Just want to thank you guys for servng. Just wish you could have met Glen Berry. No one knows of him. He is from Greer County, OK, and still living. When my dad was asked by me when I was a kid about WWII, he never talked of it, because they all had served. Many of the people, my dad's age, in Lone Wolf, never talked of it. However, as a child my dad mentioned Glen Berry. That was all he, my Dad, said just that Glen Berry was alive and he had served.
I don't apologize for getting sentimental now but Mr. Berry is a hero as all of you are.
I finally met Mr. Berry a few years ago in Mangum, OK, Greer county seat. There was a dedication that weekend for two families that were pioneers of Greer County, when Greer County was part of Texas, but that is another story, his family and mine.
After all the pomp and ceremony for the two families I found Mr. Berry talking with my uncle. May have told you all of this before, but my uncle was with the 95th US Army Division and he was very young and that is why the 95th did not land in France until September of '44, they were too young in '41. The 95th captured the ancient fortress town of Metz a few weeks before the Battle of the Bulge. Well, my uncle was a scout, so he was very proficient with the M1 Garand and the 1911. The 95th left my uncle and three wounded and a medic as decoys, I believe, and proceeded to go where no one thought the division would go and the 95th captured Metz, which the Germans thought they could not do. My uncle and the wounded along with the medic were captured by the Germans and off to POW camps.
Well, back to Mr. Berry. He was serving in the US Army in the Phillipines, had been a school teacher in Lake Creek, north of Granite. He joined to serve his country before all hell broke loose, not sure why, haven't asked him that yet. Mr. Berry, along with so many, was a member of the Death March of Baatan. I know we have or hope we have of POW's in the wars but the Baatan POW's went through more hell than we can, or some of us can, imagine. Anyway, Mr. Berry and my uncle that day were exchanging the events that happened when they finally knew the WAR was over. Mr. Berry had been transported via ship to Japan to his POW camp and later to Korea to his last camp. One or more of those ships with POWS were sunk by our ships, I believe. Anyway, Mr. Berry said that one day at the POW camp in Korea, the Jap Commander came out and summoned the POW commander, a US Marine Colonel. Anytime, Mr Berry, said that this happened, that meant that someone had tried to escape and they would shoot and kill ten POW's. BUT, this time the Jap CO was carrying a perfectly folded US of A flag. The Jap CO handed it the the USMC Col very respectfully, then all of the Jap officers began handing their swords over to the colonel. Meanwhile, Mr. Berry had crawled on top of one of the huts and witnessed the whole event. Also, side note, Mr. Berry said that the Japs had ALWAYS before, when bringing out a US flag, would throw it on the ground and urinate on it, then stomp and defile it in all manors.
Good night and sleep well thanks to our vets and active.
I don't apologize for getting sentimental now but Mr. Berry is a hero as all of you are.
I finally met Mr. Berry a few years ago in Mangum, OK, Greer county seat. There was a dedication that weekend for two families that were pioneers of Greer County, when Greer County was part of Texas, but that is another story, his family and mine.
After all the pomp and ceremony for the two families I found Mr. Berry talking with my uncle. May have told you all of this before, but my uncle was with the 95th US Army Division and he was very young and that is why the 95th did not land in France until September of '44, they were too young in '41. The 95th captured the ancient fortress town of Metz a few weeks before the Battle of the Bulge. Well, my uncle was a scout, so he was very proficient with the M1 Garand and the 1911. The 95th left my uncle and three wounded and a medic as decoys, I believe, and proceeded to go where no one thought the division would go and the 95th captured Metz, which the Germans thought they could not do. My uncle and the wounded along with the medic were captured by the Germans and off to POW camps.
Well, back to Mr. Berry. He was serving in the US Army in the Phillipines, had been a school teacher in Lake Creek, north of Granite. He joined to serve his country before all hell broke loose, not sure why, haven't asked him that yet. Mr. Berry, along with so many, was a member of the Death March of Baatan. I know we have or hope we have of POW's in the wars but the Baatan POW's went through more hell than we can, or some of us can, imagine. Anyway, Mr. Berry and my uncle that day were exchanging the events that happened when they finally knew the WAR was over. Mr. Berry had been transported via ship to Japan to his POW camp and later to Korea to his last camp. One or more of those ships with POWS were sunk by our ships, I believe. Anyway, Mr. Berry said that one day at the POW camp in Korea, the Jap Commander came out and summoned the POW commander, a US Marine Colonel. Anytime, Mr Berry, said that this happened, that meant that someone had tried to escape and they would shoot and kill ten POW's. BUT, this time the Jap CO was carrying a perfectly folded US of A flag. The Jap CO handed it the the USMC Col very respectfully, then all of the Jap officers began handing their swords over to the colonel. Meanwhile, Mr. Berry had crawled on top of one of the huts and witnessed the whole event. Also, side note, Mr. Berry said that the Japs had ALWAYS before, when bringing out a US flag, would throw it on the ground and urinate on it, then stomp and defile it in all manors.
Good night and sleep well thanks to our vets and active.
