We’re Going on a Treasure Hunt:War
While preparing to fight in France during WWII, cousin Frank Bayles received …. A Pocket Guide To France. The first line he reads is telling him that he will play a personal part in the war. “Whatever part you take – rifleman, hospital orderly, mechanic, pilot, clerk, gunner, truck driver – you will be an essential factor in a great effort…” It was our honor to meet cousin Frank on Utah Beach, Normandy France. We discovered from a short biography in the Parowan, Utah museum on Memorial Day, that he is arriving under General Patton with the 695th Armored Field Artillery Division. Essential they were as they aggresively make their way across France saving thousands of lives. A google search of cousin Frank’s battalion revealed a website: Witness To War. We listened to a fellow solider tell what they experienced.
Now to find cousin Herman E. Bayles in WW1. We have to drive the opposite direction, and find ourselves in awe at the Chateau-Thierry American Monument. We find his insigna worn on the sleeve of his uniform. We find his arrival in France, but we cannot find him in any battles. Cousin Herman’s battle would be disappointment. The war ended while his division was in Southern France finishing training. He was not needed on the battlefield. We found cousin Herman in Family Search memories with his uniform on in France. His WWII attached sources told us when he arrived with his 145th Field Artillery Regiment. A google search gave us a detailed account of his essential role…preparedness! All he did to prepare is a visual part of the friendship and unity shared between the United States and France in the fight for freedom.
Cousin Carl Bayles gave his life in a different way. While training in Texas, he died, one month after his enlistment, from meningitis. His memory and presence have been a very real part of our trip.
Bethany and I love the quote on the monument below the eagle.”Time will not dim the golry of their deeds.”
You are an essential part of your family and your family’s history. What war sources in Family Search are attached to your ancestors? Can google search help you find any other published sources?