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I wanted to share this family photo of 52 Weeks of Photos Veterans with the community. This is my Dad (on the left) Joe Orville Todd, and one of his best buddies from home, John Bateman. Dad and Johnny boarded buses departing Henderson Texas on 5 Oct 1942 with 41 other boys from Rusk County, bound for Camp Wolters for processing. Most of the young men in this group were assigned to the "new" 88th Infantry Division, the first unit made up entirely of enlisted men to enter WWII. I believe this photo was taken at Camp Gruber in Oklahoma prior to transfer to Louisiana for maneuvers.
My Dad was assigned to the 913th Field Artillery, Company "C", as a forward observer. During his time in Italy (Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Northern Apennines, Po Valley), he was included in the advance parties into combat with the 34th Division at Cassino and the 45th Division at Venafre. In addition to earning the Bronze Star with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Dad was selected Most Outstanding Enlisted Man of the 913th Field Artillery Battalion. "From this time <Cassino> until the enemy was defeated in Italy, he saw more action with front-line troops as a member of forward observation parties than any other individual assigned to the Battalion." The last 18 months of the War, he served as Staff Sergeant, Chief of Detail. Although offered a field promotion by his Commanding Officer to become a commissioned officer, Dad declined. He had earned enough points to come home on furlough and thought if he accepted the promotion, he could possibly loose his furlough. As it turned out, Dad never got his furlough but he was able to stay with the men he had served with since the beginning. For this, he remained grateful for the rest of his life. Date of Separation: 24 Oct 1945, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Dad returned home, completed his college degree, married my Mom, and lived the remainder of his 96 years in his hometown, Henderson Texas. 
Click here for the image details page or here for the full-sized version (1328 x 2125).
