Speed, Clarence E., St. Helena Parish, Louisiana File prepared by D.N. Pardue and submitted by Inez Bridges Tate. ************************************************ Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ From "St. Helena Vets Remember World War II: Personal Interviews With World War II Vets", published by St. Helena Historical Association, 1995. Compiled and edited by Inez Bridges Tate and reprinted with permission. Clarence E. Speed was born and reared in Chatawa, Mississippi. After he graduated from Osyka High School in 1942, he enrolled in N.Y.A. Trade School in Brookhaven. Upon completion of the weld- ing course, he was employed by Gulf Shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. Early in February of 1943, Speed informed the Draft Board he was ready to enter service. At this time recruiting stations had been closed as some service branches were getting too many requests and others very few. All the men inducted at Camp Shelby were given a choice of the Army or Navy. Speed chose the Army as he got two weeks at home before reporting for active duty March 4, 1943. Basic training was at Fort Knox, Kentucky, with advanced training at Camp Campbell, presently called Fort Campbell. He was returned to Fort Knox for awhile before being shipped over- seas in 1944. They disembarked in Scotland, went by train to Saulsberry, England, where Speed said they were housed in tents, sleeping on wheat straw mattresses. There was a large build-up of troops in England at this time preparing for battle. Speed was assigned to the 7th Armored Division, 31st Battalion, Company B in a Sherman Tank, M4. While sightseeing in England, he saw Max Lacy, a classmate from Magnolia. After he was sent to France, he served four months under General Patton and the rest of the time under General Omar Bradley's Command. He was in Aachen, Germany when he witnessed his first V-bomb going on its way to London. In the middle of December, they were suddenly ordered to move quickly and without warning of what was to follow the general area of St. Vith, Belgium, far to the south. Speed told of a life-threatening incident. One night while they were moving from Battle position, they lost communication. They were receiving messages but could not transmit. Suddenly a GI stepped in front of their tank. They learned they were falsely identified as an enemy tank and the ground crew was ready to open fire with anti-tank guns. This soldier was so positive this was a U.S. tank, he risked his life when he stop- ped them and, by his actions, probably saved the lives of all the men in this tank. Speed took part in the Battle of the Bulge where, on Decem- ber 20, 1944, he was wounded in the right hand. He recalls receiving a shot of morphine and given a roll of gauze to clinch in his hand while it was being wrapped tightly. He was trans- ported to a medic station in a house where he and others spent the night. On December 21, a group was transported by ambulance to the 8th General Hospital in Paris. When the doctors took the bandage off his hand and forced his fingers open, Speed became lightheaded. He had little use of the right hand. He was given the choice of going home or going to England to have his hand repaired. He chose England. He was shipped to Salsbury where surgery was performed. Shortly after that he was sent to Birmingham for rehabilitation. While recovering, he and a guy from Connecticut were given a pass to London. They went by train and arrived at night. An MP gave them a ride part of the way but they had to walk four blocks to the Red Cross Hotel. They began their trek and were accosted by "Ladies of the Night". His friend was really afraid and asked what they should do. Speed told him to fall in step behind him. The soldier caught hold of the back of Speed's clothes and they walked until they reached the hotel lobby. War time London was kept in darkness during the night hours so this made the trip more difficult. The next morning Speed was awakened by a GI pulling on him. By the time he was fully awake, he was alone on the third floor of the hotel and a "Buzz" bomb was on its way. Since it was too late to do anything, he said he covered up and went back to sleep. After recovering from the operation, he was sent back to his unit in Germany. Each returning GI was assigned to take a vehicle back to the front with them to replace lost equipment. He drove a jeep and a young lieutenant rode with him. Speed said some of the original members had been replaced because of wounds and frost bite of the feet. He was transferred to the Second Armored Division and was sent with the first American troops to occupy Berlin. During the month (July 4 until August 4, 1945), he did guard duty on a street. He and a friend stayed with a German couple, but re- turned to the unit for food. A sad memory was of children and adults digging into the garbage for food. While he was in Berlin, he sold Milky Way bars for five dollars each, cigarette packs for ten dollars each and his watch to Russian soldiers. During his stay in Europe, he served in Belgium, Holland, France and Germany. Each country had its own currency. If a GI purchased something in another country, he had to have his American money changed into the currency of that country. Speed spoke of what a treat it was to get a shower. These were usually far apart. In Holland they showered in a mine entrance building where the miners bathed and changed clothes at the end of their work shift. After leaving Berlin, Speed heard on the radio that the A- bomb had been dropped. The American troops were getting ready to leave Europe and go the Pacific to help with the invasion of Japan. These men were elated to hear that Japan surrendered after the second A-bomb was dropped. After Speed returned to the United States, he traveled four days on a troop train to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where he was discharged on January 31, 1946. He caught a bus to Chatawa and then walked the mile to his home. Speed said his dad told him that Congressman John Rankin had gotten the GI Bill of Rights enacted and he encouraged him to go to college. In September of 1946, he enrolled at Southeastern Louisiana University and graduated in 1950. While attending Southeastern, he met Miss Anna Phillips and they married on February 3, 1951. Speed enrolled at LSU while Anna taught for a year at St. Amant. During the following years, he worked in the field of education in Green Cove Springs, Florida, Rodessa, Louisiana, and for thirty years in St. Helena Parish. He served as Superintendent of St. Helena Parish School System from July 1, 1977 until July 1, 1985. Also, he served four years as councilman and from January 1, 1967 until January 1, 1984 as Mayor of Greensburg. Clarence and Anna Speed compiled a family history, THE ST. HELENA PARISH PHILLIPS FAMILY, which has been enjoyed by many. They have two sons, Clifton and Eddie, and four granchild- ren. Since retiring they have lived quietly in Greensburg. * * *