Page 27 - Summer 2019 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine - Online Magazine

Dwayne Walters Slaton Baker Makes

Good (Stuff) in WWII WWII

Wartime stories told to his son, Tom Walters

This is a record of the everyday experiences of one soldier in WWII. He is a member of the
greatest generation, a group of men and women who lived lives of radical adjustment and
change, of sacrifice and contribution. Volumes of stories could be written. These are the
memories of one man - a baker from Slaton, Texas.

potatoes, flour. When they went a uniform and put on a troop
to the counter, his dad asked the train to California. When they
owner to sign the ticket. Again, got to Los Angeles, they had a
the man said he wasn’t able to do short break. Some of the guys
that. The farmer said, “Son, take Dwayne had become acquainted
the groceries home to the family; with decided to go to a burlesque
it looks like I may be going to show. “I didn’t know what that
jail.” Young Dwayne was scared was, so I tagged along and was
to death, but the man went ahead totally shocked. I had no idea
and signed the credit slip. Dad things like that went on.”
never bought groceries from
another place for as long as the Camp Roberts in the California
man stayed in business. Even desert was the site of 17 weeks
after larger, less expensive stores of basic training. “We went on
came, the farmer remained loyal lots of long marches in the desert,
to that store owner. carrying 40-lb. packs; one was 20
Dwayne Walters was born in miles long. We camped in a dry
1926 in Wilson, TX and moved When Dwayne was 17, he got river bed one night, and I had
to Slaton shortly thereafter. His his first real job at Slaton Bakery, never seen so many tarantulas in
father was a farmer and a hard working for Barney Wilson. one place in my life.”
worker, and he did whatever During WWII, the trains carrying
he could to put groceries on the troops stopped in Slaton because After basic training, Dwayne’s
table, even selling eggs from the railroad had a roundhouse unit boarded a ship to Seward,
their chickens and milk from there. The soldiers would walk Alaska and then on to Anchorage
their cows. Just after they moved from the Harvey House hotel to where he was stationed. “They
to Slaton, Dwayne remembers the bakery where Barney would asked what my profession was,
hearing his dad ask a store owner give them free donuts. and I told them I was a baker
for credit until the crop came in. because I had worked at Slaton
The man told him he couldn’t do When Dwayne was 18, his own Bakery. I was put in charge of
that since he didn’t know him. call from Uncle Sam came. He baking for the base. Since we
Mr. Walters told him that he was graduated May 18, 1945, reported worked at night, they had a sign
good for his word, but the man to the draft board in Lubbock on our bunkhouse that we were
stood his ground. Dwayne saw on the 21 , and on the 22 he day sleepers. One afternoon,
nd
st
his father fill a basket with beans, was sworn in, vaccinated, issued a colonel came busting in the

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