Paul is not sure how his grandparents ended up in Williamson County, homesteading 60 acres just west of New Dennison. They lived in a log cabin and had a log barn on the homestead but Paul’s father, Gottlieb lived in Marion and farmed and this is how Paul came to be born in Marion.
In the 1930 federal census, Paul was seven years old. His parents were renting a home located at 808 E. Boulevard Street for $8 per month. His father listed his occupation as farmer. Other than Paul and his parents Elbert G. and Reba Reese, also present in the home was his mother’s mother, Florence Herrin (sic?) aged 56 who was listed as married.
In 1936, at age 14, Paul left school as he needed to go to work. Paul says he had his own truck at an early age and kept busy hauling coal around Marion. Most people today cannot understand this, but most homes at that time were heated by coal so coal hauling was an important trade. He even later hired himself and his truck out to the people building the new V.A. hospital in Marion.
Paul and Ruby Troxel were married in Charleston, Missouri June 21, 1941. Their first child, Paula, came along August 10, 1942 and of course by this time, the USA was at war with Germany and Japan.
Paul’s draft number came up and he was listed in the local newspaper along with a group of some one hundred draftees on March 11, 1944. It was subsequently announced in the same paper on June 16, 1944 that Paul along with Pleasant Turner, John Goddard and John Chamness, would be on their way to Camp Blanding, Florida.
On September 21, 1944 the paper published a letter from Paul written at Camp Blanding telling all how much he enjoyed the newspaper’s efforts and he also sent names of Marion boys who were serving there with him. This list added Privates Franklin, Hill, Clarida, Furlow, Buckner and Patterson.
Paul was made a Rifleman in Company K, 143rd Infantry, 36th Division. This division trained at Camp Blanding for about 16 weeks. His entry into the Army had come as a surprise to Paul as he really thought he would be rejected but said that upon his arrival at Fort Sheridan that it was generally observed that if you could see a wall you were inducted.
After the training at Camp Blanding he was transferred to Boston, Mass. and in November sailed to England.
Paul was amazed when the ship docked, that British Red Cross workers served two donuts and coffee to the over 6000 troops on this ship. He marveled at what an effort this must have been.
His group trained for a while in England, and then was transferred to France by troop ships commanded by officers who had learned how to avoid the German mines placed in the English Channel.
One of Paul’s vivid memories of this voyage was the beauty of the white cliffs of Dover, which have been celebrated in song.
Paul said he joined his Division somewhere in France and does not recall the names of the towns he had seen. The soldier said they fought their way across France and he received a shrapnel wound on December 16, 1944 and was sent to a rear hospital but rejoined his unit just as they were moving into Belgium due to the German offensive that became known as the “Battle of the Bulge.”
Upon their arrival in Belgium, Paul’s company commander ordered a night time assault and he said that everyone knew they should not be assaulting in the dark, but they did. In the ensuing battle his company sought cover in a village church and was surrounded by the enemy.
The C.O. ordered that they would fight until they were all dead or out of ammunition, which is what they did. Paul was assigned, along with another G.I., to guard a basement door and was told that if anyone tried to get in, “they were to shoot as there were no Americans out there.” In the basement he discovered over 200 civilians seeking refuge from the gunfire.
On December 20, 1944 at 3 a.m. the company surrendered to the Germans as they were completely out of ammo. Their German captors lined up the prisoners and immediately relieved them of all valuables and jewelry. A German officer, speaking good English explained to them that they were now Prisoners of War of Germany and that they would be treated as such. When I asked Paul about his emotions at this time, he said he was scared to death. Paul explained, “Anyone in that situation who says they were not scared to death were either a liar or not there.”
Belgium and the rest of Europe was experiencing one of the worst winters on record in late 1944. Paul and the rest of his comrades were not clothed in proper winter gear or clothing and so their suffering was great in this weather as they were marched out of Belgium, sleeping or resting along the road in the awful weather conditions.
They were marched to a little town in France and taken into a large building where they were to be questioned as the Germans were anxious to obtain any information possible. The German officer leading the interrogation sat at a table in front of a large picture of Hitler. Paul had lost his dog tags before this engagement and when questioned, the officer told him that he could be shot due to this loss.
After his questioning Paul was placed in a small room with another GI and they figured they were to be executed.
While they were discussing their coming fate, a German officer entered and asked if they were hungry. They replied that they were indeed, so they were escorted to a small French cafe where he found his other fellow prisoners, who were also there along with some German troops eating in the cafe.
All the prisoners were given a package containing 4 slices of bologna, 4 cigarettes and a small loaf of black-bread. They were informed later, after consuming what they could of this issue that this was to represent four days of rations. Paul still has a small piece of bread today, similar to what he was issued. He said the bread contained sawdust and other material and some of the packages indicated that it was baked in 1939.
Their group was marched out of France into Germany, to a German military installation where they were housed in unheated living quarters. Along the way Paul’s feet had become frostbitten and he was not in good shape. Thankfully Paul had a “guardian angel” name George Scott, from Roodhouse. Scotty, as he was called, would carry Paul out for roll call and steal food so that Paul would not starve to death.
Paul’s friend apparently “bugged” their German captors about Paul’s physical condition and a German doctor on January 23, 1945 saw his feet and ordered him to be sent to a hospital in another town. For the trip, a German guard was sent with him and through him Paul discovered that there were some “good” Germans as this guy really looked after Paul. When they arrived at the train station in the town where the hospital was located, the guard knowing that Paul could not walk, fashioned a sling and physically carried Paul to the hospital.
He was put in a ward containing other prisoners of various nationalities. There were several Englishmen acting as attendants and in Paul’s filthy unkempt condition he was taken to a shower room and he thought he was going to die from the hot water, probably because he was not accustomed to this but also because of the temperature of the water.
After getting cleaned up he was given proper clothing and assigned a bed. He was instructed that on the next day during the doctor’s rounds, since he was unable to stand, he should put his arms outside the blanket alongside his body in a form of attention.
The doctor came in and Paul did as he was instructed. The doctor’s prescribed treatment for Paul’s frostbite which was for his feet, was to be treated by a small electric machine, and the attendants were to rub his feet with linseed oil. After several days of this treatment his feet thawed out and he was on the road to recovery.
Thursday, January 11, 1945 the newspaper published an article that Paul’s family had received notification that Paul was missing in action since December 20th. This was all the news Paul’s family ever got during his term of imprisonment. Paul says that when he reached Stuttgart, he was given a post card and specific wording to put on the card. He did this and assumed his family would receive the card but for some reason the card did not make it home.
Paul had now lost all contact with his former company and was sent to Stuttgart, Germany to a POW camp. There were about 6,000 POWs in this camp, consisting of men from various nationalities including about 1,100 Americans.
This is where he spent the bulk of his imprisonment. One day at Stuttgart, a G.I. from Rosiclare, Illinois was being processed into the camp and Paul was able to communicate with him through a crack in the wall which was separating them. The G.I. asked what he could expect, and Paul unformed him that any money he had would be confiscated, so the new G.I. slipped $60 through a crack in the wall. The next day the boy from Rosiclare found Paul and introduced himself at which time Paul returned his money. The Illinois boy told Paul that when they were ever free he and Paul would celebrate with this money.
Paul had found a small French copy of the “Gospel of Saint Mark” in France. For some reason his captors did not take this from him. Inside the cover of this little book a record was kept of events and even a small calendar which helped him maintain his sanity.
Back to the war, the Allied forces were advancing from the west and the Russian troops were advancing from the east, and in effect cutting Germany in two. Several of the prisoners, being former artillery men estimated that the Allies were getting very close to Stuttgart by the sound of the distant cannons.
Therefore, the Germans being also aware of this lined up the prisoners on March 16, 1945 and marched them south. The weather in March and April was quite cool and they had to sleep alongside the road on their journey. They moved south until they got to the foothills of the Alps and on April 27, 1945 the prisoners found themselves in a barn on a large farm and Paul and others slept in the loft of the barn.
The very next morning, Paul and his fellow prisoners were awakened by gun fire and upon looking out found three American tanks in the barnyard. He said this had to be the prettiest sight he had ever seen and it was discovered later that a German lady had told the Americans that prisoners were in the area.
The war was not quite over, as there was a fire fight before the prisoners were actually free. Paul said that this was the best day of his life.
The former prisoners were rounded up and moved to the nearest airfield where American planes flew them to Reims, France. Paul landed on the same day that the formal peace treaty was signed in Reims.
On May 6, 1945 Ruby Reese received news from Paul which she rejoiced over. He told her of being freed on April 27 and that he was still in Germany. He said he could not write more until he was feeling better but hoped to see them all soon. This was the first news received by the family that Paul was even alive. At this time, Ruby and their daughter Paulette Jane Reese lived at 701 N. Hartkopf Street.
Large tents had been set up at the airport where they received some good American food. Paul had lost about 40 pounds during his captivity so he had some weight to make up. They were all housed at this facility and one day later Paul noticed a very large line of G.I.’s which must have been a mile long. He was informed that if you wanted to get home, you had to stand in this line. Paul got in line and was here until 3 a.m. the next day.
He received medical exams, got rid of his dirty clothing, and got new uniforms. Paul managed to convince a doctor that he should be going home and on June 3rd, got his papers and he was soon on his way home.
Paul and his friend from Rosiclare arrived in Harrisburg on the train and Paul walked to the highway and a police officer picked him up and gave him a ride all the way to his home in Marion for a joyful homecoming with his family.
Paul was home for a 64 day furlough, after which he reported to Miami, Florida where this photo was taken and he and his friend from Rosiclare spent the $60 which had been spared in Germany. He was discharged shortly thereafter and returned to Marion and civilian life. He received a Purple Heart Medal for his injuries in the war and was awarded a disability due to his foot condition which was caused by his frozen feet.
Paul found work with Martin Oil Company. His foot condition prevented him from being outside in cold weather so he later worked for the City of Marion Water Department in the water plant for several years, Marion School District driving a school bus for 17 years, and the Marion Toyota Parts Department for about 12 years. He was a member of the 1st Church of God, and a lifetime member of Marion’s VFW Post #1301.
Paul and Ruby are the parents of three daughters, Paula Rentfro, Beverly Lynne West and Jennifer Rich. They also had six grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
Paul Reese, 86, passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 6:57 A.M. at his home at 808 S. Aikman Street. He was survived in death by his wife, Ruby, who together shared over 67 years of marriage. In addition to his wife Ruby he is survived by: Two daughters; Paula Rentfro of Marion and Jennifer Rich of Marion; Six Grandchildren; Tammy Morris and husband Dennis of Ozark; Melissa Malloy and husband Howard of Antelope, California; Wayne Boaz and wife Kim of Creal Springs; Patricia Shadowens and husband Brian of Marion; Jerry West and wife Melissa of Johnston City; Brian West of Marion; Eleven Great Grandchildren. Brother, Lloyd Reese and wife Joy of Marion. Sister, Sue Goodwin of Marion and four nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one daughter, Beverly Lynne West; a twin sister Pauline Reese in infancy and one brother Bobby Reese. Funeral services were held on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 11:00 A.M. at Mitchell-Hughes Funeral Home in Marion with Rev. Keith Heberer officiating. Burial followed in Odd Fellows Cemetery. Military rites were presented by Marion’s VFW Post #1301, American Legion Post #147 and the National Guard Military Honors Team.
Ruby (Troxel) Reese, 85, passed away at 3:07 p.m. Tuesday, July 5, 2011, at her daughter’s home in Marion.
Ruby was born January 30, 1926, in Commerce, Mo., the daughter of Tom and Mattie Shipman. She married Paul Junior Reese on June 21, 1941, in Charleston, Mo., and together they shared more than 67 years of marriage until his death May 31, 2009.
Ruby attended Marion’s First Church of God and she dedicated her life to caring for her family and her home.
Survivors include two daughters, Paula Rentfro of Marion, Jennifer Rich of Marion; six grandchildren, Tammy Morris and husband, Dennis, of Ozark, Wayne Boaz and wife, Kim, of Creal Springs, Melissa Malloy and husband, Howard, of Antelope, Calif., Jerry West and fiancée, Melissa Crites, of Johnston City, Patricia Shadowens and husband, Brian, of Marion, Brian West of Marion; 11 great-grandchildren; brother, Logan Troxel of Creal Springs; sister-in-law, Sue Goodwin; several nieces and nephews; brother-in-law, Lloyd and Joy Reese of Marion; special friend, James Holland of Bush.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Paul; daughter, Beverly Lynne West; four brothers; and one sister.
Services were held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 8, 2011, in Mitchell-Hughes Funeral Home with the Rev. Greg Tibbs officiating. Burial was in Odd Fellows Cemetery.
(Data extracted from an article titled “The Paul Reese Story”, written by Harry C. Boyd, printed in Marion Living Magazine, February 2008; Marion Daily Republican Obits; Federal Census Records; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 10/29/2013, revised 11/26/2022)