Bryan Co., OK;  Military - World War II - Letter

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Trudy Marlow 
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SOURCE: Letter written in 1945 about the death of Angus Giles 
during war. The letter was written to the sister of Angus Giles 
by a fellow soldier in Angus' company.
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Rambersvillers, France

July 28, 1945

Dear Mrs. Barkley,

I was very surprised, and yet honored to receive a letter from you, my 
buddies' sister. It is terribly difficult to write a letter of this nature, 
concerning the person you love, but if you will bear with me, I hope it 
might be possible for me to relate to you his tragedy as to the best of my 
knowledge. He was one of my best friends, and close companion. Yes, he was 
still in the paratroops and was one of the best automatic rifleman in the 
company, and I had the privilege of being his assistant. I was also with 
him when he was wounded in Holland. I don't know if he wrote and told you 
but he received the bronze star, for gallantry in action, during our 
Holland campaign. 

Our company moved out on the night of Jan. 29, to get ready and go into 
the attack the next morning. Our squad led out the company and of course, 
we were the first to hit action. We established ourselves behind a wall of 
snow and began firing. We kept up a base of fire, Giles, myself, and four 
others, so the rest of the company could advance down a road that was to 
our right. Our objective was to capture high ground, usable for the purpose 
of observation and a tactual strong point. We kept up a steady stream of fire, 
when Giles who was on my right was suddenly struck by a burst of machine gun 
bullets. I don't think he knew what hit him, because when I leaned over and 
rolled him on his back, he was already dead. Instantly hate filled our hearts, 
and we were all prepared to charge the enemy and kill everyone in sight, but 
our squad leader, using wise judgment held us back. We finally did succeed 
in capturing the position, later that afternoon, with heavy loss of life. It 
was a sad day for us all, even though we were victorious. Down deep in my 
heart, I pray that my eyes never witness such horror of blood-shed. Giles, 
and all the rest that died that fateful day, gave their blood so all the rest 
of us could live in peace and security and have the pursuit of happiness. I 
surely hope that Giles did not give his life in vain, if but out of all the 
death and suffering we have gone through we can prove to ourselves, that are 
now living, we can build a more stable and bright future. 

Well, Mrs. Barkley, I surely hope that I have answered all your questions. 
I hope, with all my heart, that your other brother, returns safely and 
speedily -- may God grant it to be that way.

I think it is time for me to say goodnight and good-bye for awhile. If you 
care, please write again, nothing could make me more pleased. Goodnight-- 
and I wish you happiness for your distress.

 

Always a friend,

Julius