WW II Vets Recognized by Local Chapter of the American Legion

WW II Vets Recognized by Local Chapter of the American Legion (p. 1)

From left: Bob Morris, Jim Krebs, and Minor McGraw.

WW II Vets Recognized by Local Chapter of the American Legion (p. 2)

[corresponds to Kreb's Notes]

15 Yr old – Japan Bomb Pearl Harbor – 1941
Graduated High School – 1943
Enlisted at 17 yr old – Twin brother (Jack) and I together
Basic at Ft Riley, Kansas
Maneuvers at Camp Mc Cain, Miss.
Fort Jackson, S.C., to join Patton’s 3rd Army, 346 Regiment, 87th Infantry, Company C
Camp Kilmer, NJ
Set Sail on Queen Elizabeth
6 days later – landed Glasgow, Scotland
Train to Congleton, England
2 weeks later – sailed to Le’Havre, France
1st enemy encounter – Metz, France
400 miles in 30 days to Saar Basin
Next Siegfried Line – lost our bazooka team
Brother Jack and I volunteered as new bazooka team
20 days thru Siegfried Line – captured 3 German towns
Break through 300 miles north on Belgian, German border in Ardennes Forest

Patton’s 3rd Army needed to stop them
4 days and nights – Battle of the Bulge
Brother Jack and I awarded Silver Star Medal for encounter 4 days after end of Bulge
Gruflange, Belgium
3 days later – Jack mortally wounded – died in my arms
Received bullet through hip & shrapnel in back helping brother
After wounds healed – sent to 1135th Combat Engineers
1135th put 1st bridges across Rhine River for Patton’s 3rd Army to cross (my old outfit)
Discharged Jan 12 1946 at Indiantown Gap Penn

European-African Middle East Campaign eith 3 Bronze Stars
Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
2 Purple Hearts
Combat Infantry Badge
WWII Victory Medal
Distinguished Unit Citation
Good Conduct Medal
Delaware County Outstanding Veteran Award – Nov 11, 2015
Hometown Hero Award Jan 2016 from Sunny 95 Radio, Hometown Newspapers, The Federal Credit Union
Flag flown over nation’s capital July 4, 2015
Parades
Grand Marshall in Delaware 2007
Grand Marshall in Sunbury 2014
Grand Marshall in Westerville 2015

WW II Vets Recognized by Local Chapter of the American Legion (p. 3)

Minor L McGraw

U.S. Army – Medical Corps
Entered active service 10/23/43
Discharged from active duty 3/21/46
17 weeks Basic Training at Camp Grant, Illinois
Billings General Hospital, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana November 43 to May 44
Basic Training, Camp Grant
Bulk of service was with 167th General Hospital in France as Surgical Technician
Returned to the USA in late 45 and discharged in 46