Dawson+S.+&+Angel+S.+-+John+Rowe


 * SGT John Roe **
 * Dawson Smith and Angel Samsel **


 * __Early Life:__ **
 * 1) ** Where were you born? **
 * 2) ** When were you born? **
 * 3) ** Please explain some of your childhood? **
 * 4) ** What did your parents do for a living? **
 * 5) ** How many siblings do you have? How old? Gender? **
 * 6) ** Did you have any other family members who served in the military? **


 * __Going Into the Military:__ **
 * 1) ** How old were you when you were drafted? **
 * 2) ** How did you feel about being drafted? **
 * 3) ** What were you doing before you entered the service? **
 * 4) ** What was the departure for training like? **
 * 5) ** Where did you go for basic training? **
 * 6) ** Are there any things you remember from basic training? **
 * 7) ** After basic training, where did you go for specialized training? **
 * 8) ** How were the first days of training? **
 * 9) ** How did you train for your M.O.S? **
 * 10) ** Please describe the uniform you wore. **
 * 11) ** Where did you serve? **
 * 12) ** Please explain the trip over. **
 * 13) ** Please explain adapting to military life: food, social life **


 * __Combat:__ **
 * 1) ** What did your group do during combat? **
 * 2) ** Please explain step by step what you did during combat? **
 * 3) ** Did you carry a weapon? Describe it. **
 * 4) ** What were the conditions like in the field? Did you sleep in a fox hole? **
 * 5) ** Where did you sleep? **
 * 6) ** Please explain emotions relating to combat **
 * 7) ** Did you witness any casualties? How did you cope with this? **
 * 8) ** Did you form any friendships during your service? **
 * 9) ** How did you stay in touch with friend and family back home? **
 * 10) ** Where were you when World War II ended? **
 * 11) ** How old were you when world war II ended? **
 * 12) ** Did you earn any medals for your service? What for? **

** __Sgt. John Rowe Narrative__ ** ** ** After leaving the service, Mr. John Rowe received several medals. One was the good conduct medal. He received this medal for displaying good conduct and efficiency. He also received the bronze star. The bronze star is awarded to a soldier for showing acts of heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in combat. ** **
 * __Coming back home:__ **
 * 1) ** How did you return home? **
 * 2) ** How did your family welcome you home? **
 * 3) ** How did the community welcome you home? **
 * 4) ** Please explain how you readjusted to civilian life? **
 * 5) ** Are you still in touch with fellow veterans? **
 * 6) ** Are you a member in any veterans’ organizations? **
 * 7) ** How did wartime experiences affect your life? **
 * 8) ** What life lessons did you learn from military service? **
 * 9) ** Where do you live now? **
 * Mr. John Rowe was born in Philadelphia on December 9, 1924. He grew up in Philadelphia during the Great Depression. He had five siblings, two sisters and three brothers. He was the second oldest in his family behind his older sister. His father served in World War I. “Money was very scarce and we made do with whatever we had. And like your clothing you never got new clothing or new shoes you just had to do with what you had. If your shoes wore out, you put cardboard inside the shoe to keep your feet off the ground.” Mr. Rowe turned 18 in 1943. Being 18 years old made him eligible to be drafted into the military. That year, on the same day that he graduated, he was drafted into the army. He was sent to Fort McClellan for 13 weeks of basic training. **
 * Mr. Rowe describes his departure as very sad. His parents watched him get on a train and leave for Alabama. Mr. Rowe says that the toughest part of basic training was the heat. It was July in Alabama and training in the heat was tough. After 13 weeks, Mr. Rowe went to New York where he expected to attend City College of New York(CCNY) for a couple of years and leave as an officer. However, the program was disbanded after a couple of months. That was when he was sent to Mississippi to become part of the 87th Infantry Division. He became a mortarman. A mortarman was a man who is in charge of a mortar. A mortar is a tube shaped weapon that shoots explosives. He had to carry around the mortar, which weighed 40 pounds, all through Europe. **
 * He was sent to Europe on the Queen Elizabeth which was the largest ship in the world at the time. “Now that ship because of its speed went alone, it wasn’t in the convoy like most ships cross the ocean because it was so fast and it zig zagged all the way across so to avoid any German submarines that might be waiting to blow them up. There was 15,000 of us on that ship, and if that ship would have went down that would have been a catastrophe.” The ship arrived in Glenock, Scotland where the troops continued training. Then, he was sent to Congleton by train. Next, just before Thanksgiving, he was shipped out to La Harve, France. On the first day of combat, his 87th Infantry division went on the front line, relieving the 26th Yankee Division. That was when they were pinned down by artillery fire. Many men were lost during this incident. The Division of around 200 people decreased to about 100 people within a week. On December 16, 1944 the Germans started an attack known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge was started after HItler’s army attacked through the Ardennes and Antwerp. Before this, American troops had thought that the war would be over by Christmas. Americans were caught off guard and struggled to hold Hitler back. Rowe’s 87th Infantry Division was assigned to fight in the battle. They served under General George Patton as a part of his third army. Rowe was the first gunner during the battle. The conflict took place during one of the coldest, snowiest winter in European history. The troops slept outdoors in fox holes. This battle ended in around 75,000 American casualties. Mr. Rowe witnessed many deaths on the battlefield. By the end of the war, there were only 14 members of the 87th Infantry division left. Mr. John Rowe was one of the 14 lucky survivors. **
 * In February, 1944 battalion headquarters called Rowe and about 15 other men to form a group known as Tiger Patrol. The Tiger Patrol was not a combat patrol, it was more to determine where and how strong the enemy was. They were supposed to take back prisoners if they had the opportunity. John Rowe took the job because he thought it would be better than shooting on the front lines in harsh weather and sleeping in foxholes.When he was a mortarman he was only given a 45 caliber revolver and when he was in tiger patrol he was assigned the top rifle available. **
 * After WWII, Mr. John Rowe did not want to re enlist and serve in the active duty. Instead he decided to enlist for the reserves. He heard from his friend that if he were to join the active reserves, he'd get a days pay for every time he went to a meeting. Nearing closer to the Korean War, Mr. Rowe’s whole outfit was called up to be stationed in Reading, where the 318th tank battalion was headquartered. In October 1950, Mr.Rowe was then stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana, where he and his outfit would train for the Tank Battalion. Soon after his training had started, Mr.Rowe started to notice other men getting Hardship Discharges. "I happened to be in headquarters, and I noticed all these people getting hardship discharges, so why can't I?" He then applied for one and it came through in August of 1951. Mr. Rowe, finally out of the military, drove back home from Louisiana and he was welcomed back with open arms by his family. By the time Mr. Rowe left the service, he was married and had his first daughter. **

** __Veterans History Project Interview Transcript__ ** ** Dawson Smith and Angel Samsel **


 * Interviewers: Dawson and Angel **


 * Interviewee: Sgt. John Rowe **


 * Interview Setting: Interview conducted in John Rowe’s dining room at Stoneridge. Interview conducted at 6pm on February 10, 2015. **


 * (Start of Interview) **


 * Angel: We are interviewing Sgt. John Rowe who served in the army in World War II. **


 * Dawson: This interview is being conducted February 10, 2015 in Myerstown, PA by Angel Samsel and Dawson Smith **


 * Angel: This interview is being conducted for the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. **


 * Dawson: Mr John Rowe, Where were you born? **


 * Rowe: I was born in Philadelphia. **


 * Dawson: Uh when were you born? **


 * Rowe: 1924. **


 * Dawson: Please explain some of your childhood. **


 * Rowe: Oh my, well I grew up during the depression, so money was very scarce and um we we made do with whatever we had. And like your clothing you never got new clothing or new shoes you just had to do with what you had. If your shoes wore out, you put cardboard inside the shoe to keep your feet off the ground. **


 * Dawson: What did your parents do for a living? **


 * Rowe: My father was a hosiery knitter, full fashion hosiery knitter in Philadelphia. **


 * Dawson: And what is that? **


 * Rowe: Pardon? **


 * Dawson: What is a hosiery knitter? **


 * Rowe: Oh, a knitter is, makes full fashion hosiery. Women’s Hosiery. **


 * Dawson: Got ya. **


 * Rowe: At that time...At that time they...the stocking was made flat and then it was put together and had a seam put up the back of the stocking. Today you don’t see that anymore because all the stockings are seamless. **


 * Dawson: How many siblings did you have, if any? **


 * Rowe: There were 6 of us, 4 boys and 2 girls. **


 * Dawson: How old were they? **


 * Rowe: How old? **


 * Dawson: Yeah. **


 * Rowe: Well I was the second oldest. I had uh an older sister, younger sister, and three younger brothers. **


 * Dawson: Did you have any other family members who served in the military? **


 * Rowe: My father was in the military. He was in World War I. **


 * Angel: So, we’re gonna ask you some questions about how you first went into the military. **


 * Rowe: Okay. **


 * Angel: Um how old were you when you were drafted? **


 * Rowe: 18. When I was in high school, I turned 18 and had to sign up for the draft. **


 * Angel: How did you feel about being drafted? **


 * Rowe: Well I wasn’t too happy about it, but there was nothing I could do about it. The day I was inducted into the army, I came home that evening and graduated from high school that’s how quick they got me. **


 * Angel:Before you even graduated **


 * Rowe: Haha **


 * Angel: What were you doing before you entered the service? **


 * Rowe: I was in high school haha. **


 * Angel: Just being a kid. Um what was your departure for training like? What was your departure for training like? **


 * Rowe: Where was it? **


 * Angel: What was your departure like for training? **


 * Rowe: Very sad. My parents came to the train station in Philadelphia to see me off and that wasn't a very happy day. **


 * Angel: um where did you go for basic training? **
 * Rowe: First of all I went to New Cumberland, Pennsylvania where they gave me shots and got me prepared to go for basic training I went to Fort Mcclellan, Alabama for 13 weeks of basic training. **


 * Angel: Are there any things you remember from basic training that stand out? Are th- Are there any like certain parts of basic training that you remember that stick out to you in your memory? **


 * Rowe: Well, it was July in Alabama, very hot. I can remember that very clearly because after a day out in the field in the hot sun and we came back and we were so perspired. Our were just soaken wet that was the hardest part of basic training I think the heat **


 * Angel: um after basic training where did you go for specialized training? **


 * Rowe: After basic training, I went to city college New York because I was going to be uh what I thought was gonna be pretty easy army because I’d spend a couple of years at City College, NY then come out as an officer, but that all changed because about a couple months in my training at City College, NY, they disbanded the program and I wound up in the infantry, which wasn't very happy **


 * Angel: Um how were the first days of basic training it got- **


 * Dawson: microphone **


 * Angel: oh, how were your first days of specialized training before it was disbanded? **


 * Rowe: Well,that was very nice because you just went to classes and just you had some free time had good meals. We got to uh USO and New York City and see more about New York City’s life. **


 * Angel: Um 15, how did you train for M.O.S? **


 * Rowe: I’m sorry I didn’t- **


 * Angel: How did you train for your M.O.S? How did you train for your M.O.S? **


 * Rowe: How did I train? **


 * Angel: Yeah. **


 * Rowe: For what? **


 * Dawson: 87th Infantry Division. **


 * Angel: Yeah for your 87th Infantry Division **


 * Rowe: Well we had all kinds of training. I was a mortarman and, you know what a mortarman was? **


 * Angel: No **


 * Rowe: Uh oh **


 * Angel: I know what a mortar is. **


 * Rowe: You know what a mortar is? **


 * Angel: I don’t know what a mortar man does. **


 * Rowe: Well the if mortar is a tube and it has a bipod support the tube and a base plate to keep from digging in the ground. Well, I was the first gunner on the mortar, and I had to carry the whole mortar about 40 pounds and I had to carry it all over Europe. **


 * Angel: Ok please can you please describe the uniform you got when you first got there? **


 * Rowe: Describe my uniform? **


 * Angel: Yeah **


 * Rowe: It was a standard uniform. We had a summer uniform and a winter uniform, in the summer it was khakis in the winter it was wool wool uniform. **


 * Angel: Um and where did you serve again? Where did you serve again? **


 * Rowe: I served in Europe ended up with the Battle of the Bulge. **


 * Angel: Can you explain your trip over to Europe? Can you explain your trip over to Europe? **


 * Rowe: How I got to Europe you mean? **


 * Angel: Yeah. **


 * Rowe: Went across on the Queen Elizabeth largest ship, afloat at that time. Now that ship because of its speed went alone, it wasn’t in the convoy like most ships cross the ocean because it was so fast and it zig zagged all the way across so to avoid any German submarines that might be waiting to blow them up. There was 15,000 of us on that ship, and if that ship would have went down that would have been a catastrophe. **


 * Angel: um um can you please explain like adapting to military life like food and- ? **


 * Rowe: I’m not sure how to answer that. It depended who you were and who the cook was and sometimes the food was very good but other times it was mediocre. Social life, we’d go into town, the nearest town that had busses running back and forth and we’d go into town and we go to dances and things like that. **
 * Angel- I know it is a new section, but I wanted to ask you about the Tank Battalion you were in. **


 * John Rowe- Tank Battalion? (pause) *clears throat*. In the Infantry we had a s-s-s saying or a song that we used to sing. “When the war is over we will all enlist again! When the war is over we will all enlist again!When the war is over we will all enlist again, like hell we will!”. Well, a- when it came time to be a-discharged from WWII, and the recruiting officer was there, and since I had some rank, I was sergeant, I thought well.. you never know what could come of the future, I think I’ll not re-enlist, but at least go into the reserves. Then one day a buddy from church said, “Why don’t you go into the active reserves? You get a day's pay for everytime you go to a meeting.” and money was tight and I thought, “Well yeah I think I can do that.” Well, the Korean War came along and uh my buddy said, “ Oh, dont worry, Your whole outfit would have to be called up, They won’t call you as an individual.” Well, sure enough, the whole outfit was called up. The 318 Tank Battalion, headquartered in Reading. So, when uh October 1950, I had to go down to Fort Polk, Louisiana, where we were in training as a Tank battalion. I happened to be in the Headquarters and I noticed all these people getting hardship discharges, and I said, “Boy, if they can get hardship discharges, why can’t I?” So, I applied for one . My wifes' doctor wrote a nice letter, saying that she was having problems and next thing you know, my hardship discharge came through. So, in August 1951, I was discharged and came home and that was the end of my military career since. **


 * Angel- Now for coming back home. How did you return home? **


 * John Rowe- Well, I had a vehicle with me in Louisiana, I drove home in my own car. **


 * Angel- How did your family welcome you home? **


 * John Rowe- Well that was a big day when I came home, because by that time I was married and had a little daughter. Who was only about a year old, and they were certainly glad to see me *chuckles* **


 * Angel- How did the community welcome you home? **


 * John Rowe- I’m not sure the community did, family did more than anything . **


 * Angel- Please explain how you adjusted back to civilian life. **


 * John Rowe- Well, between the time I was in WWII and the Korean War, I had signed up for an apprenticeship as a Machinist, at Textile Machine Works in Reading and I completed my apprenticeship, when I was called back into the service . So after I got out of the Korean War I went back to Textile Machine Works, and worked there for thirteen years. Last five of which I was the instructor at Wyomissing Power Technical Institute , I was apart of our apprenticeship program. **


 * Angel- Do you still keep in contact with any of your fellow veterans you’ve met in the service? **


 * John Rowe- I wasn’t in contact with any of them for quite awhile. In fact, my wife said she knew me for 25 years before she even knew anything about my experience in the war. One night, we went to see the movie “Patton” because him being my Commanding Officer of the Third Army, and on the way out of the theater, I met another couple from our church and I was saying I served under Patton and he said, “Oh, I did too, well what outfit were you in?” “In the 87th Infantry division .” “Hey, so was I!” Well I knew him for 25 years and I never asked him what his army experience was. He says, “Have you ever been to our reunions?” “What reunions? I never heard about them.” So, from then on we decided we’d go to the reunions. We went as buddies then because I knew him, that's the first time my wife ever knew anything about my army experience, because as buddies, we’d sit around and talk about our experiences and she would be there listening in. That’s the first time she knew anything about it. **


 * Angel-What were the reunions like with meeting all the people? **


 * John rowe- The reunions were held in different cities each year and at one time we had over 1,000 people, so it was difficult to find these places to hold, you know 1,000 people? So, as the years went on the men died off and the reunions got smaller and smaller and about three years ago, they were about ready to disband the reunions, but the younger people, the children of the veterans said they don’t want to see it disbanded, so we now have what we call a“Golden Acorn Legacy”. It's run by the children of the veterans rather than the veterans. So we have about 100 veterans , that’s about it today. Most of them are children, grandchildren, spouses. **


 * Angel- How did the war time experiences affect your life and yourself as a person? **


 * John Rowe- Unlike service people today, I don’t think we had the trauma that they have today. When we came back, we wanted to forget about the Army and just get on with our lives. I can understand why they have a problem today, our enemy had a uniform, we knew who he was, we knew where he was. Today, the enemy is in civilian clothing, you don’t know who they are, you don’t know who to trust. You go down a road and there’s explosives, it blows up your vehicle. I can see the trauma these people have today. **


 * Angel- What were the life lessons that you learned from military life? **


 * John Rowe- I wasn't such a happy camper in the military. Some people loved the military, but a, it wasn’t for me. I was just glad when I got out. **