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THOMASON, Troy (b. 1923)

Oral Histories

OH 1313

Educator. His experiences in the European Theater during World War II. Family life and growing up around Groesbeck, Texas, during the Great Depression; his education through Westminster Junior College and Bible Institute; thoughts about Franklin D. Roosevelt; his reaction to prewar world events in Europe and Asia; induction into the Army, February, 1943; processing at Camp Wolters, Mineral Wells, Texas, 1943; basic training at Camp Hulen, Texas, 1943; assignment to the 552nd Antiaircraft Battalion; his responsibilities as a battery clerk; his promotion to supply clerk; maneuvers at Fort Polk, Louisiana;transportation aboard the Queen Mary to England, February, 1944; his experiences in melding with men from all over the U.S. and with varied backgrounds; pre-D-Day training and preparations at Wallingford, England; landing at Utah Beach, Normandy, during the later part of June, 1944; his new responsibilities as a battalion supply sergeant; descriptions of the war wreckage in France; Operation COBRA and the bombing of Saint Lô, July, 1944; the breakout from the Argentan Peninsula,August, 1944; attachment of the 552nd Antiaircraft Battalion to the 48th Brigade; off-duty entertainment; relations with civilians; three-month encampment at Verviers, Belgium; Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, December, 1944-January, 1945; his unit's transfer to the 78th Infantry Division, 1945; leave in Paris; the Rhine River crossing, 1945; his activities in the Army of Occupation; lasting impressions of his World War II experiences.