The history of the First United Methodist Church of Paris reaches back to 1815 when William Stevenson decided to bring his Methodist inluence, and many of his followers to Arkansas County, Territory of Missouri. He traveled along the Red River, preaching in homes or in the open. Quickly a pocket of Methodists lived within what is now called Northeast Texas. As always in a pioneer movement, individuals moved west. As a result, Paris was formed in 1839 and Methodism arrived at the same time. This book relates the growth of what became eventually First Church of Paris.
The war memories for each were not easy to tell or write, for some had repressed them long ago. We have been able to live the American Dream through dedicated soldiers as the 250th Field Artillerymen. They spent many nights together away from home with ties that would bind them together that has never loosened over the years. Their stories are inspiring ones of faith, courage, patriotism and some told with humor, which helped to put their experience into perspective - somewhat! During this time, our people here at home were doing their part in everyway they could. Everyone listened to the radio for further news. The good news finally came - from "Day of Infamy" to "VE-VJ Day!" As a light weight 105mm howitzer battalion they would become known for their firing power. They made history and are leaving a legacy to be most proud. They proved they still can answer to the call of duty. I am proud to say, never once did I not enjoy my work with each of these men. Let's just say - we have a deeper friendship than when we began this project together. I became their ears and wrote the word for many of them. I scribbled making notes as they talked and then, when hunched over my keyboard to translate from them working into the early morning hours. I pray I conveyed each story as each of them would have. As I wrote, I got the sense what the American flag meant to each - it symbolized a Tradition of Caring. I wrote with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eyes and, yes, a little snicker.
The 75th Infantry Division contained the following units: 75th Division Artillery, 289th, 290th, and 291st Infantry, 275th Engineer Battalion, 375th Medical Battalion, 785th Signal Company, 75th Quartermaster Company, 775th Ordnance Company, HeadQuarters Company, and the 75th Reconnaissance Troop.
The commander of the three-hundred-wagon Union supply train never expected a large ragtag group of Texans and Native Americans to attack during the dark of night in Union-held territory. But Brigadier Generals Richard Gano and Stand Watie defeated the unsuspecting Federals in the early morning hours of September 19, 1864, at Cabin Creek in the Cherokee nation. The legendary Watie, the only Native American general on either side, planned details of the raid for months. His preparation paid off--the Confederate troops captured wagons with supplies that would be worth more than $75 million today. Writer, producer and historian Steve Warren uncovers the untold story of the last raid at Cabin Creek in this Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal-winning history.
Stories of the Greatest Generation come alive in the hands of longtime local journalist Adrian O'Connor What made the D-Day attack on Omaha Beach so remarkable was that it was carried out largely out by National Guardsman - men of the 29th Infantry Division who had never before seen combat. One of the companies that was part of this historic day hailed from the environs of Winchester, Virginia. Winchester's martial gallantry was hardly restricted to the beaches of Normandy, though. A future city councilor came ashore at Anzio, Italy. A future school principal fought in what may have been the Pacific's toughest battle, Iwo Jima. Local men held the line at the climactic Battle of the Bulge, flew over Europe and the oil fields of Ploesti and even escaped a German prisoner-of-war camp.
"Kunze Up Front!" is unique in several distinctive ways. It is a first-person report. Many GIs who could have written first-person reports did not survive to write them. The first-person writing attempts to put the reader into the soldier's shoes""the dangers, the emotions, the surprises, the good decisions as well as the bad ones, the bad things that happened as well as the good ones, the consequences of commands that come from the top (headquarters) to those on the bottom who are commanded, and the distant view of a dangerous situation versus the view of the danger to those who are facing it. The book attempts to convey the private's perceptions. The author's ability to speak the German language was used on many occasions: "Kunze Up Front!" Native Germans could readily place the origin of his German Great-Grandfather by the accent of his language. All communications had to be under the supervision of an officer. Many two- or three-page stories have been written about decisive battles. The Battle of Schmitten will not be forgotten by those who fought there. Our Armor was ambushed, crushed, captured and driven out of town. Then the Infantry was commanded to take it. The activities of various units are related by individuals who fought in them. The command of "Kunze Up Front!" was often used to expedite and assure that the "white flag" message was genuine. The race did not end until we were well into territory reserved for Russian occupation. Soldiers in the war, their relatives, historians and avid readers should find the book to be of real interest. Proud winner of the 2020 Will Rogers Medallion Award - Western Mavericks Category
This eye-opening anthology documents, for the first time, the effects of World War II on Latina/o personal and political beliefs across a broad spectrum of ethnicities and races within the Latina/o identity.
