Page 32 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine Fall 2019- Online Magazine

After Okinawa, the Vega headed to Lamesa and began farming
back to Hawaii where Parham again.” Sam and Syble raised
and his crew found out the war three sons. He retired at 70 years
was over. The ship had earned old and took up woodworking
four battle stars for her service. and metal work and is highly
“I was discharged in Norman, skilled in both. Syble passed away
Oklahoma on November 8, 1945. I in January 2016. The two were
caught a bus to Wichita Falls and just three weeks shy of 70 years
stayed with my aunt and uncle. I together.
bought a new pair of boots; they
felt so good. One final note from Sam: “I’m
proud I served but wouldn’t want
“My future wife, Syble O’Neal, to go through it again.”
also served during WWII. She and six weeks later we were married
and some classmates signed up - February 1946. Sam heard about the Texas South
to work for the War Department Plains Honor Flight from the VA
in Washington, D.C. She typed “Syble’s dad asked me to come to Clinic in Lubbock and went on the
‘wounded or loss of life notices’ to Lamesa and farm; he helped me get 2015 flight with his son James.
the next of kin of soldiers from all going. We lived on $100 a month. I
branches of the military. She and I signed up for a new Farmall tractor.
were born one mile apart, but her I rented out 106 acres of farmland, Lamesa and Dawson County
parents moved away when she was then 240 and so on until I was provided more men per capita
one year old. She was friends with farming over 3,000 acres. We had for the armed services in
my sister and used to write to me a drought from 1951-53, and you WWII than any other county
when I was in the Navy. I hitchhiked couldn’t plant anything, so I went in Texas. In addition, Dawson
from Wichita Falls to Artesia, New down to Knox County and drove a County was one of only five
Mexico where my sister lived, and truck for an elevator. I found other counties in Texas to receive
Syble was there. We got to talking, jobs where I could. I finally got back the prestigious Army Navy
“E” award for excellence in
production of war equipment.

32 Lubbock Senior Link