Today is the 75th anniversary of V-E Day.

That’s “Victory in Europe Day,” the day the Allies accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender in World War II.

Gary’s Dad, Andrew, celebrated in Austria. A soldier there with the U.S. Army, he had to wait his turn to make it back home. There was a “point system” and as a single fellow he had fewer points than those returning to wives and children.

Andrew was a long way from home, but he’d survived World War II.

Back in 1941, he signed up for the draft. He was 18 years old.

Notice the notation of “left thumb” in the form, above? Gary says his dad was just a kid when he used a corn knife to cut a piece of twine. The machete-like tool whacked off the tip of the 10 year old’s thumb at the same time.

Andrew lived and worked in Louisville (he was a welder at American Air Filter) when he was called up by the Army.

It was February 17, 1943. The war was raging.

After basic training, Andrew was home on furlough for a few weeks. Sitting on the front porch with family at the home place here in Ferdinand on a Sunday afternoon, he broke away to pack for the next day’s journey. Only when he double-checked his orders, he realized the train was scheduled for that Sunday, not Monday, and had already departed.

Gary remembers his dad told him it turned out he wasn’t the only soldier who missed the train ride. A sergeant stayed behind to gather up “all the scattered chicks” (that’s farm-boy talk) the next day. And off they went to the state of Washington.

Advanced training took place at Fort Lewis in Washington. Gary says his dad loved Washington. The weather was perfect – not too hot and not too cold. Sure, it rained a lot, but that didn’t bother him.

Part of Andrew’s advanced training was participation in the Louisiana Maneuvers.

For four years, a section of Louisiana was used for a proving ground as the American Army prepared to meet the Germany Army on the battlefield.

Andrew trained as a driver. His vehicle was called a half-track, with wheels up front and bulldozer treads on back. Since it was his responsibility to keep his vehicle clean, Andrew backed his half-track part way into a creek, where water was readily available. Unfamiliar with quicksand, he almost didn’t get his vehicle free from what he’d thought was mud.

Gary says his dad was used to rationing by the time he was called up, so he was surprised when the troops, tired of moving supplies again and again during maneuvers, actually buried soap and left it behind. He was also instructed to squirt out a half gallon or so of gas before fueling up the half-track. It made sense to ensure that no dirt entered the vehicle’s fuel system, but it was still hard to see any gasoline go to waste.

Heading overseas, Andrew’s first war experience was a month after D Day on the south coast of France.

As they crossed through Alsace-Lorraine, heading toward Germany, Andrew realized he understood the language well. He told Gary their dialect was very similar to the German still spoken here in Dubois and Spencer Counties.

Andrew was driving the company captain at this point, behind the wheel of a 1/2 ton command car. He’d rigged up side doors for the vehicle, and was disappointed when the captain instructed him to remove them, stating:

Where we’re going, we won’t need them.

Sure enough, as they approached a town, a sniper sprayed bullets close to their vehicle. Andrew rolled out one direction and his captain the other. The car continued into a ditch. The doors would have surely slowed them down.

A U.S. tank was not far behind them. Once it was determined the sniper had shot from atop a church steeple (common practice during the war), the tank shot out the perch. Gary’s dad always regretted that, knowing the church had probably been there for centuries. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service.

The European portion of World War II ended 75 years ago, on May 8, 1945. Andrew was in Austria at the time. It was several more months before his “points” gained him a ticket aboard The Queen Mary for the trip home.

Ocean travel did not suit Andrew. Not one bit.

Gary remembers his dad saying, “If someone would have shot me, it would have felt better.”

Some 70 years later, Andrew’s oldest grandson, Thomas Andrew, treated Gary, James, and me to an overnight on the now-docked vessel. It was amazing to think we were on board the same ship that had brought Andrew safely home from the war so many years ago.

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