Honoring Our Veterans: The Story of Wayne Loyd McCollum

Morgan Wood

English 1301-Adams 6th Period 18 December 2013

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Brief Biography of Wayne McCollum Wayne McCollum was born on May 17, 1912 in the Oak Grove community of Ellis County, Texas. He enlisted in the United States Army at Fort Sam Houston on March 15, 1941 and was not discharged until June 15, 1945. He served in the 2nd Armored Division under General George Patton and took part in key battles such as the Battle of the Bulge. Once Wayne returned home he was the sheriff of Ellis County for twenty years. Wayne died on November 17, 2013, at the age of 101. Although I never met Wayne, I interviewed his lifelong friend GT Morton about him and his life.

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Final Interview Transcript Interviewer: Morgan Wood Interviewee: GT Morton Interview Setting: The interview took place at my grandmothers house on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 Affiliation with Interviewee: Close family friend Topic (veteran): Wayne Lloyd McCollum Interviewees Affiliation with topic (veteran): Lifelong friend (Start of Interview) Interviewer: What branch of the military did Wayne serve in? Interviewee: Ok let me start, he was uh, he was in the regular Army. He went in around 1940, uh 39. I believe that is his original service date. He got out, or was going to get out on December the 4th of 41. He went in to get his discharge papers and get checked out of his, his post. When he did that, the clerk was gone early to go do something, so they told him to come back on Monday morning. Well in the meantime, on December the 7th they bombed Pearl Harbor. All leaves were canceled and he was back in, and then thats when they shipped him overseas. Thats where he joined Patton, in uh, in Africa. They came across Africa, all the way through Egypt, across the deserts. I think it's called the Sinai Desert. Anyhow he came across the desert and they were chasing Rommel, the German guy. They uh, got into several confrontations with him before they crossed over the Mediterranean and came up where they caught some of

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Rommels men because they ran out of gasoline, didnt have any gasoline for their tanks; they were just sitting ducks. Then they crossed over intoI guess they call it the mainland over there, where uh Italy was, and they came through Sicily, then France, and ended up waiting on Montgomery. He told me a story about how they intercepted a payroll convoy that the Germans had, and they got all of the paper money that they had. They didnt think it was worth anything, so every town they would come through, theyd just throw the money in the streets, thousands of dollars. What else do you want to know? Interviewer: Um, how did his time serving impact who he was afterwards? Interviewee: Afterwards? It made him who he was today, and uh when he came back here he went to work for the sheriffs department, and you know all about that probably. He went to work for the sheriffs department-didnt have a job, but when he came back the sheriff then hired him as a deputy. So the impact from being there got him into law enforcement. He was a deputy for several years and then ran for sheriff and got beat the first time. When hethey used to have a great big green board in the square where they counted votes and when he found out he had gotten beaten, all of the precincts had come in and he walked off the square and he told them that hed be back next time. This was when it was two terms. Then he came back and ran the next time and he won. He was a deputy sheriff for about ten years, and then was the sheriff for about twenty. He was the oldest living sheriff when he passed away on November 17. He was one hundred one and exactly a half. So its kind of crazy. Ive got some pictures at the house from when he was in Oklahoma and they practiced before they went overseas of building the bridge there on the Rhine River. They went across the Red River in Oklahoma and its the uh, original picture of the thing. His service impacted him and what he was, all the way up to his death. He

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was a hell of a man. I dont know if you saw the thing printed in the paper about him being called Gentle Justice. Interviewer: Yeah I saw that Interviewee: That pretty much sums it up. He opened up to the lady that did the interview for the paper more than anybody Ive ever seen, but then I guess it was because I was sitting there. He, he told her the real story of what happened over there, about the hand-to-hand combat and so forth that really went on, and then the Battle of the Bulge. They fought fence row to fence row. He told her about how many-especially coming across the desert how many people didnt make it. He turned down a battlefield promotion, which was how dedicated he was to the people around him. He turned down a battlefield promotion from a staff sergeant to a first lieutenant because if he would have taken the promotion, he would have had to leave his people. He uh, took care of Pattons horse. Everyone thinks that Patton had a white horse, but Wayne always told me its twin to his horse Bar that I have in my barn down there. Its got three stocking feet, and a big solid horse. Thats what he rode. They were over in some town in uh, Italy, and Patton came up to him and he was out there taking care of his horse, grooming it. Wayne was out there and Patton came up behind him and asked him Boy, you know what youre doing with that horse, and thats how he got to know General Patton, from the horse. Thats the reason he always had horses I guess, I dont know. He was quite a handful, quite a handful. He was shot in the right shoulder. Interviewer: Thats what I was going to ask, was that where he got the Purple Heart? Interviewee: Yeah, the Bronze Stars came from battles he was in across the desert with Rommel. I think one or two there and the rest he got between where they came across after D-

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Day and so forth. He uh, there is no telling how many people he was involved with, taking the Germans out. He gave you and me the pleasure or whatever of being a free country. If it wasnt for people like him, we may have been speaking German over here. That is a fact. One thing Wayne wouldnt do, and its just like your great-granddaddy, he didnt talk about it. He didnt talk about anything in the war, unless he was talking to another veteran. Thats just the way that they were, and thats the way I am. I dont talk about the stuff I saw, the bad stuff. Ill talk a little bit about the little stuff that didnt mean a hell of a lot of anything. Wayne, he sat down with me several times about how bad it was. He told me how they were over there and their hands would freeze and theyd take their socks off their feet and put actual grease on their feet and their boots to keep them from freezing and put the socks that they had on their hands for gloves. It was kill or be killed. Thats just the way it was. Wayne went and saw the picture show, uh D-Day or whatever it was and he said he didnt like it at all; it didnt tell the real story. Interviewer: Well I think thats all the basics I need to cover, but if you have any more stories, Id love to hear them. Interviewee: Ive got lots of stories. I could sit here all night telling them to you. Id like to sit down with you one day and go through his whole life story, since I know just about everything.

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The Things They Carried Major Project: Research Component Wayne Lloyd McCollum volunteered for the U. S. Army in 1941, then immediately reenlisted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He served in the 2nd Armored Division under General George S. Patton, and took part in the Battle of the Bulge. He received a Purple Heart and seven Bronze Stars in his period of service lasting from March of 1941 to June of 1945. Due to his recent passing, and seldom discussion of his time in World War II, many of Mr. Waynes stories go unknown. However, his lifelong friend GT Morton was able to share many of the details of the war that Wayne did disclose. Shortly after the attack at Pearl Harbor, General George S. Patton was put in command of the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions. Wayne, a part of the 2nd Division, was with Patton on his journey through North Africa, Sicily, and eventually Berlin. Although Patton was put in charge of the 3rd Army at this time and General Ernest Harmon was in command of the 2nd Armored Division, both played prominent roles in the Battle of the Bulge. On December 16, 1944, over 200,000 German soldiers set off on Hitlers last bid through the Ardennes Forest, where four inexperienced American divisions were located. The Germans lead their spearheads toward the Meuse River, which is where the name of the battle comes from. However, General Dwight D. Eisenhower of the Allies quickly responded by getting General Patton to bring his 3rd Army as reinforcement, who relieved Bastogne. Meanwhile, the 2nd Armored Division stopped the Nazis short of the Meuse River on Christmas Day. Over the next month, the Americans attacked which lead to one of the greatest victories in American military history. Throughout this and many other battles, many injuries occurred, including those that lead to Wayne receiving a Purple Heart within his time overseas.

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The Purple Heart is a highly recognized and well respected medal for the U.S, armed forces. It is the oldest military award in America, being first created by General George Washington, then not given again for nearly one hundred fifty years. The two different criteria which could make one eligible for this medal were if you received a Meritorious Service Citation Certificate in World War I or those authorized to wear wound chevrons. This medal is ranked behind the Bronze Star amongst military awards. The Bronze Star is given to any branch of the military, as long as the individual performed a heroic act in ground combat. Those who receive it did not qualify for the Silver Star, but still performed a meritorious act against an armed enemy. Wayne was awarded this medal on seven different occasions. These are just a few examples of how he was recognized for his hard work and heroic acts in his time at war. As you can see, Wayne McCollum was no ordinary veteran. He took part in key battles in one of the most well-known wars of the twentieth century. He truly served his country in the best way possible; however he is only one of many. All of our veterans have risked their lives for our freedom, yet often go unrecognized or mistreated. This has to change. Hopefully we can start better caring for and honoring our veterans and through this project, we can start with those closest to us.

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The Story That Changed Me Nave. This is just one way to describe my perspective on war in the past. Maybe it was because I was young, maybe it was the fact that I wanted to believe the world was a lot better than it actually is. Regardless, I have never been able to comprehend the pure ugliness and horror that war possesses. That is, until now. I may not have experienced war first hand, but just in listening to the things that Wayne went through gave me a much better understanding of what war is about, and only made me respect he and all other veterans so much more. Throughout society, we often have these inaccurate portrayals of war that we want to believe are true. Many people, including myself for a while, belittle the actions that take place in combat, and cant fully comprehend what these men go through, except for representations of them in media. We dont want to believe all of the suffering these men are subjected to, and inflict on others. Throughout my interview and research, I found it ironic that we ask these men and women to experience things that we ourselves couldnt fathom, yet persecute them for the ways in which they fight for our freedom. Since the time I completed my initial interview, I have learned of many more gruesome aspects of Waynes story. Burning men in gasoline, slitting the throats of others, these are the parts of war we tend to avoid. Many veterans, such as Wayne would only discuss these horrors with other veterans. I believe this is because most civilians would criticize and judge them for these acts, even though they are the ones who benefit from all that these men do. It is quite shameful that so many veterans go mistreated and under respected.

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These are truly the most courageous, strong men and women in our society, and it is about time we make sure that they are recognized for it. Although we may not necessarily agree with their methods, we cannot deny the fact that our veterans work for our personal freedoms, something that I and many others probably wouldnt be brave enough to do. So although I never had the honor to meet Wayne McCollum before his passing, to him I am ever grateful, not only for serving our country, but for his story which affected me so personally.

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The Changing Man Soldier Resolute Resilient Serving Shooting Sacrificing Bomb Battle Bunker Brigade Infiltrate Intimidate Impact Proud Patriotic Veteran

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Visual Aspect For my visual, I made a video using pictures of Wayne, newspaper clippings about him, and speeches he wrote. I am not the best artist, so this was a way for me to commemorate many key aspects of his life.

The Things They Carried Quote War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead. ~Tim OBrien, page 76 The Things They Carried I love this quote because it covered all aspects of war, both good and bad. I incorporated this quote in my video of pictures.

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Works-Cited 1. United States. U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Purple Heart. Web. <http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/purple-heart.pdf>. 2. "Bronze Star." Fact Sheet. Department of the Air Force. Web. 5 Dec 2013. <http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=7771&page=1>. 3. "2nd Armored Division.". United States Center of Military History. Web. 5 Dec 2013. <http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/002ad.htm>. 4. "George S Patton." History. The History Channel. Web. 5 Dec 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/george-smith-patton>. 5. "Battle of the Bulge." Unites States Army. Web. 5 Dec 2013. <http://www.army.mil/botb/overview.html>.