Thomas%20V.%20Wykes,%20Sr.%20A%20World%20War%20II%20Veteran

1
Thomas V. Wykes, Sr. A World War II Veteran

• His story and the story of one of his brothers
  named Jim Wykes

2
Thomas Story

• His parents knew that fighting in the war was
  inevitable seeing that he was a healthy young
  man.
• He choose to enlist so that he could have a say
  in where he would journey.

• He wanted to become a pilot, but he did not
  qualify given his height and eyesight.
• He then decided to join the army.

3
Thomas Story

• He was trained as an officer at Fort Benning in
  Georgia.
• He became a 2nd lieutenant and led a platoon in
  the 99th division in Texas.
• He decided to enlist to go over seas.

• He was anxious for combat and wanted to go and
  fight overseas.

4
Thomas Story

• He arrived on the shores of Normandy on Omaha
  Beach on D-Day and was in the 29th division.
• He said that people, aircrafts, boats, flying
  shells, and bombs were everywhere.

• He said he was lucky that he made it!
• He said it was awful having to watch the man next
  to you be killed in a moment of seconds!

5
Thomas Story

• Battles went on for him for three to five weeks.
• They fought at a minimum of 50 yards apart. They
  were typically fighting the enemy at a 100 yards
  or more.

• They camped near the hedgerows and trees and
  slept in foxholes.

6
Thomas Story

• In one of the battles, he led his platoon to the
  enemy that was 200 yards away.
• He received a silver star for a job well done!

• In the battle, some of men had died and some were
  later captured in his platoon.
• He was brave because he had to led the platoon in
  the front, which made him a easy target for the
  enemy.

7
Thomas Story

• He was given mainly Spam to eat and sometimes
  cold vegetables.
• Rarely a hot meal.
• But if someone found gasoline, they would build a
  fire and heat up water and pour coffee grind into
  the water. The coffee tasted bad.

• If he had a candle, he would lit it in his
  foxhole and try to heat up some of his food.
• Sometimes he would receive little food because it
  was very difficult to get the trunks into the
  camps.

8
The Day He Lost His Right Leg

• He was at the camp in his foxhole and they were
  being shelled.
• One of the shells hit a tree that was close to
  his foxhole.
• The shell busted and pieces were falling
  everywhere.

• One of the pieces flew into his knee on his right
  leg.
• They carried him to one of the doctors who
  patched him together.
• About five days later, he and others were
  transported by aircraft to a hospital in England.

9
The Hospital In England

• He spent two-three weeks at the hospital.
• The doctors were forced to amputate his right
  leg.
• He was friends to many guys who were recovering
  in the hospital.

• All the people that he met at the hospital are
  since decreased.

10
Emotions/Feelings

• He cant get emotional because it was over 60
  years ago.
• He would have had a different reaction if I had
  interviewed him right after the war.

• Fighting to him was a good experience.
• WWII had a cause worth fighting for to him.
• It was an accomplishment for him.

11
Emotions/Feelings

• He appreciated the nurses and doctors who helped
  him and others recover from their war wounds.
• He felt that everybody came together.

• Many people knew at least one person who was
  going off to fight in the war and wanted to
  support them.
• No war buddies because the war was taking place
  in so many nations that his friends were often
  separated from him.

12
His Journey Back to the U.S.

• He arrived by aircraft at the Percy Jones
  Hospital located in Battle Creek, Michigan.
• The army was in charge of this facility at the
  time.
• The hospital was next to Kellogg's.

• He was able to be nursed back into good health
  with the proper nutrition.
• He also learned how to walk with his new
  prosthetic right leg.

13
Trains at the Time

• He says that trains were the nicest at the time
  and that it is hard to imagine it.
• During the war, the troops were transferred on
  the fast trains.
• The Chicago express railroad, he believed went
  90mph.

• He also knew nurses after the war who took this
  train from Chicago to California and it took 40
  hours.
• Believed the train was better than an airplane in
  regards to food and there was less time waiting
  in lines.

14
My Grandfather Thomas V. Wykes, Sr.
15
The Story of Jim Wykes (Jack Guy)

• He had just finished high school and he decided
  that he wanted to enlist and join the Torpedo
  Squadron.
• One of his best friends and bunkmates was George
  H.W. Bush.

• One day he was sent on a mission to scout for the
  Japanese, and he probably flied too close and was
  shot down.
• No one knows, except one minute he was on the
  radar screen and the next minute he was gone.