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«The need to remember»
There are many of us in the Moselle region who remember that it was not all the long ago that our territory, Lorraine, was liberated from tyranny and oppression …. |
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 The 90th Infantry Division Association
Official website of the 90th Infantry Division.
 launch the website |
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PREFACE
«This narrative has been compiledprimarily from letters to my wife and supplemented by official After-Action reports, unit histories, newspaper clippings and the memories they evoke. It should be noted that our mail was heavily censored. We were not permitted to say
where we were, what units were around us, what combat actions we were engaged in or use
the names of senior people. Consequently, many letters are followed by an explanatory note.
Also, some personal remarks have been deleted.
At the beginning of this narrative, I was a Lieutenant Colonel and Executive Officer of
the 106th Mechanized Cavalry Group of the Illinois National Guard. We were a light armoured brigade with our major mission that of reconnaissance and security, either leading
or on the flanks of a larger force, generally a Corps of several divisions. We were equipped
with light-tanks, armoured cars, half tracks and armoured jeeps.
My wife, Joey, had joined me for my last three weeks at Fort Hood before shipping overseas. Since there were no quarters on the post and almost no apartments available off-post, she stayed part time in a hotel in Temple and part time with her cousin, Heil Campbell.
Our two children, Jody and Jamie remained behind in El Paso with their grandmother, MabelLeavell, because we could not find a place to live anywhere near Fort Hood. It was
an emotional and difficult time for us- filled with promises and enduring love in the coming
separation- faced to war.
The group was ordered to Europe in January and I was detailed to lead a small advanced
Party to make arrangements for the arrival of the rest of the unit in England. After a very brief holiday with Joey in Dallas, I joined the rest of my party and we departed for the Army
Port ofembarkation in New York harbour.
James H . POLK
February 12, 1944
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95th Infantry Division association
