Memorial Day Slide:
After staging in North Africa, the 132nd Field Artillery — assigned as direct support for the 142d Infantry, landed in the assault at Salerno 9 September, 1943 and fought the bloody battles up the boot of Italy until relieved, retrained and committed to reinforce the Anzio assault on 22 May, 1944. Later the unit made a third amphibious landing in Southern France, 15 August, 1944, and fought with the 36th during the later months of the war, ending the war on the German-Austrian border area. The unit was returned to the United States and demobilized in December, 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia.
WAR II CAMPAIGN STREAMERS: Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Ardennes, Alsace, Central Europe. Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, “VOSGES”.
http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/the-36th-infantry-division/
Sixty four years after the war, my dad read the roster of names from Battery B and came across the name of his “foxhole buddy”, who had been killed some time after my dad was captured. Just seeing the name
Pfc Thomas Horton
on the list caused him to burst into tears. My dad was captured in France, so they must have been together through the Rapido, Monte Cassino, and Anzio.
Remembering and honoring Thomas Horton, for my dad.
Thank you, Thomas Horton, for the friendship and comfort you must have given my dad in deadly battles, and for your ultimate sacrifice.
Thank you to any of the FReeQs for reading this.