Mrs. Cordie's Soldier Son: A World War II Saga

Epilogue

EPILOGUE The 28th division survived the Battle of the Bulge. Since its arrival in Europe in 1944, the Keystone Division had participated in five major campaigns: Normandy, northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe. After Germany surrendered, the 28th, along with several other U.S. Army divisions, prepared to enter the war in Asia. However, after Japan’s surrender in September 1945, the division was deactivated from federal service on December 13, 1945. Today the 28th Division continues as a National Guard component of the U.S. Army, and members of its various detachments have served in the global war on terrorism. The civil affairs function is still alive in the modern U.S. Army. In fact, in the global war on terrorism, this work has become a major mission for the United States. While the U.S. military is able to plan and conduct a war, the immediate follow-up of managing the civilian population ’s needs for supplies, medical services, infrastructure, and civilian authority is daunting and more vital than ever. In Iraq and Afghanistan the civil affairs needs have taxed the U.S. Army and Marine Corps resources to the point that the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy are now putting boots on the ground as replacements for U.S. Army personnel. After the fighting is done, civil affairs work is still required to provide basic needs until a viable government can be established. After World War II the U.S. Army designated Camp Wolters as Fort Wolters. It later became an aviation training facility for the U.S. Army. Aviation training was taken by veterans such as my wife’s uncle, Epilogue 149 Fred Darst, a World War II fixed-wing U.S. Navy pilot, who accepted a commission in the Texas Army National Guard and became a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. However, with the winding down of the Vietnam War and a reduction in forces, Fort Wolters was deactivated in 1974 and 1975. Currently, Weatherford College and Lake Mineral Wells State Park utilize much of the property and many of the facilities . Certain portions have returned to ranching and agriculture, along with some light industrial and commercial ventures. The Texas Army National Guard has retained approximately four thousand acres for its needs. Military reservists of all branches continue to utilize these facilities in cooperation with the Texas National Guard as they prepare for deployments around the world. The need for mail by U.S. service personnel cannot be overstated, for it plays a critical role in morale. It is their primary connection to what they have left behind and a reminder of why they have to return. While today’s military is fortunate to have the use of electronic mail and enhanced telecommunications service, the U.S. mail is still critical. From my limited personal experience, there is never enough computer time to allow each individual to correspond with a loved one when at sea or on foreign soil. The U.S. mail still provides the most tangible connection by allowing one to read and reread the thoughts and wishes of family and friends. It still possesses some of the intimacy that many people need in difficult times. After years of anonymity, the town of Chisholm has become a fast-growing bedroom suburb of Dallas. Several years after the war Chisholm combined with another neighboring community, McLendon, and incorporated as the City of McLendon-Chisholm. New homes have replaced the cotton fields, and few of the current residents know about the sharecroppers or threshing crews. General stores are relics of the past. In the 1990s the rural United Methodist Church transferred its congregation and membership to the United Methodist Church in Terrell and closed its doors just before the turn of the century. At least for a time, an antique store occupied the building that was once the Chisholm Methodist Church. There is no longer a central gathering spot for the local residents; however, as McLendon-Chisholm redefines 150 Mrs. Cordie’s Soldier Son itself, as Rockwall did several years earlier, this will change. The founding families of Chisholm would be pleased to know that their little community has survived and would be excited about its prospects. Stella McElmurry, the devoted girlfriend, faded into D.C.’s past. He could not show her the love that she deserved. She was always remembered fondly...