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'We had to be there'
* World War II veteran shares memories of the battlefield.
Charlie Brown was drafted into the Army when he was 18 years old. On Oct. 11, 1944, he began basic training at Camp Robinson, Ark., near Little Rock. He was there for six weeks being trained for the infantry, and then sent home on furlough for 15 days before going straight overseas.
Being aboard a big ship was a new experience, but so was the seasickness that came with it. It was a long eight days, or however long it took them to get there. He had been issued a duffel bag full of stuff, an overcoat and a field jacket. When he arrived in Germany, they took it all away and gave them a poncho and a field jacket -- that was it, except for good marching boots. Even though it was winter time, the weather was not too bad, he recalls.
The food was K-rations, with a serving which was about the size of a Cracker Jack box, a little can of something, a packet of instant coffee -- which he had never seen before -- and a piece of candy. These were issued "every once in a while and carried in field jackets while scouting."
On his first order he was sent as a First Scout. When asked about the training he received to be a scout, he laughed and said, "They said, 'Charlie, you go up there' -- and I did."
As First Scout, he was followed by the Second Scout, who kept him in sight at all times. They were followed by the platoon.
When he saw someone or something that looked like it ought not to be there, he raised his hand and they knew to stop. He reported whatever might be ahead and the platoon came and did what had to be done
One one occasion, he was standing behind a tank, talking to the Second Scout. Someone shot at him. It went over his head, but it was so close it sounded like a shotgun. When he hit the dirt, he told the Lord, "If you will get me out of this, I will go home and preach for you."
Another time a sniper had him pinned behind a tree and began shooting at him. He could feel the dirt kicking and moving under his feet. He heard one of his buddies holler, "We've got to get him." A machine gun went off and all was quiet. "That was the end of it."
"Generally, they let the First Scout go through so they could get to the group, but that time they didn't." Charlie said, He said he found it hard to talk about his experiences and has spent much of his life trying to forget them.
A short time after Charlie's arrival in Germany, he was transferred to Patton's outfit and from that time on, "We was movin'." He never got any R & R, or saw any sights except the towns they marched through, and he couldn't tell what their names were.
When asked if he thought it was important to be in World War II, he said, "We had to be there. Can you imagine what would have happened if Hitler had taken over the world? He had already taken France and was getting ready to take England. I was glad I was able to serve my country, but I wouldn't want to do it again. I'm thankful my kids haven't had to go through it."
Charlie said his outfit was slated to invade Japan. He had been transferred to reconnaissance, but there wasn't room for them then so they sent them home for 30 days. He was sure he would never come home again, but during that period of time, the atomic bomb was dropped and the war was over. He went to Ft. Leonard Wood and on to Camp Campbell in Kentucky, where he worked in the officer's mess and was a driver for the First Sergeant until the end of his time of service.
Charlie has been true to his vow that he made when his faith was tested on the battlefield. "Since that day in Germany, the Lord has led me, stopped me, and everything else."
He married in 1947, and he and his wife, Virginia, had three children, Wanda, Barbara and Larry. Shortly after this time, he committed his life to full time service for the Lord and has been preaching ever since. He is pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Walker, Mo., which he helped build, and has been there for many years.