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Show Volume XI Issue V THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS December Page 9 15, 2004 Valley Memories-December 1945 By Sherman LeMoyne Hislop 3, The Valley has many cherished memories, but the best are those of Christmas in the Valley. The large stove was filled with quaking aspen firewood making our home very warm, even when it was over 40 below outside. The temperature was nearly always 40 below by Christmas, but sometimes it was only 30 below. The snow was often two feet deep, which provided any opportunities for sleigh riding. In the nearby mountains there were numerous pines from which to choose a Christmas tree. Many elk could be seen in the fields of the Fuller ranch in the southeast corner of the Valley. In addition to the sleigh riding, there was skiing and bobsledding. A team of horses pulled the bobsled over snow covered roads, and could even pull the sled through two feet 2: snow in the back alleys. | experience my eighty-first Chri sais in December of 2004, I remember the most memorable of the past eighty Christmases. This Unforgenable Christmas occurred in December of 194. There are few people in the Valley alive today who will remember that Christmas, and no one under the age of sixty can possibly understand the conditions of the Christmas of 1945. In March of 1936, Hitler had marched German troops into the Rhineland and reclaimed it as part of German territory. It made big headlines in the Sunday paper. Reading those headlines I first became aware of the concerns of my mother and father. At the dinner table on a Sunday in March, my father said, “There’s going to be another war.” His observation was emphatic, but at the age of twelve, I had little understanding of the implications. Mother said, “Oh, I hope not. With all our boys, one or two of them will probably be called to serve.” There were ten sons in our family. Two were married and two were out working on the range. At the table, in addition to my parents and three year old sister Jane, were six sons. Dad paused, then said, “When the war comes, and it will come, three or four of our boys may serve in the military. The war did come. Beginning in December 1941, our parents would send not four, but eight of their boys to serve the country. They had seven sons in the military service when Germany surrendered in May of 1945. George, the youngest son, turned sixteen in 1945, and told Dad he wanted to enlist because he didn’t want to be home when all his brothers came back from the w: Mom had a completely different goal. She already had seven sons in the service. She believed that was too me to put in harm’s way. He 1945, dad went to the recr' uiting station and signed for George to enlist in the Navy. Since George was under eighteen, a parent’s signature was required. Although dad approved, mother did not. She was unaware of the plan until after George was signed up. She did not want to see any more of her sons go to war, but now there were eight. It was Christmas Eve, December 24, 1945. Six of their sons came home to be with their mother and dad in Huntsville. There was much storytelling and bantering as each brother expressed an opinion about the others’ service. The Army was ridiculing the Navy, the Marines were teasing the Army, and those serving in the Navy had comments about all the other services. Even the brother who served in the Merchant Marine voiced his opinion. My brother Jack was not present. Jack had been the first to enlist in July of 1941. At that time, if you enlisted for one year, you could avoid the draft and only have to serve for one calendar year. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, all who entered the service in 1941 were required to remain in uniform and serve until the war was over. In 1944 and 1945, Jack had been with General Patton’s army in Europe. Prior to that, his first military service was with the Cost Artillery in California. He had achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and could have stayed in that safe assignment until the war was over, but for Jack a higher priority was to volunteer for the Paratroopers. After his training, the statement that best expressed his experience was “Hell, I only had one parachute jump. And that was worse than riding a bucking horse.” In the spring of 1944, Jack requested an assignment change from the Paratroopers. The invasion of pe was nearing, and he was assigned to the Infantry and ended up in England; then it was on to Normandy and France Jack was assigned to General Patton’s army shortly after the Normandy invasion, and was — that army when they landed on Cherbourg er D-Day; then it was on to the Battle of the Bulge. They crossed the Rhine River into north central Germany where the army moved on to the Elbe River. The politicians had already decided that the Americans would stop at the Elbe, and everything east of the Elbe River would be left for the Russians to capture and control. Jack was the first Platoon Sergeant to enter one of the concentration camps in Germany. He did not talk much about these experiences for several years. It was difficult for Jack and the millions of Americans who were in Europe to get transportation home to the United States after the Germans surrendered. It wasn’t until early in December of 1945 that Jack was able to get on a troop ship back to the States and then on a train to Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City to be discharged. He didn’t arrive in Salt Lake City until December 23. There were insufficient personnel to muster him out, so he was assigned to stay in the barracks at Fort Douglas on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS is looking for Ogden Valley and Ogden Canyon historical biographies, stories, and photos to use in its publication. Please mail, email, or call Shanna at 745-2688 or Jeannie at 745-2879 if you have material you would like to share. It was Christmas Eve, about 6:30 at night when Jack and I arrived at our home in Huntsville. Our other brothers, who had all seen combat in overseas duty, were there. It was an unforgettable Christmas Eve to have them all home. However, the moment that made it the Historical Photo Eigh Hislop brothers from Huntsville who served our country during World War II. Photo courtesy of Sherman Hislop of Provo, Utah. Come game help WILKERSON FINE ART Wilkerson Fine Art “ALL December THINGS SMALL” runs 15, 2004 — December 24, 2004. An exhibit of small works (paintings and sculpture smaller than 16” x 20”). Open house with artists in attendance, on over and watch the on the BIG screen and us cheer on the Utes! When: New Yeat’s Day Time: 6:00 pm Where: Wolf y/, Creek Clubhouse Menu $14.95 (served until the end of the first half) Make-your-own Taco Bar Cheese Enchiladas Chili Verde Burritos Wednesday, December 15 from 6 to 8 pm and Saturday, December Cooked to order Fish Tacos 18 from 1 pm to 6 pm. Fiesta Spirits and Libations All other times by appointment. Chips and Salsa Featuring new works by Bill don ee Doug Braithwaite, Julie Brandt, Robert Call, Judy noes eo oe Mike Gardner, on. ieoppel.Shanna Kunz, Garry_| WF Geek R E S 3900 N. Wolf WILKERSON FINE ART most memorable Christmas I have ever had, or will have, was when my mother saw that her boys were home from combat. Standing close to Henry, her husband, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and withj| joy in her voice said, “Dad, our boys are home.’ O R T Creek Drive, Eden, www.wolfcreekresort.com 745-3737 UT |