Lessons from the War

As I was preparing to relaunch my Throwback Thursday blog about Raymond, I read back on one of my posts from February 2015 that featured a letter to Tess Potts, editor of the The Raymond News, written by Raymond “Jiggs” Hough in 1942 when he served in the Army during WWII. In the letter, Jiggs, who was only twenty years old and homesick, tried to make the best out of his situation. “Sure is tough at first but after you get on to it, it’s not so bad,” he wrote. “A person doesn’t appreciate home and town life until he has to leave it,” noted Jiggs, and he concluded by stating that when the war ended, he would “make a bee-line to Raymond.”

I’m sure Jiggs’ sentiments were shared by the 230 men from Raymond served in WWII, as well as four women who served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, and one woman who served in the U.S. Marines Women’s Reserve Corps. Given the town’s small population, this number is astounding and obviously had a profound effect not only on those who served, but those who remained home as well. Many left their families and livelihoods, and everyone in town made sacrifices in one way or another.

I grew up hearing a lot about life during the war. My dad spoke frequently about his trip with Uncle Sam that began on May 26, 1943, the day his size 16 feet were squarely planted on the deck of the Queen Elizabeth as it sailed out of New York Harbor headed for Scotland. Once overseas, he was added as a replacement to the 861^st ordinance company at the last minute, a fluke that probably saved his life since the members of his original unit out of Fort DuPont, Delaware were sent to the Pacific arena where many were killed in action.

He spent over two years in England, France, Belgium and Germany, and during that time, logged the location of his unit on a piece of paper that he stored in his mess kit. Since his company advanced through Europe behind the action, his experiences in the war were mainly positive; he learned a trade, improved his physical stamina, and developed discipline and character.  

He loved to tell the story about a night in France when all the other guys in his unit spent an entire evening drinking, smoking, and gambling, while he spent the evening crafting a weatherproof bag out of old potato sacks that he could use to protect his gear. As predicted, heavy rains moved in and the next morning, and my dad, the youngest member of the unit, was the only one who had a dry blanket, dry socks, dry boots, and no hangover. 

“The other fellas had wet socks and cold feet for days, but mine were nice and dry and warm,” he would say with a big smile as he patted his leg. After hearing this cautionary tale dozens of times over the years, I came to realize that while it is true that having dry socks is important, there was a lot more to this story. It was full of timeless advice that could be applied to many situations in life: Don’t drink too much. Don’t gamble. Spend your time doing something constructive. Think. Don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it. Get your work done before you play. Sacrifice now and be comfortable later. These and all the lessons Dad learned during the war remained with him the rest of his life, and he tried to instill them in his children every time he had the chance.  

Just like Jiggs, Dad headed straight back to Raymond after the war. The last entry on his list was dated November 17, 1945: “Via Wabash Railroad to Litchfield, Illinois with Slats Eickoff, then hitchhiked home.”

He and Raymond resident, Elmer “Slats” Eickoff, happened to run into each other in Chicago on November 16, 1945, the day they received their discharge papers from the United States Army. The pair stayed overnight at the Red Cross in Chicago before boarding a southbound train the next morning. By 1945, passenger train service had been discontinued in Raymond and the closest stop was Litchfield. As they got closer and closer to home, the two discussed the dim prospect of having to pass right through Raymond without stopping and continue on south to Litchfield. They considered pulling the emergency brake, but worried about being arrested, so they sat back and watched out the window as Main Street and the Cottonwood tree went by in a flash. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Litchfield and then hitchhiked back to Raymond on Route 66. (Another lesson: Be patient. Don’t do something stupid that you’ll regret later.)

Like my Dad, Jiggs Hough, and Slats Eickhoff, most came back from the war and went on to raise families, be leaders in the community, and make the most out of life. Sadly, eight men from Raymond gave their lives in World War II: 

Murray Bost – killed in action over Tunis, Africa on 4/19/43

Marvin Frank Brown – killed in action over Europe on 6/26/43

John R. Mitts – 7/10/43

Robert E. Mayfield – 2/22/44

Leslie J. Tucker – 12/11/44

Edward Martin – killed on Luzon Island on 2/19/45

Charles C. Varner – 3/8/45

Billy V. Vanzant – killed in Germany on 4/10/45

We are currently living in an age when many people no longer have first-hand knowledge about life during WWII. As we begin a New Year and a new decade, it seems more important now than ever to remember the people who served and reflect upon their examples of resilience, hope, and sacrifice.