One Soldier's Story
Part Nine

Reflections Of The Past
By Kernel Banks, Staff Writer

     
Jackson County Veterans, gather on the courthouse square each year, on Veterans day, to honor all
Jackson County veterans and especially those who gave their lives to protect freedom
 

The month of November brings back memories in time to the veterans that have fought in the past and present wars. Past articles, of the last few week's articles, have shared some of the memories of Ed Hicks with many communities where this paper has circulated. Being a veteran also, (Vietnam); I would like to take a short break this week to reflect on the person these articles have been about.

When Ed Hicks answered the call of his nation he was a young man. He was born and raised in a small rural farming area. Ed was newly married and just starting his life when war erupted. Ed enlisted in the United States Army because he felt that his duty was to protect his country, his community and his family. Shortly after joining the Army, while he was still in training, his first son was born. Ed had never been out of the state of Kentucky, but now he found himself on foreign soil, not only for the United States, but for countless others that he had never even met.

A couple of weeks ago, Ed's family wanted to meet with the writer who was telling their father's story about war. We met with Janet and Ray Cole, Ed's daughter and son-in-law, for lunch. During lunch, Ed's pride for his family showed through. As we visited that day, I realized that Ed's experiences during the War brought the very freedom that we were enjoying.

On November 11, 2005 Ed Hicks met with his comrades of the D.A.V., downtown in McKee, Kentucky. With full dress uniform Ed came proudly down the sidewalk. Ribbons and Cords upon his chest he walked slowly to the courthouse yard where the veteran's memorial stands. Falling into formation, Ed proudly saluted the flag as it was lowered. The salute is held until a new flag is raised. A short memorial dedication was given and the ceremony was over. We all remembered those comrades who fell on the battlefield. Ed thinks often of comrades who fell in battle. Memories of war never dims.

Traveling with Ed to the VA hospital brought back vivid memories of a November, sixty years ago. He has a very clear memory of every battle. Ed is very alert; however at times a tear will come to his eye when he relates a bad memory or a smile will come to his face in a fond one.

During our trip, I looked over to see him grinning. I asked Ed what was on his mind. Ed stated, "I don't remember where it was at, but it was early in the war. We had a squadron of P47 aircraft that supported us all the time. On this occasion, a German MIG, which is a lot faster than our planes, started tailing the squad. We couldn't fire our anti-aircraft weapons for fear of hitting our own planes. We stood watching and all of a sudden a P47 went straight up into the light of the sun. I knew what was going to happen. I started jumping up and down, shouting and yelling; get him.... blow him out of the air! The P47 dived back down, with the sun behind him, and cut the MIG out of the air. I was so tickled but I was also embarrassed. It was the first time I felt truly joyful that the men around me were safe but that meant that someone else was destroyed."

Not all these young men that went to war would return home. None of them realized the horror of what they would see or endure in war before June 10, 1944. Reading an old clip from a newspaper that Ed has in his collections, I want to recapture a few lines from Ernie Pyle and G.I. Joe.

They were writing about Normandy Beachhead and D-Day. "For a mile out from the beach there were scores of tanks and trucks and boats that you could no longer see, for they were at the bottom of the water. Swamped by overloading, or hit by shells, or sunk by mines. Most of the crews were lost."

As Ernie wrote on about the losses sustained, while trying to obtain the beachhead, he wrote another paragraph with the following statement.

"We could afford it because we were on the beach, we had our toehold, and behind us there were such enormous replacements for this wreckage on the beach that you could hardly conceive of their sum total. Men and equipment were flowing from England in such a gigantic stream that it made the waste on the beachhead seem like nothing at all, really nothing at all."

The sum total was a price these men paid. Ask a friend, neighbor, Ed Hicks or another old veteran. We all remember the sum total. The loss of a friend in arms, or a loved one.

It is our desire to share the memories of Ed Hicks with you the reader. To relate a story, vivid enough to put you into the setting, to imagine that you are in a foreign land, to feel the vibrations of the rumbling ground, feel the combustion of exploding rounds and to hear the screams of pain around you. This describes the cost of freedom that has been paid over and over for all of us. I salute Mr. Hicks with the utmost respect, knowing that he is one of the few left that made that sacrifice for me. Continue next week with us as we leave the towns and head toward the Rhine river.