Page 42 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2022 - Online Magazine

Don Mays
ermany unconditionally
surrendered to the
GAllies on May 7, 1945.
However, that was far from
the end of the United States’
involvement in that country.
The Army of Occupation
continued as the executive
agency for military government
there until 1949, and the U.S.
Army continued to provide the
occupation force until 1955. The
post-WWII occupation was a
vast undertaking in the years
following the war. With the
German government no longer
in charge, the Army took on the
task of handling all civil affairs
and military government in the
country. By V-E Day (Victory in
Europe), 1.6 million American
troops were still in Germany.
Many had enough “points” to go
home, but much work remained
to be done in the ruined cities
42 Lubbock Senior Link
From a Deuce-and-a-half
to VFW Royalty
by Larry Williams
and infrastructure. That is drafted, so I joined the Army
where young Don Mays Air Corps ROTC on October 23,
found himself in early 1944. After graduation, I entered
1946. active duty on July 9, 1945. I was
afraid of going to Japan. I was
Donald K. Mays was sent to Keesler Air Base in Biloxi,
the firstborn of Julius Mississippi for basic training
and Gladys Mays in which lasted eight weeks. After
Bridgeport, Connecticut that, they put all of us in different
on June 1, 1927. His sister, advanced training classes. I took
Sally, joined the family a course in Aircraft Engineering
in March 1932. Julius was and Engines School for four more
an insurance salesman weeks.
with the John Hancock
Company. Don said, “Dad “I left for Europe on December
was a great salesman. 30, 1945, on the USAT George
When I was born, he came Washington, a troop transport
to see my mother and me ship. It took us almost two weeks
in the hospital and sold in heavy seas. It was a rough
a policy to a lady, next to trip going over (to Europe) and
my mother, who had just coming back; I stayed topside
had a baby. He could sell to keep from getting sick. A lot
to anybody! I grew up in of the guys who stayed below
Stratford, Connecticut. got sick. We had little swinging
My mother’s family were some hammocks stacked four high to
of the early settlers in that area. sleep in. You didn’t want to be
In high school, I was too skinny on the bottom hammock! We
to play sports, but I enjoyed docked in La Havre, France and
shop class; I loved drafting were put on boxcars called 40&8s
and woodworking. Those to travel through Europe. We
classes helped me pursue my used to stop occasionally, and the
life’s career in the drywall and Red Cross would pass out coffee
building business. and donuts. Some of us were
put in charge of German POWs
“I was going to turn 18 in June in Kelsterbach, Germany, not
1945, and I didn’t want to get far from Wiesbaden. We didn’t
have to do much
there; they were
mostly guarded
by Polish
soldiers. We
were there two
to three months,
until the camp
was closed. I
was transferred
to Company C,
831st Engineer