Page 52 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine

Sterman M. Young
terman Meral Young was
born June 9, 1921, near Jean,
SYoung County, Texas as the
fourth of five children born to
V. W. and Nettie Cox Young. He
attended small country schools
in Jack and Young Counties, at
the farm communities of Shinola,
Sherra and Markley, and high
school at Jermyn
(near Jacksboro).
While working in
the oilfield as a
cable tool driller,
he married Virgie
Christine Potts on
July 3, 1941 and
lived in Graham
and Markley, Texas
until December
7, 1941. At that
time, they moved
to San Francisco,
California to work
52 Lubbock Senior Link
From Jermyn to
Germany, Paris to Post
by Gary M. Young (son, Abilene, TX)
in the defense industry at the had been converted to a troop
ship yards in Oakland and transport ship. His infantry
Stockton, California. Their group landed in England and
first daughter, Virginia, was crossed the English Channel in
born in Stockton July 16, assault boats. It took two nights
1943. At the time he received to make the crossing and land
his draft notice, Sterman was in La Havre, France. There they
working as a pile driver in joined the 7th Army, 100th
a dry dock in Stockton. The Division, 325th Engineer Combat
dry dock was used Battalion. The
to repair naval “ engineers built
vessels that were In May 1945, temporary
damaged in the Sterman and bridges and
Pacific Theatre. three others took barges from
Sterman received a truckload of assault boats for
moving troops
his draft notice in TNT to blow up and equipment
November 1943, a bunker where toward Berlin.
followed by a six- German soldiers They were
month deferment were hiding.
to train his replacement also charged
and an additional six- “ with blowing
month deferment to up bunkers,
move the family back to Graham, caves, bridges and other German
Texas prior to entering the Army reinforcements from La Havre to
on August 28, 1944. He received Stuttgart, Germany in the bitter
his six weeks basic training for cold of the winter of 1944-1945.
the Army infantry at Fort Sam In May 1945, Sterman and three
Houston, others took a truckload of TNT
San Antonio, to blow up a bunker where
Texas and German soldiers were hiding. In
was then transit, the truck hit something,
transferred to or something hit the truck (no
Camp Walter, one ever figured out which
Mineral one), throwing Sterman under
Wells, Texas. the truck. The truck had to be
He shipped jacked up to get him out. One
out to Europe of the other three guys had both
from New arms broken, and after spending
York City a few days in the hospital was
December 5, sent home. Sterman spent a week
1944 aboard in a field hospital and was then
the Queen moved to Paris where he was in a
Mary, which hospital for over a month. In the