James Watson -- modest WW2 hero

[James Pickering]

A good friend of mine (aged 86) who fought in WW2 gave me permission to scan and publish these items pertaining to his brother who fought with the 90th Infantry Division of Patton's Third Army. I thought they would be of interest to members of this Forum.

 

James

 

<img src="http://www.jp29.org/jw05.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

<img src="http://www.jp29.org/jw09.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

<img src="http://www.jp29.org/jw11.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

<img src="http://www.jp29.org/jw12.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

James was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism and the Purple Heart.

 

There is a sad, but often typical, footnote relating to James Watson. After enduring intense fighting as a member of the 90th Division, and being twice wounded in combat, he returned to his home and family in Chicago after dischage only to be killed in an automobile accident eight months later.

 

James' brother, Bob Watson, provided me with a fascinating letter he wrote. As you can see, it didn't scan very well (first page for example) ..........

 

<img src="http://www.jp29.org/jw13.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

.......... so Bob had it transcribed for clarity ..........

 

<img src="http://www.jp29.org/jw07.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="http://www.jp29.org/jw08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

[Walt's Daughter]

Excellent, excellent stuff James. Thanks many times over for putting this up on our forum. This is the type of stuff that I just love to see. I'm sure everyone here will be thrilled to see this.

 

Yes, how sad to see that after all he went through, that he was to be killed so soon after returning home. Sigh. How do you ever explain that?

[chucktoo1926]

James; THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSE.

Ive watched war movies and they almost come across as adventures that I missed out on.------- only I know better. This letter from Jim tells us what really goes on in their minds. The movie Battle Ground gives us an inkling more than the rest, but still falls short. If they would ever showed it like it really was, maybe the big shots would stop having wars. I keep thanking God that the war ended before I was to be shipped over. But not by much. You know, I have an email from my nephew out in California that talls me of something i never heard. My brother never talked of his time in the Marines. I didn't even know what rank he held till way after he came home. Ok, here it is, part anyway.

 

I remember when I was about 17, we had a19ft inboard/ouyboard, and my dad and I were fishing in the mouth of S.F. bay warers, when ihooked and brought along side after a struggle, a good5,,,,,ah maybe 4ft tiger shark. Well I wanted that puppyfor a picture, but it triggered something in my dad. We started to argue and he pissed me off by cutting the line while I was struggling to gaff it abopard. Wasn’t till later talking to John Mangini(my godfather) and his Marine buddy that how on a beach invasion,I forget the island, they would take guys in on their amphib tank and bring back wounded. They did it for about 10 hours that day and it got to the point they were picking up and dropping off in red water with bodies banging off the hull as they went in and out,,,but the kicker was when the sharks showed up.,,,I guess it left an affect on him.

when will we ever learn.

[Walt's Daughter]

Good point Chuck about the bringing up memories thing. You never know what will trigger someone. What seems like an innocent event might conjure up something that recalls horrible memories for those who fought in the war.

 

My mom (God bless her) never had much empathy for anyone and she did not understand why my dad would sometimes become totally engulfed in shows he saw on tv about WWII. She would even get angry at him (I never understood that), but I would just sit back and take it all in. Even as a young child something struck a chord within my soul that something much deeper was stirring within him. It was almost like a sacred moment.

[pdhinkle]

Most heros are modest.

 

Movies have a way of drawing one into the action. In the cowboys movies I always ducked when the Horses OR Wagons came straight out of the screen.

True to action WW2 movies have the same effect on Combat veterans. Since I have seen the death campps like Buchenwald I can watch with concern. Others have a hard time seeing the walking skeletons. That did not bother me, It was the odor of the live camp that got me, it ddoesn,t come thru in movies or TV.

I can not exprres synpathy for Germans OLd enough to have lived thru WW2. Like Americans they supported their leader. That was a wrong choice.

[Cadetat6]

What can I say, it was a great story

 

papa

[Custermen]

Good story and photos. The photo of him with the water-cooled machine gun helps you imagine what he looked like in combat---even though that photo was obviously taken at training. I'm surprised that they still used the water-cooled guns in 1945. I had assumed they switched to air-cooled ones.

 

Steve

[James Pickering]