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Call Me SPEARHEAD The Official Publication
of the Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans 15 October 2001 Volume 01, Issue 4
A SONS TRIBUTE TO
HIS FATHER
C Company 83rd
Armored Reconnaissance Battalion By Daniel
F. Crough My father was Vincent Leo Crough, whom everyone affectionately called
“Vince.” He was born April 21,
1911, in Syracuse, New York, the sixth of eight children born to Daniel Patrick
and Johanna (Bourke) Crough. He
played the violin as a young man and did beautiful pen and ink sketches.
In high school, he was a member of the golf team that won the New York
State championship three years in succession.
He took a mail-order course in architectural drafting, and had a darkroom
in our basement where he developed and printed photographs. His sweetheart was Sarah Jane McMahon.
She was 18 years of age and he was 24 when they married in May 1935.
I was born in February 1936 and named after my grandfather, Daniel
Patrick, and my father’s favorite older brother, Daniel Francis, who had been
killed in a tragic train-car collision in 1928. The summer after my fifth birthday, another son was born into our family
and named after my father. Unfortunately,
he died a few hours after birth from the Rh Factor, which was unknown to medical
science at the time. For 15 years
prior to joining the United States Army, my father worked at the Warehouse of
the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, and was foreman of the Packers’
Supply Division when he was drafted. Although he was a “pre-Pearl Harbor father,” Dad was drafted and
entered the US Army on April 5, 1944, just prior to his 33rd birthday, joining
two of his brothers in the service of their country.
Had his induction date been a few days later, he would have been spared
military service, because the Director of Selective Service issued instructions
to local draft boards on April 7, 1944, that halted the drafting of fathers.
Dad trained at: Fort Meade, MD; Fort Knox, KY; Camp Chaffee, AR; and Fort
Ord, CA, where his unit practiced amphibious landings.
He had never held a gun before basic training, yet he won several medals
for marksmanship. My father was the gunner in an M24 “Chaffee” light tank, a member of
the 83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in the storied Third Armored
“Spearhead” Division of the First Army.
He participated in the Allied counteroffensive in the “Battle of the
Bulge,” and was killed as the push to Cologne began, less than two months
after arriving in Europe. Dad was originally reported missing in action as of March 2 in the
Morning Report for Company C dated March 5, but that report was later corrected
and his death recorded as of March 2. For
56 years my family believed that he was killed on March 2. On July 4, 2001, I attended the dedication of a monument to the 3rd
Armored Division at Freedoms Foundation Park in Valley Forge, PA, near my home.
There, to my great surprise and delight, I met William Heinz, a veteran
of Company C/83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, who joined that unit on the
same day as my father, in early January 1945.
Four men joined Company C that day in Lierneux, Belgium.
Three of them were nineteen years of age; my father was almost 34.
The teenagers thought he was an “old man.” Bill Heinz remembered Dad well and recalled the circumstances of his
death. He told me that my father
was killed on February 27, 1945, near Grouven, Germany, along with one of the
other teenagers. Because my
father’s tank burned after being hit, it took several days to identify his
remains, which explained the confusion surrounding his date of death.
Bill himself was seriously wounded the following day. On that fateful day, the 83rd Reconnaissance Battalion was operating in
two Battle Groups. My father’s
platoon of tanks was in a column with A Company infantry. Combat interviews with officers of the 83rd contain this
report: “Meanwhile the attack was
being organized on the town of Grouven (2060).
It was launched at 1100, with A Company moving in open formation across
the field on both sides of the road to Grouven. It hit very heavy opposition and lost three of its five tanks
to enemy AT fire.” I learned many years later that Dad had told his oldest brother that he did not expect to return when he was shipped overseas. I know he must have had confidence that my mother could face the future without him if that became necessary. His confidence in her was well placed. A 28 year-old widow with a 9 year-old son, she exhibited remarkable strength of character and carried on in the best tradition of the times. My Dad was a loving father and we were very close.
While I grieved his death as would be expected, I felt his strength and
inspiration as I resolved to become the “man of the house.”
It was what I thought he would want me to do.
In later years, I kept him on my mind and in my heart by displaying the
Stars and Stripes in my office throughout a career, as an attorney and corporate
executive that I think would have been a source of pride to him.
Dad’s mutilated body was interred temporarily at Henri-Chapelle
Cemetery in Belgium. In late 1947,
his remains were returned to his native Syracuse.
After a very moving military funeral, he was buried in the shadow of the
Crough family monument in St. Mary’s Cemetery alongside his father, his
brother Daniel Francis, and his infant son.
My mother, who remarried in 1949 and had two more children, is buried
elsewhere in the same cemetery, having died in 1972. In an ironic twist of fate, my wife and I became “Oma” and “Opa” when our first grandchild (a girl) was born in Germany on Thanksgiving Day 1984, less than 100 miles from where my father was killed. Our son-in-law at the time was a civilian working in Germany under a contract with the United States Air Force. Our granddaughter, and the eight other grandchildren who have followed, are Dad’s happy legacy. 36th
Armored Infantry Regiment WW2
Remembrances By Clyde Upchurch
In
Normandy, I got covered with shrapnel and picked up a piece to look at. In Normandy in the dark, I thought I was
well protected by a big log. The next In
Normandy, I had good support from P47 pilots. After one mission one of the P47
kept going around us in a circle about 1,000 feet above us. All the rest left
and he just kept going until he just nosed over. In
France, one black night as part of CCB, we found ourselves meshing into a
“Jerry” column. One of us right between two of them. A “Jerry” bike
rider pulled up beside us for some reason and Col. Russell broke his neck. We
pulled out of their column at the next junction. At
the Falaise Gap, I was very tired and crawled over in a ditch and pulled a blanket
over my head and tried to catch a few winks. Good friend of mine came by to get
a cup of coffee and asked whom I was. Then he said, "Too bad, he was a nice
guy." Outside
of Verviers Belgium, I asked a civilian if I could get a bath somewhere and he
took two of us to his home. They gave us a hot tub but apologized and said there
was only enough for one tub. I won. Afterwards,
we were fed and then taken a few houses away into the basement with a beautiful
bar and about a dozen members of the Belgian underground. I have been back to
that home twice and do not think I will ever forget that address. In
Stolberg, I supplied a young lady with a few cans of food for favors.
It was rather awkward at times as she was also seeing a German soldier.
That was during the time before Battle of the Bulge. While
taking Stolberg, we had a CP on the peak in a pillbox. “Jerry” had it all
sighted in so at the proper time we really caught it. There were 5 or 6 officers killed. We had about 25 German POW's in a little depression and they
were Going
into Cologne, I picked up a telephone and a nice Bell Telephone type voice
answered the phone. It was hard to
believe that after all the shelling they had received that the phone service was
still OK. After things settled
down, I figured I would look at the famous cathedral on the Rhine River.
I didn't get to sight see very much before the snipers laid into me. That
reminds me of a sniper in Normandy that caught me with my pants down taking a
crap. He had me running back and
forth with my pants at half-mast and gave me a good clip on one leg.
I never did get a purple heart but if we had known how valuable they were
for points to go home I might have picked up several.
I never did get anything bad enough to go to the medics.
They were far too busy for small stuff. 33rd
Armored Regiment By Ray Reeder General Dwight D. Eisenhower pulled a surprise inspection on parts of the 3rd Armored Division a few weeks before D-day. The 33rd Armored Regiment was one of those inspected. The 33rd was located and billeted with hanger type garages surrounded by blacktop parking areas near Warminister, a small English village. The location was formerly used by a British tank unit, which had moved out. Eisenhower was on an inspection tour
hitting different units as he moved around. The 33rd had enough warning
that we were assembled on the blacktop areas at the garages when his parade of
staff cars pulled into the area. General
Eisenhower stepped out of the second car. We were in coveralls standing in
ranks and it was quite a feeling to be seeing the Supreme Commander and having
him walk down the ranks talking to the guys you served with.
He could not take the time for very many so those of us who were only
allowed to be close felt honored. He
wasn't a big man but General Eisenhower was an impressive man. You might say he
oozed authority. General Eisenhower
did not stay for very long, but he was remembered because of who he was and the
fact that he came to inspect our unit. A3ADV 1st Annual Reunion The
Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans held its first annual reunion in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania from 26 July to 29 July 2001. Those who attended the
reunion felt it was a tremendous hit. Plans were immediately drawn up to hold a
second reunion July 2002 in the area of Louisville/Fort Knox, Kentucky. There
will be more to follow on the second reunion when the location & dates are
confirmed. The
group that attended was a unique mix of time frames. We had in attendance
veterans from WWII, the training period at Fort Knox, Cold War veterans from the
50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s as well as veterans from Desert
Storm. You would wonder how such a diverse group would be able to relate to each
other, but that ended up being no problem. All of us were fascinated to hear the
stories of everyone else’s experience. The
group took a trip to Carlisle Army Barracks on Thursday during the day. The
personnel from Carlisle gave us a personal tour as well as a presentation of the
Military History Institute and Library. On Friday, we took a day trip to
Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The first part of the tour was at the tank and
artillery museum there. The second part of the day was spent with a personal
show put on by the 203d Military Intelligence Battalion. They gave our people a
show of foreign military weapons and equipment. Saturday
morning, a memorial service was held to honor all 3d Armored Division veterans
with Steve Depuy giving moving tribute to all veterans who were killed or
wounded during the history of the unit. A wreath was laid in honor of the 3 AD
veterans during the ceremony. At the end of the reunion, the wreath was moved to
the 3d Armored Division monument in Valley Forge, PA. Saturday
night, a closing banquet was held. Dan Merritt, who commanded the 2nd
Battalion, 67th Armor during Desert Storm was the guest speaker. Dan
served three tours in the 3AD. He
gave a tremendous speech covering his service time with the 3AD from 1976
through Desert Storm. Third Armored Division Association 54th Annual Reunion The
Third Armored Division Association (WWII) held its 54th Annual
Reunion in Peoria, Illinois from September 6th to 9th.
The original Spearheaders had an attendance of about 400 people.
They spent their time playing golf, enjoying a riverboat cruise dinner,
and attending a tour of the CAT plant in Peoria.
Saturday morning, they held their annual memorial service to honor all of
the deceased veterans who served with the 3AD in WWII.
During the past year alone, 86 of their members have passed on.
The USAF outdid themselves in providing a band and honor guard for the
service. The reunion concluded with
a banquet Saturday night. LTC Perry
from Carlisle Army Barracks was their guest speaker.
I would encourage anyone who has never attended one of their reunions to
consider joining them next year in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
They are a precious gift that will not be with us much longer. You can
hear fascinating stories from people, like one man from I Company, 36th
AIR. He shared with us how his
company of 268 men had more than 550 casualties in the 10 months of fighting.
There are so many things you can find out by talking only to them. Kutz/Gentry
Scholarship Fund The Kutz/Gentry Scholarship fund has been established in honor of two
men who were killed during Desert Storm. When the scholarship has been fully
funded, it is the intent to award a $1,000 scholarship each year with veterans
and relatives of 3AD veterans receiving preference as recipients. The fund
currently has a balance of $678.99. We have set a goal of $25,000 for the fund
to be fully able to pay out the annual scholarship. Association Future Expenses Fund The
Association Future Expenses Fund has been started to pay the expenses of the
Association in the Future so that the memory of the 3d Armored Division will
continue to exist. We hope that our relatives will one day want to keep our
memories alive and we are attempting to make sure funds are available to pay the
expenses when all of us are too old to afford them. The fund currently has a
balance of $1,591.56. Board
of Directors Election
There
was an election of the new members to the Board of Directors at the A3ADV
Reunion. The current Board of Directors held elections to fill the leadership
positions for the A3ADV. The election for the leadership positions was conducted
in accordance to the A3ADV by-laws. The
first official action by the new leadership of the A3ADV was to fill the two
open positions on the Board of Directors. The new Board of Directors &
leadership positions for the A3ADV is as follows: Kevin
Colson
2-67 AR
President Hal
Dudley
HHC 3 AD
Vice President Daryl
Gordon
2-6 FA
Secretary Steve
Depuy
2-32 AR
Treasury Carl
Erickson
2-48 Inf
Advertising Jim
Cunningham 122
Ord
Director Rich
Carlson
3-32 AR
Director Brian
Hathaway
2-3 FA
Director Dave
Feller
4-67 AR
Director Membership Report Members
Joined
380 Lifetime
Memberships
139 Annual
Memberships
228 Associate
Memberships
9 Memberships
expired
<63> Members
who have passed away
<2> Active
Members
315 Membership Renewals For
many members, the end of your first year of membership is rapidly coming to an
end. In the coming weeks, we will
be mailing out your membership renewal notices.
We hope that all of our annual members will continue to support the
Association by renewing their membership. We
would also like to encourage all veterans to find other 3AD veterans and bring
them into the association. New Members The
following new members have joined since our last newsletter: NAME
Unit
NAME
Unit Holger
Kainischkies 5-5 ADA
Cathryn Deay
45 FSB & HHC 3 AD David
O’Neil
1-32 AR
Dan Merritt
2-33 AR & 2-67 AR Gale
Messier
503 MP
David Smith
3-36 INF Russell
Hejl
5-5 CAV
Barron Daly
3 AD TRAINS Billy
McCaleb
36 AIB
Calvin Simmons
3-32 AR & 2-67 AR Thomas
Bohannon 83
RECON John
Didyoung
503 AVN Hubert
Morrow
32 AR
Paul Smith
1-32 AR Albert
Anderson
2-46 INF
Roger Spencer
45 AMB Daniel
Crough
Associate
William Adams 2-36
INF Rodney
Willis
Associate
Robert Rule
3-36 INF Steve
Kuhn
3-5 CAV
Joseph Caserti
32 AR Brian
Chambers
1-48
Melton Fugate
32 AR Herman
Gundlach
112 ORD
Nathan Goldberg
703 TD Douglas
Bullock
3-33 AR
Harold Paulson
703 TD Vernon
Robinson
2-6 FA
Gove Johnson
HQ 3 AD Thomas
Herwer
3-36 INF
Charles Fekete
23 ENG William
Wiegand
2-6 FA
Robert Schutt
703 TD William
Kimberley Trains 3 AD
David Culbreth
4-32 AR Donald
Branford 3-12 Cav
Louis Picciola
2-3 FA Mark
Margeson 3-12 Cav
Meryln Brown
32 AR HHC Gilmer
Marcus
36 AIR
Charles Wollmer
83 RECON Store News The
association store has managed to obtain many of the 3AD crests from units in
which our members have served. Please
check with the store to see if your unit crest is available.
We also have a limited supply of new and old books relating to the 3d
Armored Division. We are now
able to take credit card orders for items for sale in the store.
We will be placing an order for embroidered products in June. If you are
interested in a coat or any other special item with the association logo
embroidered on it, contact the store. A3ADV
Flags should be available by January 2002. Upcoming Reunions
Last Round Look
for the next edition of “Call Me Spearhead” to be published in January.
Anyone wishing to submit material for the newsletter may do so by
e-mailing Kevin Colson at kcolson@3ad.org. Anyone who would be interested in working on the staff to
create and publish the newsletter should please contact Kevin.
All material published here is the intellectual property of the
Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans or the individual author as noted. Letter from the President By Kevin
Colson 3-32
Armor 85-86 2-67
Armor 86-89 I
would like to take a few lines to tell each of you how proud and thankful I am
to be the new President of the Association of 3rd Armored Division
Veterans. I look forward to the
challenge of properly documenting the history and memory of “Spearhead” -
the 3rd Armored Division. We
have a lot of hard work ahead of us to move the A3ADV forward and get the
association on firm financial ground. The
board of directors will be attending a planning meeting 5-7 October in Raleigh,
NC. The agenda for the meeting will
include, but is not limited to the following: membership; website expansion
& maintenance; store sales and inventory; financial; fund raising;
scholarships; newsletter; national advertising plan; and future reunions. I
would like to thank Steve & Ellen Depuy for their tremendous effort to bring
together the 1st A3ADV reunion back in July.
They planned, coordinated, set-up, greeted attendee’s, manned the store
and took care of everything to make the reunion an outstanding success.
We will look back on the first reunion as one of the milestones in the
development and growth of the A3ADV. Those
of you who could not attend need to make plans to attend the 2nd
reunion in July of 2002. I
guarantee you will not be disappointed if you attend the reunion.
Steve & Ellen, a job well done! My
goals for the A3ADV are to see our membership grow to over 2000 active members,
to have 500 veterans attend a future reunion and to have the A3ADV on firm
financial ground with the ability to award scholarships. Thank
you to each member of the A3ADV and to the Board of Directors for voting me into
the position of President. I look
forward to working for and with each of you. Spearhead!
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