Soldier's Son

1. Killed in Action

1 iniEi ii ICTIII Masontown, Pennsylvania December 24,1944-January 25,1945 On Christmas Eve of 1944, Mom received a telegram reporting tersely that Dad had been missing in action since the seventeenth, the second dayof the Battleof the Bulge. Try though she might, she could get no further information from the government about his fate. With a toddler and twin infants, Mom observed the holidays filled with dread and distress. Following weeksofworry, she returned on the first day of the winter term to continue teaching her second-grade class. For her, staying busy with her pupils' reading, spelling, mathematics, {3} { 4 } KILLED IN ACTION and penmanship waspreferableto sitting at home waiting day after day. As one of the twins, I did not hear about this episode of Mom's life until years later when my cousin Rosemary, who was a pupil in Mom's class, recalled it One dayin late January, Rosemary'smother, myaunt Rose, appeared at the dassroom door with another telegram in her hand. One glance at Aunt Rose's grim face and Mom fainted. Aunt Rose helped Mom out to the car and drove her home. WESTERN UNION Washington, D.C Dated 1/25/45 To Mrs. MaryAnne W. McClelland 201 North Main Street Masontown, Pa. Report now received through the International Red Cross that your husband ist Lt Ewing R. McClelland who waspreviously reported missing in actionwas killed in action on 23December while a Prisoner of KILLED IN ACTION { 5 } War of German Government. The Secretary of war extends his deep sympathy. Concerning letter follows. J.A.ULic. Adjutant General ...