Moody Texas Community Library Visitors

Moody area veterans were recognized Thursday morning at the Moody Library and got to retell some of their stories.

Of the 16 veterans present, L. R. Raeger was the senior member. He enlisted in the Army on May 19, 1938. He was 17 years old and weighed 103 pounds, making him the smallest man in the U. S. Army. He tells that he had a captain that could hold his arm out straight and Raeger could walk under his arm, untouched. Raeger served in WWII and was aboard the Uraquay Ship when an American tanker piloted by a German spy hit it. The tanker went three stories below deck and two stories above deck and pushed the bulkhead out on the other side. There was never anything in the newspapers about this event of the war. The Uraquay had over 21,000 people on the ship including 750 nurses, 600 doctors the navy and the crew. Over 2,000 were killed in this crash and the men who survived scraped up the passenger remains with their bare hands and put them in wire baskets. The next day, the Uraquay crew had to sink the tanker and took the captain on to their ship and put him in irons. Raeger said that he has only heard from one other man who was on this ship. A Mr. Cameron of Waco who works at Barnes Lumber Co. wrote him a letter that he still has.

J. D. Naler entered the Army in 1940 with the First Company, 36th Division of Belton. When he was ready to be shipped overseas, there was the possibility of a transfer to Washington D. C. and he got that transfer so that he never did go overseas but served his two years in the states.

Ernest Corbitt was a Marine stationed in the South Pacific from October 1941 to October 1945. He served in the Martial Islands and on Guam. In fact, Earl Shamblin of Eddy stood and thanked Corbitt because Shamblin said that Corbitt made his stint in the Navy safe when he went to Guam in 1946.

Joe Ben Cummings went into the Army on Feb. 1, 1943. He served on Omaha Beach and went clear to the Austrian Alps. As serious as this time was, a lot of vets are like Joe Ben, who said, “I had an all expense vacation paid from Omaha Beach to the Austrian Alps.”

D. C. Perryman was living at home with his parents when the war broke out. His father got him a deferment to work on the farm. One weekend D. C. came to Moody and there was no one around so the next time he and his dad went to Gatesville, he slipped off and told the recruitment officer, “No more deferments for me!” When the notice arrived, in June of 1944 for him to report to duty, his mother, Eunice told Edgar, “Edgar, you need to go do something about this notice, they called D. C. to the armed forces.” D. C. had to confess that he had told the officer that he wanted to serve. He went into the Navy in San Diego. He was sent to Radar School then to the South Pacific and served at Buckner Bay in Okinawa.

Dr. Swede Erlund entered the service in 1943 after finishing his degree at Texas A&M. He was sent to Ft. Bennig, Ga. and went on to serve with the 30th Infantry Division in Normandy.
Ben Irvin was in the Coast Guard beginning Sept. 1943. He was a cook and tells of meeting his brother, Jack Irvin, who was in the navy, in a mess line. Jack had served in many campaigns and was ready to get out of the service when he came through the line and told Ben, “How about something to eat?” Ben told him to get at the end of the line before he looked up and realized that the voice belonged to his older brother whom he had not seen in three years.

Jim McMillan was drafted in 1956 fresh out of high school. He went to Ft. Chaffee in Arkansas and then came to Ft. Hood. During this time, the Suez Canal was bombed. Then he went to Ft. Lewis Washington where he was in the Medical Corp. He went on to Ft. Dix and then to Germany. While he was in Germany Sputnik went up and they were on high alert.

Ken Gates was drafted right out of college in 1959. He spent his first few months raking leaves in the snow at Ft. Carson, Colo. Then they sent him to clerk typist school at Ft. Leonardwood, MO. From there, he spent the remainder of his two years at 14th Corp in Minneapolis.

Harvey Pittman was drafted in 1960 and served most of his time at Ft. Hood, TX.

Mike Rodriquez entered the service in 1969 and spent 30 years in the military. He also thanked the veterans present who had served before him. He said that experienced meeting people all over the world that thanked him what for the U. S. Soldiers had done for them. He served as an Infantry Man. In closing, he said, “It’s important what we have all done.”

Kurt Hall entered the service in 1976. He was in the U. S. Navy on the USS Trip during the Cold War. He was a communicator and his last hot mission was when the seals went into Iran.

Vernon Pack was in the Army in 1943 with the First Division, 27th Armored Infantry in Germany. He was with the first group to cross the Rhine River with Hodges as his commander.

Eswell Campos served in the Army from 1962 to 1965. He was stationed in West Germany.

Police Chief James Rabbe was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War in 1968. He served two years in Vietnam as a radio operator. He re-upped for six months and went to OCS school. Rabbe said, “I did not have to fire a weapon during my time in the service, but I did get shot at a couple of times.”

Judge Britton thanked all the Veterans present for all they did for everyone in the community, saying that a lot of us probably would not be here today were it not for the sacrifice of the veterans.

Several women present at the ceremony honoring the veterans mentioned their husband and relative’s service. Cora Lee Jones said her husband, Mike, served in the Philippines and found Burl Combest while over there.

Lulajo Beerwinkle mentioned that her husband, Elmer, served in the armed forces from 1955 to 1956 and Elmer’s brother, Wesley gave his life while serving during the Battle of the Bulge.

Celeste Price told of finishing up her nursing degree at Hillcrest Hospital and taking the oath to serve in the armed forces by the war was over before she was called.

Marie Raeger said that she did not serve in the military but she did her part to support the war. She worked at the Douglas Company in Waco making army tents making about $60 per week. She would get off at midnight and walk home. She was 17 years of age at this time and later worked for another company making uniforms for the soldiers.

Other veterans mentioned during the ceremony included B. R. Parham and Otis Elkin, who were in the Air Force. Beryl Donaldson was the supply sergeant for gasoline for Gen. George Patton. Terry De Clue served during the Vietnam War as a gunner on a helicopter and won numerous metals. Neville Allison, who did not get to attend due to being hospitalized, served on Iwo Jima. Tom Harrison was in the National Guard from 1953 to 1962, serving in the 36th Division.

Students in the sixth grade class of Ms. Sara Pyle attended the ceremony and thanked the veterans for all that they have done for citizens today. Amber Frenzel wrote a poem to read to the Veterans thanking them.

What Makes a Hero
-By Amber Frenzel

A hero is a person
Who puts it all on the line
For his country
Or his fellow man.

A hero is a person
Who tries to do what’s right.
It can be a person
Who serves you every day
Or it can be a person
Who acts on an instinct
To help someone in need.

But what about people
Who serve our country?
In war times
When we need them most?
They go overseas
To far away lands
And face our enemies
They are the glue
That binds our country together.
They are the reason
That we are free.
Without them
What would we do?