Veterans honored on 70th anniversary of WWII end
Derek Jordan
SIERRA VISTA — Conducted in coordination with similar ceremonies held around the world, local military and civilian officials, state agency representatives, and the friends and families of veterans of World War II gathered at Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery on Sunday to honor those who served in the last world conflict.
Taking place within days of the 70th anniversary of the Japanese announcement of its surrender and the end of the war, the ceremony was an opportunity to continue to recognize and honor the millions of men and women who served at home and abroad during World War II, said Maj. Gen. Scott Berrier, commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca.
“From farms, factories, schools and offices, America’s sons and daughters became soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, Coast Guards and Merchant Marines. Devoted grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers and daughters worked in factories and warehouses to keep industries pumping and joined auxiliary services,” Berrier said.
Fort Huachuca and the surrounding community were no different, becoming a hive of activity once America entered the war, including hosting the training of the well-known, all black 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions.
“The natural water courses were put into use by engineers in training of bridge-building and an artificial lake was built for training with inflated rafts and pontoon bridges. Many miles of open semi-desert provided excellent training ground for desert warfare, camouflage and other tactical missions,” Berrier said. “The old mining town of Charleston provided a site for the construction of a mock village. This village was used as an objective for troops in field training. Here, the soldiers learned, under very realistic conditions, the critical components for street fighting and close combat.”
This training would produce countless soldiers of merit, including Col. Reuben Horner of the 92nd Infantry Division.
“During battle, in October of 1944, Col. Horner’s platoon was ordered to take a strategic hilltop. Other platoons were forced to withdraw in the face of enemy fire, but Horner’s platoon dug in and beat back several German counterattacks for nearly 24 hours before being reinforced. Only five men of the 42 on the hill survived that day, and only because Col. Horner called in artillery on his own position, allowing the those five to withdraw through the German encirclement,” he said.
Horner would go on to earn nearly 30 different citations and medals over the course of World War II, even going on to serve in the Korean War.
Following the ceremony, veterans were served a free meal at VFW Post 9972 in Sierra Vista. There, several retired soldiers reflected on their service.
“I was in the Army and on my way to Italy when the war was over,” said Gay Pilcher, of the Army’s 88th Infantry Division.
That didn’t mean, however, that Pilcher’s time in Europe was free of conflict however, as Yugoslav revolutionary Josip Broz Tito began taking over portions of Italy by force, leading to several armed incidents with allied forces.
“He gave us hell,” said Pilcher, who helped defend the Free Territory of Trieste from Tito as one of the Trieste United States Troops, or TRUST Trooper.
As an M1 rifleman with the Sixth U.S. Army, Ninth Service Command K-9 corps, Edward Oliver oversaw the captivity of a thousand German soldiers in Rupert, Idaho.
“We had 1,00 German prisoners who went out every day and picked potatoes. They got a 35-cent coupon for their labor. Imagine that. They had their own PX in the compound, where they bought pipe tobacco, cigarettes. They had the life, and come time for them to ship back, they didn’t want to go. We had to club ‘em to get them on the train. They were going back to nothing,” Oliver said.
After servicing and maintaining the parachutes for cadets in training as part of the Army Air Force West Coast Training Command, Fred L. Bruner Jr. transferred over to the 8th AAF to McCook Army Air Field in Nebraska. He was on the cusp of shipping out to the Pacific Theater when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, resulting in their surrender.
“We were getting ready to embark on the train to Washington, to Seattle. We never did get on the train, they dropped the first bomb, then the second. We became surplus at that point, and if you had 36 points you could go home, and I had enough,” Bruner said.
“When Truman dropped the bomb, he saved my life. Otherwise I would have fought the Japanese with my M1 rifle,” Oliver added.
When he looks back at his time in the Army, Bruner most fondly remembers it for the opportunities to provided him after the war was over.
“The best thing I got out of the Army was a college degree. I have a degree in elementary education and taught in Bisbee, Arizona for 37 years, and still live there,” he said. “When I came out of college, I did not owe anybody anything. I had a degree and a job, and that was the best thing that could have happened to me. I don’t know how I could have gotten a college degree without the G.I. Bill.”
With all the talk over the course of the day about honoring veterans, Pilcher said the best way to do that is to simply offer thanks to those who served their country.
“I have a World War II hat and a Korea hat. Every time I wear them in some place, somebody walks up and says ‘thank you for your service.’ The people, when they know you’re a veteran, they really show respect and honor,” he said.
http://www.svherald.com/news/veterans-honored-on-th-anniversary-of-wwii-end/article_43351066-449a-11e5-b1db-83dccbca9371.html
