His story and the story of one of his brothers named Jim Wykes
His parents knew that fighting in the war was inevitable seeing that he was a healthy young man. He choose to enlist so that he could have a say in where he would journey. He wanted to become a pilot, but he did not qualify given his height and eyesight. He then decided to join the army.
He was trained as an officer at Fort Benning in Georgia. He became a 2 nd lieutenant and led a platoon in the 99 th division in Texas. He decided to enlist to go over seas. He was anxious for combat and wanted to go and fight overseas.
He arrived on the shores of Normandy on Omaha Beach on D- Day and was in the 29 th division. He said that people, aircrafts, boats, flying shells, and bombs were everywhere. He said he was lucky that he made it! He said it was awful having to watch the man next to you be killed in a moment of seconds!
Battles went on for him for three to five weeks. They fought at a minimum of 50 yards apart. They were typically fighting the enemy at a 100 yards or more. They camped near the hedgerows and trees and slept in foxholes.
In one of the battles, he led his platoon to the enemy that was 200 yards away. He received a silver star for a job well done! In the battle, some of men had died and some were later captured in his platoon. He was brave because he had to led the platoon in the front, which made him a easy target for the enemy.
HHe was given mainly Spam to eat and sometimes cold vegetables. RRarely a hot meal. BBut if someone found gasoline, they would build a fire and heat up water and pour coffee grind into the water. The coffee tasted bad. IIf he had a candle, he would lit it in his foxhole and try to heat up some of his food. SSometimes he would receive little food because it was very difficult to get the trunks into the camps.
He was at the camp in his foxhole and they were being shelled. One of the shells hit a tree that was close to his foxhole. The shell busted and pieces were falling everywhere. One of the pieces flew into his knee on his right leg. They carried him to one of the doctors who “patched him together.” About five days later, he and others were transported by aircraft to a hospital in England.
He spent two-three weeks at the hospital. The doctors were forced to amputate his right leg. He was friends to many guys who were recovering in the hospital. All the people that he met at the hospital are since decreased.
He can’t get emotional because it was over 60 years ago. He would have had a different reaction if I had interviewed him right after the war. Fighting to him was a good experience. WWII had a cause worth fighting for to him. It was an accomplishment for him.
He appreciated the nurses and doctors who helped him and others recover from their war wounds. He felt that everybody came together. Many people knew at least one person who was going off to fight in the war and wanted to support them. No war buddies because the war was taking place in so many nations that his friends were often separated from him.
He arrived by aircraft at the Percy Jones Hospital located in Battle Creek, Michigan. The army was in charge of this facility at the time. The hospital was next to Kellogg's. He was able to be nursed back into good health with the proper nutrition. He also learned how to walk with his new prosthetic right leg.
He says that trains were the nicest at the time and that it is hard to imagine it. During the war, the troops were transferred on the fast trains. The Chicago express railroad, he believed went 90mph. He also knew nurses after the war who took this train from Chicago to California and it took 40 hours. Believed the train was better than an airplane in regards to food and there was less time waiting in lines.
My Grandfather: Thomas V. Wykes, Sr.
He had just finished high school and he decided that he wanted to enlist and join the Torpedo Squadron. One of his best friends and bunkmates was George H.W. Bush. One day he was sent on a mission to scout for the Japanese, and he probably flied too close and was shot down. No one knows, except one minute he was on the radar screen and the next minute he was gone.