The cars entered the double gates one by one, circling
around the drive, and then coming to a stop beside the shelter. Passengers
exited their cars with gloved hands shoved in coat pockets, scarves wrapped
tightly around their necks beneath their heavy coats, and speaking to one
another with hushed words. The sky was overcast and the temperature a chilly
thirty-two degrees; the kind of cold that people refer to as “chilled to the
bone.” The wind blew steadily, snapping the cloth of the two flags positioned
beside each other. Family and friends took their seats on the hard, wooden benches
while others remained standing in the back row, creating a protective wall. A
few people looked over their programs which served as a temporary distraction
from the event taking place, while others looked straight ahead.
___________________________________________________________________
William Eugene “Gene” Hampton (known as “Papa” to his
family) was born in Pryor, Oklahoma on July 31, 1919. When Pearl Harbor was
bombed on December 7, 1941, he was a twenty-two year old man, strong and in
good condition. His draft card had the letter “A” on it, which meant he would
be one of the first to be drafted. He spoke about the pocket watch that his Father
gave to him before he went off to war. His Father was proud of him and although
he didn’t allow himself to show emotion when saying goodbye, the watch would
serve as a reminder of the love and pride he had for his son. Papa vividly
recalled his early days of training before going off to fight in the South
Pacific, describing it as vigorous, very
strict, and it included military courtesy and discipline. He spoke about being able
to climb a rope, dig a foxhole and jumping into it while machine gun fire shot
a few feet over his head, and said, “It
didn’t bother me. Some of the guys went haywire, though.”
He recalled that as soldiers in the Army they were trained
and told, “There is the right way, the
wrong way, and the Army way and you will do it by the Army way, and so we did.
We were fighting for a cause. Japan attacked America. We were fighting for our freedom. We were to
be patriotic Americans and give our life for the government. We were not our
own now and belonged to Uncle Sam.” When he spoke about being a soldier and
the war, it was like he was recalling details from the day before even though
it was sixty years later.
In 2005, at the age of eighty-six, he was interviewed, along
with other WWII veterans about his time in the war. One of the questions asked
was about how he earned the Bronze Star. He humbly said, “I’m not a hero. Like I said before, the heroes are dead.” It was
at this point that you could hear the catch in his voice as he tried to
maintain composure while answering the interviewer. He then went on to say, “We had some guys that gave their lives for
their buddies. But I was in combat and I have a combat infantryman’s badge…I
don’t know of any special mission, except I tried to do my duty and be a good
soldier and I did what I thought was right…and so I have a Bronze Star. I thank
the Lord for it, but I know there are other men who probably deserve it more.” This
type of response was typical of Papa as he was a humble man willing to give
credit to others.
While being interviewed, he wore his Infantry uniform,
which still fit like the day it was issued. The jacket was a muddy
brownish-green with a cloth belt buckled around the waist. Near the edge of the
sleeves gold stitching was sewn all the way around and matched the brassy-gold
buttons that vertically buttoned in the center of the jacket. Each lapel
displayed the letters “U.S.” Slightly
below was a pin on each lapel of two crisscrossed rifles and Captain Bars were
placed on each shoulder. Two pockets were located at the bottom of the jacket
and two more on each side of the chest with the same brass colored buttons
centered on the flaps. Above the left pocket flap, four campaign ribbons were
lined up horizontally. On the pocket flap below, the Purple Heart, Bronze Star,
and Expert Rifle Marksmanship badge were pinned on tightly.
When asked about the Purple Heart, he recalled the story of
having his machine guns (which he explained were water-cooled machine guns) and
that his platoon was on the last hill, which he called Coconut Hill. The Japanese
were shooting mortars on him and his platoon. He described how the Japanese
would lob them up in the air and then the mortars would fall down and bombard
the platoon. The mortars would shatter into tiny little pieces of fragments and
go in every direction. Some of those fragments hit his shoulder and remained
there the rest of his life. He said, “It
wasn’t a real severe injury, it wasn’t real bad. I was very fortunate.” Nevertheless,
he earned the Purple Heart.
At one point, the interviewer asked, “What did you do for
good luck?” Papa questioned, “Good luck?
I didn’t believe in good luck. I believe the Lord is my shepherd, my protector.
91st Psalm is my favorite Psalm…so I trust the Lord to be with me
and I went through a lot of narrow escapes.”
One of those narrow escapes was when he and his platoon
were on a hill in the Philippines and they were taking heavy fire. He told his
men to pull back. They couldn’t see their enemy, because the Japanese were so
well hidden. While Papa was trying to spot a sniper through his field glasses,
he heard the snapping and crack of a bullet whizzing by him. He has just moved
a little bit to the right when the bullet rushed by, and when he looked down he
saw several bullet holes in the wrinkles of his left sleeve. He said that the
sniper had a “bead on my heart” and it was a near escape.
Papa spent two long years in combat when “VJ Day” took
place. VJ Day was the day of the allies victory over Japan on September 2,
1945. He spent two long years away from his family, away from his baby girl
that was ten days old when he deployed, and two long years not knowing when
and if he was going home. He vividly recalls that day saying, “We’d been training and we’d been fighting,
of course, in the Philippines, and we were getting ready to invade south
Japan…all of a sudden we heard horns blowing down in the company area. Guys are
hollering, shouting, and something was going on. So someone came running up and
said ‘Japan surrendered’ and boy we just rejoiced. I mean, that’s the day
you’re waiting for,” as he put his arms up over his head showing victory.
What would surprise so many people is the fact that Papa
held no malice towards the Japanese people. He would always say, “You know they’re people just like us.
They’re human beings and my heart went out for them…and when I saw those little
farms (while riding around the farmland in his Jeep one day), you know, in my heart, I’m a farmer (as
he chuckles) and I’m a human being and I
respect other human beings.”
“If you could share one piece of wisdom with future
generations, what would it be?” the interviewer asked as his final question.
Papa responded, “Appreciate
your freedom and thank the Lord every day for America, and for your freedom, and
the privilege we have to accept or reject Christianity.” He spoke these
words ten years ago, yet they’re still relevant today. So many citizens forget
about the sacrifices of our veterans and that those sacrifices allow us to
speak freely, vote in a Democratic country, move about the country freely, and
practice whatever faith we choose if we choose to do so.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The wind blew steadily, snapping the cloth of the two flags, which stood across
from one another. The American flag and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) flag
each stood on one side of the casket, while a Specialist and First Lieutenant stood
at attention beside each flag. A pair of combat boots sat on the grass, with an
M1 Garand rifle and fixed bayonet stuck into the ground between the boots, with
a helmet resting on top of the rifle symbolizing a fallen hero. Papa was a ninety-five
year old combat veteran who served his country with honor. On December 21,
2014, he passed away in hospice, while surrounded by his children.
He was a man of unshakeable faith, sharing his love for God
with anyone he met, speaking from his heart, and sharing scripture. He had blue
eyes that twinkled; showed kindness when he smiled, and his hands were soft
from decades of gardening. Papa loved gardening and had several raised beds in
his backyard along with a greenhouse full of plants. He was well versed in
homeopathic remedies, growing herbs and vegetables, and the concept of “clean
eating” well before it became popular to those who practice healthy lifestyles.
He had silver-white hair which he wore combed neatly back, framing his
prominent cheek bones, and he wore wire-rimmed glasses to read his Bible and
the numerous books that surrounded him at home.
Reverend Darren Rogers was the officiator at the funeral
service and knew Papa well from church. He spoke thoughtful words and shared
memories of times he spent with Papa. He
told a story about visiting the VA hospital with Papa and how the two of them
would make their rounds to comfort the veterans. He recalled how at the age of
seventy-seven Papa would always take the stairs instead of the elevator because
he had boundless energy. Reverend Rogers joked about the fact that he, at a
much younger age than Papa, would be winded by the time they reached the top of
the stairs. He would try to hide his exertion from Papa, who was not winded at
all and still able to hold a conversation! He spoke about Papa writing
scripture on a yellow 5x7 index card with black lettering, inserted into his
jacket pocket, just peeking out of the top so that others could read it
voluntarily. Written on the card was the scripture: “Jesus said I am the way, the truth, the life. No man comes to the
Father except through me”. Apparently, in the past, a VA employee had complained
about Papa sharing scripture, but being a strong-willed and somewhat stubborn man,
he wasn’t going to let that stop him. So, the card peeking out of his pocket
was his way of sharing his strong conviction without upsetting the VA employee.
Seven veterans from the VFW stood across from the enclosure
on the grassy area. With rifles in their hands, they lifted them, and fired
three shots each for a “twenty-one gun salute.” Even for those that are
familiar with a “full military honor” funeral, the loud shots caught them off-guard.
Then, as tradition requires, the American flag (which had cloaked the casket) was
carefully and properly folded into a tight triangle, with the stars facing
outward. It was then presented to Papa’s daughter, Sonya, on behalf of
a grateful nation and its citizens.
____________________________________________________________________
After the funeral service, the family went to the church to
spend time together. Papa’s grandson, Aaron, was present that day. Aaron had
followed in Papa’s footsteps by joining the Army infantry. The two of them had
a connection that only soldiers’ understand due to their experiences in the
military, and since they had both had been in combat, that connection was even
stronger.
Uncle David stood up and gathered everyone’s attention. He
held Papa’s Infantry “dress greens” uniform in his hands. It was in immaculate
condition, just like it looked in the 2005 interview. The top of the left arm
sleeve displayed Papa’s unit patch showing that he served in the 1st
Battalion 182nd Infantry (Americal Division) under General Douglas
McArthur. Papa wore his uniform to any military function he attended because he
was so proud to be an American. Papa’s uniform had been willed to Uncle David
and he respected Papa’s service, but knew that it would end up in a closet
where no one else would see it.
Uncle David then spoke about the advocacy work that Aaron
does for wounded soldiers and how he frequently invites soldiers to visit his
home, “Lost Creek Ranch,” for respite and mentorship. In Aaron’s home, Papa’s
uniform would be seen by others that could appreciate it and understand the
sacrifices it represents. It was at this point that Aaron began to realize that
his Uncle was honoring him with his grandfather’s uniform. The emotion was
evident on Aaron’s face even though he was trying to be stoic. As Aaron was
handed the uniform he started speaking and it was captured on video:
“I was very
fortunate to talk to Papa and he talked to me about how proud he was…I was kind
of worried because Papa was very concerned. I could have gone into any branch I
wanted. When I went in the service, they tried to talk me out of going into the
infantry. The recruiters tried to talk me out of it, but I said my Grandfather
was in the infantry and I want to go into the infantry. I knew Papa didn’t want
me to go into the infantry, he really didn’t, but it was something I wanted to
do… I was fortunate to be able to do it. Papa did a lot of very tough things.
He kept a lot of people alive and he brought a lot of people home and he lost a
lot of people…I had a lot of respect for him. When I was in the service I
always pushed a little bit harder too, because I always wanted to honor my Grandfather.
I never wanted to bring dishonor on him and he was a good man. If I could have
been half the man he was, then that would be good. He was good.”
Later that afternoon, we started the five-hour drive home and
Aaron shared many memories about his Grandfather. He told me about the time
Papa taught him how to hunt. Like so many soldiers from WWII, Papa struggled
with PTSD (known as “shell shock” in that era) and the last thing he wanted to
do was shoot a gun to kill, but he knew how much Aaron wanted to learn how to
hunt. Aaron shared this story:
“My Grandparents
owned a small farm in Billings, Missouri and in the past had to hunt for food
out of necessity. The day Papa taught me how to hunt there was a thick layer of
snow on the ground and the brush along the fence was dense, which made it a
good hiding place for rabbits. We walked along the fence line tracking the
rabbits and shaking the brush to make them run out. I had a Ruger 22 rifle and
Papa wanted to make sure that I understood how important it was to use the
safety and keep my finger off the trigger if I wasn’t ready to fire the rifle.
So he told me to put the safety on and aim the rifle in a safe direction
towards the power lines. I thought I had pushed the safety switch hard enough
to engage it, but when he told me to fire the rifle it actually shot a round.
It scared me. I thought for sure that I was going to get smacked and yelled at
and that the lesson would be over. Instead Papa remained calm and told me that
the safety on a weapon can fail and that this was why you never, ever put your
finger on the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Papa was the positive male
role model that I never had in my life and that lesson stayed with me
throughout my military career.”
Once we arrived home, we were looking over Papa’s uniform and
it was then that I felt something in the left pocket. I put my hand inside and
pulled out a handkerchief. Then I felt something else and pulled out a piece of
binder paper which was folded in half twice. I carefully unfolded it and the writing,
written with an elderly person’s shaky hand, was without a doubt Papa’s
handwriting. Although the writing was hard to decipher, after careful review, we
realized that it was his notes for a presentation given to an elementary school
class in Springdale, Arkansas on Monday, November 28, 2013.
The following is what was written on the paper:
“It is a great
privilege to speak a few words to such a fine looking group of smart students.
You look good and intelligent. A beautiful school, best teacher, you are the
best in Arkansas.
What a
privilege to live in America. A land of
freedom.
As a private
citizen & a veteran of WWII in South Pacific as a combat infantry officer
in the Americal Division under General Douglas McArthur.
It is an honor
& privilege to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The pledge has
been around a long time in public gatherings. Not compulsory until 1942. The
1954 Act of Congress added the words “under God.”
Thanks for inviting
me. I am expecting great things from you. God bless you & God bless
America.”
It was so fitting to find the school presentation, the handkerchief,
and then having the ability to watch the interview from 2005. Everything I knew
about Papa was from stories I’d heard my husband tell. While watching Papa
speaking on camera, in uniform and wiping his eyes with his handkerchief, I was
able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I was able to hear his voice,
the emotions displayed on camera when speaking about the war, and his words, which
I have shared here. Now that interview on DVD is safely stored for later
viewing. As for Papa’s uniform, it will be displayed in a shadow box, along
with documents and photos, for visitors to enjoy and remember the great man Papa
Hampton was.
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