Thanks to the soldiers who never waiver in their desire to protect our freedom and are willing to put their most valuable possession, their lives, on the line for it, so we can continue to live in this great country, not afraid to speak our minds, worship as we please, and to live for free.  I believe as Americans we are honored with the privilege to live in the United States and with that privilege comes our responsibility to protect the freedom given to us.  Our soldiers, present and past, do this everyday by their strength and bravery to face whatever is threatening to destroy freedom here and abroad.

            Veteran’s Day was originally called Armistice Day and was created on November 11, 1918 when the peace treaty was signed after World War I.  Armistice Day’s name then changed to Veterans Day in 1954 but was still to honor the soldiers who fought to protect our land.  Many soldiers have lost their lives fighting to keep America safe from its enemies.  Every year on the same date government offices, some businesses, and schools close down in order to honor these heroes who serve our country in order to keep us all safe from harm. 

            Without those brave men and women who serve our country we wouldn’t have a democracy.  Democracy (also known as freedom) is a right from persecution with the right to worship and believe what we want.  For many years, countries have tried to destroy our freedom but have failed because soldiers are willing to take up arms to fight for the right to live free.  Freedom, unfortunately, comes at a price.  Many soldiers have lost their lives fighting in wars.  This is the price we have to pay to keep our country safe from harm.

            As Americans, we are privileged to be part of the United States.  However, with every privilege comes a great responsibility and that is to keep our country away from opposing threats.  Soldiers give us hope and pride that our country will be safe because of their heroic actions in putting themselves in harms way to allow us to live free.  Soldiers stare death in the face every single day just to keep America the way it is now.  Those who have given their lives will be honored and remembered forever for their heroic efforts.

            Veteran’s Day is America’s tribute to our soldiers, past, present, and future, who always do the right thing, and who know the ultimate sacrifice they may have to pay, and yet they are willing to go and get the job done.  No one expressed this belief of responsibility to freedom as well as John Fitzgerald Kennedy did in his Inaugural Address when he said, “ Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of Liberty.”  So, on behalf of all Americans, it is our turn to salute our soldiers with gratitude and appreciation this November 11, 2008."

This webmaster is very proud of his grandson Dan, who has already learned, it is better to give than receive. Keep up the good work Dan.

Albert R. Panebianco

http://www.45thinfantrydivision.com

apanebianco@nc.rr.com

A FAREWELL TO BRIGADIER GENERAL FELIX L. SPARKS

As a member of Company “K”, 157^th Regiment, 45^th Infantry Division, I was under the  leadership of one of the best combat officers during World War II. Brigadier General Felix L. Sparks was a fearless, compassionate and capable combat officer. I spent quite a bit of time under the General’s command on Anzio, Reipertswiller and Dachau.

 With the odds against him, his battalion surrounded by the Germans, and he a Lt. Col. Sparks at the time, got into a tank to rescue several of his men. Through his heroism, he was able to save a few of his men. For his bravery, Lt. Col. Sparks should have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

 General, your performance during the war years and peacetime was superb and you will never be forgotten. REST IN PEACE and maybe we will meet spiritually some day.

 Albert R. Panebianco

A Colorado Life

Retired Brig. General and former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Felix Sparks and his wife of 60 years, Mary, pose with portraits of themselves taken at various stages of his military career which began before WWII. From left: a wedding portrait taken in 1941; a portrait taken in 1961; and a 1942 portrait taken when he was a captain. He was a member of the 157th Infantry unit. (Post / Glenn Asakawa)

General and jurist was a born leader
Virginia Culver
Denver Post Staff Writer

Felix Sparks, who distinguished himself in civilian and military careers, died Monday at 
St. Anthony Central Hospital. He was 90.

 A service will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd.

 Gov. Bill Ritter has ordered that all Colorado and U.S. flags be lowered to half-staff Tuesday 
in honor of Sparks.

 "He was a giant in Colorado," former Gov. Dick Lamm said.

 Sparks was a World War II hero, rescuing five wounded American soldiers who were surrounded 
by German soldiers. He helped liberate Dachau concentration camp and, after the war, 
helped reshape the Colorado National Guard.

   A brigadier general, he headed the Colorado National Guard.

   For decades he was director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. 

   Sparks was among those who helped create the "systems of reservoirs, pipes and pumps that 
bring Western Slope water to the Front Range," according to a 1998 Denver Post story.

   Sparks is credited with writing the Colorado groundwater law, the Post article said, and was an 
expert on the Fryingpan-Arkansas trans-mountain water-diversion project. 

   Sparks served under several governors, and his views on Colorado water didn't always jibe with 
those of the governors or of the Colorado congressional delegation.

   Sparks "stood his ground and stood it knowledgeably," said Lyle Kyle, former director of the 
Colorado Legislative Council.

   "Colorado can never repay Felix for the way he protected Colorado water," Lamm said. "I think he 
would have fought a duel to save Colorado water for Coloradans."

   Sparks showed the same backbone in the military.

   "Whether in crisis or combat, he was looked to as a rock, a leader," said retired Maj. Gen. Mason 
Whitney of Centennial, former adjutant general of Colorado.

   "He was rough and gruff but had a good heart," said Jack Goldman, who had been a prisoner 
at Dachau.

   Goldman doesn't know if Sparks was among the soldiers who rescued him, but the two became 
friends 25 years ago. For many years they gave lectures to schools, colleges and civic groups about 
the liberation of Nazi camps. 

   "He was a tremendous Coloradan," said Jack Hallowell of Lakewood, who served under Sparks 
in the war.

   Felix Sparks was born Aug. 2, 1917, in San Antonio and graduated from high school in Miami, Ariz.

   He earned his pre-law degree at the University of Arizona. After serving in the armed forces, he 
earned his law degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

   He practiced law in Delta, said his daughter, Jean Whitehurst of Arvada.

   In 1941 he married Mary F. Blair, whom he had met when they were in school in Miami.

   Before joining the Water Conservation Board, Sparks was a Colorado Supreme Court justice.

   In addition to his wife and daughter, Sparks is survived by two sons, Kirk Sparks of 
Westminster and Scott Sparks of Montrose; and another daughter, Kim Pumroy of Denver; six 
grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.  

   Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com.

A TRIBUTE TO ROBERT VORPHAL
My Friend and Foxhole Buddy

DOB – 5/16/1925                   DOD – 5/11/2006

I first met Bob Vorphal shortly after the invasion of southern France. He was in a long line of replacements and I picked him to join our mortar squad as the first gunner. I could not have made a better selection. He was one of the finest men I ever met. We shared the same foxholes from August 1944 until January 15, 1945 when I was hit with shrapnel. Five days later, 1/20/45, Bob and six rifle companies were taken prisoner.

In 1947, Bob and his friend Father Weiler, pastor of the church that Bob attended, were making a trip to Florida and decided to make a stop in Philadelphia to visit us. We all went out to dinner and had a great time. From that point on Bob and I kept in touch. Another happy event was when Bob visited us at our home for a week. Approximately 1957 our family, my wife and two daughters, visited Bob at his home in Chicago. We saw each other annually at the 157^th Regiment reunions. Between reunions, we chatted on the phone. Not a month went by without a phone call to each other.

One of the saddest days of my lifetime was the early part of May 2006, when I received a phone call from Joan Vorphal, Bob’s sister, to tell me Bob had passed on. What a shock.  The bond between soldiers is like no other. He definitely will be missed by everyone who knew him.

God Bless and Rest in Peace.
Albert R. Panebianco

WORLD WAR II INTERVIEW

Chris Dosen
S.S. Pd. 4
#10

The following article was recorded on tape by Chris Dosen.  I requested a copy and Chris was kind enough to oblige as I wanted to make it a part of my website.

An Interesting Perspective On WWII

     I had the privilege of interviewing Robert Vorphal to learn about his World War II experience. My relationship to him is that he is my great aunt’s brother. Bob remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor. At that time, he was surprised, just like the rest of America, at the sudden assault. He was a sophomore in high school when this incident happened. Even though he didn’t want to be, he was drafted into the United States Army after high school graduation. Bob explained that some of his classmates at the time were volunteering to sign up before they graduated from high school.

     Bob believed in the justness of WWII. He thought the U.S. had to fight back and protect people all around the world from unfair treatment and attacks. He believes it shortened the length of the war, and it made the Japanese give up their fight. He felt the bomb was necessary.

     Bob served in the infantry branch of the United States Army. His period of service began at Camp Wolters, Texas. He was assigned there for basic training. It began in January of 1944, and it lasted for 16 weeks. During training, Bob was taught how to handle a rifle, the carbine, the BAR, (automatic rifle), mortars, the 30-caliber machine gun, and grenades. He explained that the training also taught him how to march and eat army food. He thought the army food took a bit of getting used to, as it was quite different from home-cooked meals. Bob thought the most difficult part of switching from a civilian’s life to a soldier’s life was the regimented style.

     One major battle that Bob participated in was the Battle of the Bulge. It started on December 26, 1944. His regiment was fighting German soldiers in the Reipertswiller Forest in Alsace. The land was being fought over between Germany and France for a long time. German soldiers had surrounded his regiment for a week. They were low on supplies and no more were being sent in. Also, the winter was the coldest that area had experienced in 35 years. Freezing temperatures and extremely limited supplies made it difficult to continue fighting. Approximately 400 soldiers were captured on January 20, 1945 in Reipertswiller Forest. Bob became a prisoner of war.

     Bob was sent to a prison camp in Lindbergh, Germany. Fifty to sixty prisoners of war were stuffed into a boxcar. The trip to the prison camp took two to three days. During that time, the prisoners of war had no food, and they had to use a garbage can for a toilet.

     Private Vorphal was then transferred by boxcar to another prison camp in Fallingbostel, Germany. There were 250 men stuffed in a cold barracks, and they all slept on wooden bunks. Each bunk had three beds, and two men slept in each bed. They had no pillows and only two blankets to try and make it as comfortable as possible. There were only two, bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and no heat during this frozen winter. They were given a slice of bread and a bowl of soup to eat once a day. The Germans scheduled an early roll call every morning. There was one outdoor latrine for all 250 men. Going outside for roll call and walking to the latrine was their only exercise. They spent the rest of the day sitting around with no activity.

     Bob’s imprisonment lasted 100 days. At this time, the Eighth British Armored liberated the prisoners.

     After being liberated, Bob was flown to an American hospital in Oxford, England. There he was treated for Jaundice, a yellow skin color. Bob stayed in the hospital for two or three weeks. Next he went to Gardiner Hospital, a service hospital in Hyde Park, Illinois. He remained there for two or three weeks.

     Bob was then sent to Fort Lee, Virginia. He served two months in this location. In December of 1945, Corporal Vorphal was discharged from the U.S. Army. He was awarded several medals. Bob received the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge. They were given to him for being in combat. He also received the Good Conduct Medal, which was given for good behavior. In addition, he has the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters. The clusters signify the battles that fought in.

     When asked about friendships made in World War II, Bob said that it wasn’t an easy time to make friends. He was closest to his sergeant in the regiment, and he still keeps in contact with him today. This man’s name is Sergeant Panebianco. Bob explained that his sergeant told him that his last name meant “white bread”.

     Since the end of the war Bob has been living in Chicago. For the past five years, he has met with 15 to 20 other World War II service men for breakfast every other week. He attends ex-prisoner of war meetings every two months in the Chicago area. These meetings help keep him up to date with benefits for prisoners of war.

     In 2004 Bob had another interesting experience. He met Fred Olivi. During their conversation, Bob learned that Fred was on the plane from which the second Atomic Bomb was dropped.

     Today when asked about the draft, Bob feels that it should still be in place. He thinks that not enough people are volunteering to fight in the wars taking place now.

Stanley Richardson, pictured above (Center)

Stanley Richardson, third from left, middle row

Stanley Richardson, Left

Our good friend and author, David L. Israel, has written "The Day the Thunderbird Cried". The book is Absorbing, Informative and A Great Read. I found the book very interesting.

Medford man's book documents the massacre of Germans at Dachau

By JOHN DARLING
for the Mail Tribune

IN the waning weeks of World War II, U.S. soldiers liberating Dachau concentration camp outside Munich, Germany, came upon thousands of emaciated corpses. They became sickened and enraged and -- in violation of the Geneva Convention on rules of combat -- summarily executed many German guards and SS officers.

The little-known massacre of unarmed noncombatants on April 29, 1945, is the subject of a book by former World War II Army intelligence officer David Israel, 76, of Medford. His book is titled, "The Day the Thunderbird Cried."

The thunderbird, a Native American totem of happiness, was the insignia of the 45th Infantry Division, whose I Company (of the 157th Infantry) members committed the act.

Israel's book is based on interviews with ten soldiers who witnessed or carried out the executions; a "Stars and Stripes" military correspondent who was present; and an inspector general's report, called "Investigation of Alleged Mistreatment of German Guards at Dachau," which was kept secret until declassified in 1992.

"It's a very touchy subject," said Israel. "These guys had been through over 500 days of heavy combat with a 75 percent casualty rate. They'd seen a lot of death and killing. But when they went in and saw these corpses, just skin and bones, not even resembling human beings, many of them cracked. They went berserk."

The killings began when I Company soldiers came upon 30 railway cars containing 2,400 corpses a half mile from the camp, said Israel, who arrived at Dachau with an intelligence team four months after liberation.

"They weren't prepared to see that and it drove some of them past the ability to reason," said retired Army Lt. Col. Hugh Foster, 56, of Carlisle, Pa., a researcher on the incident and a source in Israel's book.

Four Germans wearing medical armbands approached the GIs to surrender, Foster said in a phone interview. But the company commander, Lt. William Walsh, yelled at them, "You call yourselves medical officers?" He then pushed them in a boxcar with the corpses and killed them with his .45 pistol, Foster said.

Walsh, a source in Israel's book, has since died.

The company segregated several hundred SS officers from other camp personnel, lined them up against a wall in the coal yard outside the camp, placed machine guns in front of them, said Israel, "and blew them away."

The firing was quickly halted, he added, by Lt. Col. Felix Sparks, commander of the 3rd Battalion, who recognized a war crime was being committed.

"It was a spontaneous thing. There was no order to do it," said Foster. "There's a lot of conjecture about whether the guns were set up to control them or to execute them. The most charitable explanation is that the Germans saw the machine guns being set up and some of them ran, then the machine gunners opened fire and everyone joined in with rifles and small arms."

Because many of the Germans dropped and played dead, only 17 were killed, Israel said. Forty others were later tried at Dachau on war crimes charges but few ended up being executed.

Still photos and movies were taken of the killings by soldiers of the Army Signal Corps, and when higher-ups in England viewed them, an inspector general was ordered into Dachau to interview participants and witnesses in the days following the incident. 

The film disappeared into government archives, said Israel, and the report was sent to 3rd Army commander Gen. George S. Patton, who "called it a bunch of junk, burned all the papers on his desk and said get back to work."

At first unable to find photos to back up his book, Israel finally located a Signal Corps soldier in New York who told Israel he possessed, in his garage, undeveloped photos of the killings.

He processed them and gave Israel prints showing a prone machine-gunner, dozens of Germans crumpled against a wall and Sparks making a clear "halt" gesture with his left hand while pointing a .45 pistol in the air, barrel slide locked back (meaning the magazine was expended).

The Pentagon never quite believed Sparks' story that he stopped the killings, so he was never able to remove the cloud of doubt that he may have participated, said Israel.

Sparks left the Army after the war, entering law and eventually becoming a Colorado Supreme Court justice.

"When I gave the photos to Sparks, he said, 'Yes that's me, there's the map in my pocket.' He just broke down because he was finally proven innocent."

Israel began hearing about the killings at Army reunions in the late 1980s. In the early years of his research, he was sometimes suspected by participants of being a spy for the Army, which -- for all the veterans knew -- might still prosecute them, he said.

Israel made it clear to participants in the killings that his book and talks intend no judgment of the American soldiers as war criminals.

"All war is a crime and they became part of the insanity," Israel said. "I've never talked to a GI who didn't totally understand what they did (at Dachau)."

Foster said he believes the killings were a war crime and should have been delved into deeper.

"Armed soldiers aren't supposed to do that -- but soldiers had not heard about the Holocaust yet, and many were literally driven insane by it. It was all set aside because we were just finishing fighting a war to stop people from killing and no one wanted to look at us doing the same thing."

The machine-gunner at the Dachau killings, John Lee, then 19, now dead, described the mental state of the soldiers (but not the massacre) in a newspaper story years ago.

"It was just stunning, believe me," he was quoted as saying. "Nobody spoke a word. Guys were just looking at each other and were sick to their stomachs and all of a sudden there was anger, fierce anger. Every guy was literally crying and bawling. Everybody was sick to their stomachs and couldn't eat, couldn't sleep."

Israel interviewed Lee for his book.

Officers at the liberation were unable to prevent further killings of unarmed noncombatants, said Foster, and soldiers of both the 42nd and 45th divisions summarily executed somewhere between 15 and 60 more unarmed Germans in small groups.

One inspector general interview had an American soldier saying an execution of eight Germans was triggered by a German reaching for a concealed gun.

The inspector general's report was sent back by the 7th Army for clarification on "the effects of extended combat on the soldiers," said Foster, with finalization delayed till well after war's end.

It was mis-filed and lost "accidentally or maybe on purpose" for 47 years, until dug out by Foster in military archives in Carlisle, Israel said. "It was squelched by the Army because the war was over and people only wanted to get back to their homes, families, jobs and lives."

US troops massacred German prisoners at Dachau

Felix Sparks's soldiers liberating Dachau. Surrendered German soldiers were stood against a wall and massacred.

Excerpt from "The Day the Thunderbird Cried," by David Israel of Medford:

"SUDDENLY, a huge shout arose from among the railway cars. The 18-year-old walked over to see what the commotion was about. As he neared the cars, he involuntarily dropped his rifle, which for the past nine months had become an extension of his body. Even when he slept, his hands never left his rifle. He didn't stop to pick the piece up … his eyes were glued to the railway car. His mouth was open, but he couldn't breathe. An overwhelming stench covered the whole area. He found himself moving forward as if in a dream. He heard himself saying, 'No, it can't be … it can't be. Please, God, make it be just a dream. Dear God, make it just a dream. Please, don't let it be for real.'

"Up ahead, the shouting grew louder and louder. GIs were climbing into one of the railway cars. 'Maybe it's just these few cars that are like this … maybe the others are different. Jesus, I hope they're different. Maybe that's why they're shouting so much.' He was breathing with great difficulty and his eyes automatically peered into each car as he passed … silently praying that the horror would stop. But, they were all the same. Packed as solid as could be with human bodies … arms, legs, pointed in all directions. Some were naked, some in torn, striped remnants of cloth. All looking like skeletons with bones sticking out from every part of the body. Some cars had only women, some children. But most were crammed full of bodies that had once been men.

"As he neared the car where the GIs were, he passed a car with all young girls. One kid had her head thrown back; she had dark hair and her mouth was open. She was on top of the pile, like she had been gasping for a last breath of air. Even in this grotesque scene of death, she looked beautiful. The 18-year-old didn't know it at the time, but he would see that face before him for the rest of his life. Every night as he lay in bed before sleep mercifully came to his aid."

When author talks to high school students, they 'get it' that war is sheer hell

In talks at Ashland Middle School, Crater High School in Central Point and a high school in Dachau itself, David Israel said it's not hard to get across the message that war, far from being "Rambo glory," is sheer hell.

"The impact is pretty phenomenal," said Crater social studies teacher Bud LeFever. "The kids are in tears. They want to get his autograph and take pictures with him. It's one of those moments in education when you see them really 'get it' and come alive."

Students have heard about the Holocaust, he added, but it wasn't until they saw a film of the death camps and bodies, then heard firsthand from David Israel and Isabella Lider (survivor of Auschwitz, living in Medford) that they could understand what war really is.

"David doesn't have to present an anti-war message," LeFever said. "All you have to do is present the images and facts and it says -- this is how horrible war is and you don't want to do this. Then you've got not just the facts, but the feelings. The fact that battle-hardened soldiers fought their way across Europe and then lost it at Dachau, that tells the story about war."

The class capped the unit on the Holocaust with a visit to the veterans domiciliary (the old Camp White training camp of World War II) in White City and the Eagle Point National Cemetery.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW COLORADO MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM

Our good friend, Flint Whitlock, author of "THE ROCK OF ANZIO", is involved in establishing the COLORADO MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM -- the first museum of its kind to focus primarily on, as the name hints, the military history of Colorado. Naturally, there will be a major exhibit on the 157th IR. Although we are several years away from opening (we have to raise a few million dollars first -- fund raising efforts will start in a few months as soon as our 501 (c) (3) is OK'd) it's not too soon to begin soliciting objects, photos, and other memorabilia that is WWII -- related and/or 157th specific. Anyone who wants to contribute money will be most welcome. Donations and Artifacts may be sent to, Colorado Military History Museum, P.O. Box 201714, Denver, CO 80220-7714.  Our intent is to make this a world-class museum. We already have a donation of some 50 military vehicles plus hundreds of uniforms, and other equipment, so we're well on our way. But we really want our 157th exhibit to showcase the regiment's history and the magnificent men who served in it.

Persons wanting more information can contact Flint at: flintlock@quest.net I want to extend best wishes to Flint in his new endeavor. Upon completion, I know the state of Colorado will be very proud of its new Military History Museum.

Al Panebianco

ATTENTION ANZIO BEACHHEAD VETERANS

Amerigo Salvini

Fifty years after the invasion of Anzio Beachhead, January 22,1994, the inauguration of the Anzio Beachhead Museum took place. Mr. Amerigo Salvini is the Secretary and Historian of the museum. His email address is: “Amerigo Salvini”ghigo_44@yahoo.it (anzio_museo@email.com). The museum has a free public library and a video section for journalists, students, and historical universities. Mr. Salvini would appreciate memorabilia from members of the 45th Division, such as, uniforms, photographs, patches, or any other items from the Anzio era. Written experiences and documentations are also welcome. I am personally donating the 45th Division Book, “The Fighting Forty-Fifth”, copyright 1946, in memory of a dear friend, Harry L. Billela, who served in Company “G”, 157^th Regiment, 45^th Infantry Division. He was wounded twice on Anzio. The book will become part of the museum library. Any living Anzio Veteran  or family members of a deceased veteran who wish to donate memorabilia, please send items to:

Mr. Amerigo Salvini,
c/o Ufficio Turismodi Anzio (I.A.T)
Piazza Pia n ° 1900042 Anzio (rm) Italy. 

The museum is operated by volunteers and is open four days per week. This is not a profit making endeavor. Mr. Salvini wrote “Thank you again for your assistance to your and our museum and remember that we are very proud to conserve “your life’s memory” in Anzio and teach to the young people the sacrifices of the USA soldiers during the Anzio Campaign for our freedom and democracy.”

The website URL for the Anzio Beachhead Museum is http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/english.htm.

Anzio Veterans or families of deceased Anzio Veterans please do not discard any items pertaining to the Anzio Campaign. This memorabilia will be of great value and appreciated if sent to the museum. This is and will be a great memoriam to any veteran who fought on Anzio soil.

Albert R. Panebianco

About the Cruiser’s Name, about the Battle of Anzio:

USS ANZIO (CG68) is the second Navy ship to bear the name. The first was CVE-57, a World War II escort carrier. ANZIO is named after the WWII amphibious assaults on the beachheads at Anzio and Nettuno, Italy by the American Fifth Army, Sixth Corps, and the British First Infantry Division on January 22, 1944.

In late 1943, the Allied campaign to liberate Italy from the hands of the Germans was at a stalemate along the "Gustav Line," a natural stronghold of mountainous terrain stretching across the country just north of Naples.

Gen. Mark Clark, commanding the American Fifth Army, ordered amphibious assaults on the beachheads at Anzio and Nettuno, north of the Gustav Line, to clear the road to Rome. Forty thousand Allied troops of the American Fifth Army, Sixth Corps and the British First Infantry Division were landed on Jan. 22, 1944.

After initial success, the Allies were pinned down on the beachhead by a vastly superior German force. The Germans eventually committed 80,000 additional troops to the Italian campaign to "push the Allies back into the sea."

Through sheer bravery and heroism, the Allies held the beachhead. Finally, with long awaited reinforcements, the Allies broke out in late May and ultimately marched victoriously into Rome, the Eternal City, in June 1944.

The strategic importance of the Battle of Anzio in the liberation of Italy is well documented. The campaign's contribution to the overall Allied effort in Europe, however, is often underestimated. The two German corps engaged on the Anzio front were originally destined for Normandy. The success of the Allied landings on the beaches in France in June 1944 were due largely to the tenacity of the Allied forces at Anzio.

But the price of this crucial victory was high. Allied forces suffered nearly 28,000 casualties. In one measure of the courage and sacrifice of those who fought there, 22 Americans were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the most of any single battle of World War II.

WWII hero's service slated for Friday 

By Staff reports
6/13/2002

MUSKOGEE -- Jack C. Montgomery, who received the Medal of Honor for single-handedly defeating a unit of Nazi troops during World War II, will be buried Friday at Fort Gibson National Cemetery.

He died Tuesday in Muskogee at age 84.

A funeral service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday at Bradley Funeral Home in Muskogee.

"First Lieutenant Jack Montgomery was a soldier who never sought credit for himself yet was a hero in his own right," said Maj. Gen. Stephen Cortright, commander of the Oklahoma National Guard.

"With deep respect and sadness, we say goodbye to his warrior spirit."

A member of Oklahoma's famed 45th Infantry Division, Montgomery received his medal for heroic actions during a battle in northern Italy on Feb. 22, 1944.

Leaving the rest of his platoon behind the safety of a stone wall, the first lieutenant stormed a row of German machine-gun nests, exposing himself to intense enemy fire.

Returning several times to get more ammunition from his platoon, Montgomery managed to kill 11 Nazi soldiers and capture 32 others -- all essentially by himself.

After the war, while he was dating his future wife, Montgomery didn't even bother to mention that he had received the nation's most prestigious medal -- until one day she noticed the citation hanging on his office wall.

"Oh, that's just something I did back in the war," he told her. "It's no big deal."

He maintained that humility for the rest of his life.

Friends described him as quiet and modest, never bragging or seeking out recognition.

After the war, Montgomery turned aside business opportunities in favor of serving fellow veterans in a job at the Veterans Affairs office in Muskogee.

"He was one of the finest, most upright men who ever existed," said retired Lt. Col. Scotty Wells, who served with Montgomery in the 45th Infantry and became a close friend after the war.

"His motto was `duty, honor, country' -- not just during the war, but always."

Recognized for being brave and cool-headed under fire, Montgomery was admired by other soldiers even before the battle that earned him a Medal of Honor, Wells said.

"This country had millions of soldiers in the service at that time. He was one of the very best of the best. I never met a man who was more courageous or more committed to doing his duty," he said.

About a month ago, the 45th Infantry museum in Oklahoma City opened a special exhibit about Montgomery, featuring the Class A uniform he wore the day President Franklin Roosevelt pinned the Medal of Honor on him.

The medal itself remains in the possession of his family, but before his death, Montgomery expressed his wish that it eventually be given to the museum for public display.

"His actions not only earned him our nation's highest honor, but they also earned him a lasting place in our nation's history," said Michael Gonzales, the museum's curator.

"He was just a shy, quiet, reserved fellow. Medal of Honor or not, he was a wonderful man to know, and I'm going to miss him."

Montgomery grew up in Sallisaw. Survivors include his wife, Joyce.

His death leaves 2nd Lt. Ernest Childers, a Broken Arrow resident who also served in the 45th Infantry during World War II, as the only living Oklahoman to have a Medal of Honor.

Memorial a good sign for 157th Infantry vets

U.S. 40 rededicated to honor Colorado soldiers

By Jim Sheeler
Special to the Denver Post

Thursday, November 15, 2001 - When the men of Colorado's 157th Infantry Division stormed the beachheads at Sicily and Anzio during World War II, they began a journey that few of them would survive. On their uniforms they wore an insignia that, decades later, was largely forgotten.

More than 55 years after the return of the last soldier, the insignia of the 157th will reappear along a 486-mile stretch of road crossing the state so many of the soldiers called home, as U.S. 40 through Colorado is rededicated the 157th Infantry Memorial Highway.

On the signs, scheduled to be unveiled today, the regimental motto endures underneath the insignia, emblazoned in gold letters: "Eager for Duty."

"I think it's going to mean an awful lot to the guys who are still around, and an awful lot to the widows," said Jack Hallowell, a veteran of the 157th and the group's historian. "It took a lot of Colorado men from small towns across the state, and there was a significant impact. We lost a lot of Colorado men."

Mustered largely from National Guard outfits throughout Colorado, the regiment later included men drafted throughout the nation. The 157th spent a staggering 511 days in combat, suffering more than 5,000 casualties in several major battles on its way from North Africa to the infamous Dachau concentration camp, which it liberated under the command of Felix Sparks.

"The signs are beautiful. I'm very gratified," said Brig. Gen. Sparks of Lakewood. "I spent five years with that regiment, and it's been a major influence in my life. That insignia has definite meaning. The emblem represents a lot of history."

Hallowell began pushing for a memorial highway after seeing roads dedicated to other National Guard units in Texas and Oklahoma. Earlier this year, he started searching for a way to dedicate a highway to the group, and discovered they already had one.

In 1947, then-Gov. John Vivian designated U.S. 40 the 157th memorial highway, but the designation was never permanently acknowledged. Like most returning soldiers at the time, the men of the 157th were too busy trying to get back to work to worry about war memorials.

After stories about the idea appeared in The Denver Post in August, the group raised more than $3,000 from reader donations along with funds from the sale of 157th-related books and contributions by the men of the regiment.

The first two signs will be installed at rest areas east of Hugo and west of Hayden, with more signs to follow. Underneath the insignia, the 2-by-2-foot signs will carry a historical summary of the group's achievements.

"It's never too late," Sparks said. "I'm really gratified that it's taken place, even if it has been a long time. Now it'll last as long as Colorado lasts. And it says to the children and grandchildren there will always be someone in this state to defend you."'

Though the 157th is known primarily for its accomplishments in World War II, its ties stretch back to a time before Colorado was a state, when the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers helped defeat Confederate soldiers at Glorietta Pass near Santa Fe. Though the Army dissolved the 157th infantry after World War II, the group's number was eventually transferred to the Colorado National Guard's field artillery, which continues to wear the insignia.

Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the men and women who remain "Eager for Duty" were called to action once again, standing guard in Colorado's airports.

"The crest and colors have a lot of importance to the men of the unit," said Lt. Col. Thomas Duffy, commander of the 157th's 1st Battalion, who is now stationed at Denver International Airport. "It's an honor to carry on that crest," he said. "Maybe we're going to be the next chapter."

In the meantime, Hallowell plans to take one more road trip, along the highway that belongs to his buddies, through the places to which so many of them never returned.

"When I'm driving down the road and I see one of those signs, I'm going to be thinking, "I'm so pleased,' " Hallowell said.

"I imagine I'll look out to whomever I am with and say, very proudly, "That's my outfit.' "

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