A Tribute To My Father On Memorial Day

On Memorial Day I want to talk about my father, Vasco L. Walters. He joined the Texas Army National Guard i 1936. He began his military career in the 112 th battalion as a horse rider. When World War II broke out, he shipped out to fight in the Pacific. He ended up on New Herbides. He valiantly fought against the Japanese. He also contracted malaria. ( This disease haunted him for the rest of his life.) He was sent to Melbourne, Australia to recuperate. When he got better, he came back to the US, He was assigned to the field artillery. He went to England. He landed in France six days after D-Day. He was a sergeant in charge of a 155 mm howitzer mounted on a tank body. He fought in rough battles in France. He also fought valiantly during the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944. Forget the civil war, this battle was the most costly in US history with some 75,000 to 100,000 US servicemen killed and wounded. Dad then rolled into Germany. He spoke excellent German. The highlight of his military career was when he captured a German officer who turned out to be a Field Marshal who had studied at the University of Tennessee during the 1920's. Dad's saddest moment was when he went with General Patton to tour a Nazi death camp. He could only talk about this experience when he was very drunk. Dad went all the way to the Elbe River in the Czech Republic when his unit linked up with the Red Army. Dad was always a modest man who never boasted about his bravery. He won some medals. He always spoke with respect about the German fighting man. He instilled in me this idea that service to country was a vital part of every citizen's life. He loved our country and all of the opportunities that it offered people. This is one story of the millions of American men and women who have put on the uniform to serve this country.