By Mary Dodge Allen
L-R: daughter Alison Swengel, John Swengel, me, Bernard Hails
Honor Flight 2013 (author photo)
Since 2022, I’ve enjoyed being a blogger for HHH. Those who have read my posts know that I like to spotlight the unsung heroes and heroines - ordinary people who have shown courage in facing challenges to achieve worthy goals. All of them have secured their place in history by making sacrifices and applying their talents, through hard work and perseverance, to make this world a better place.
WWII: John Swengel:
John Swengel, U.S. Army 78th Division (family photo)
John Swengel was born in 1925 in Harrisburg, PA. In July 1943, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and he reported for basic training shortly after his 18th birthday.
(John’s grandfather served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1864, he celebrated his 18th birthday on picket duty in Petersburg, VA. John’s father served in the U.S. Army during WWI and endured a mustard gas attack before his 18th birthday.)
John was trained as an infantryman with L Company, 309th Infantry, 78th Division, and he was shipped out to Europe in October 1944. In early December, just before John’s 19th birthday, L Company entered into active combat as they moved through the forest near Aachen, Germany. On the morning of December 16, 1944, as L Company was heading toward the town of Kesternick, the German Army launched a massive attack, now known as the Battle of the Bulge.
John and his wife Delores were dear friends of mine from church. He shared his war diary with me. Here are excerpts about his battle experience on Dec. 16th:
“We approached a pillbox (on the Siegfried Line) and were met with machine gun fire that stopped our advance... the 88’s started firing on us. I had gotten into an open field and there were so many shells landing, some close enough to throw dirt on top of me; and I was not able to move. I was terrified.
“We did not know that the 78th Division had been trying to capture the town since December 13th nor did we know that the road at the south end of town was to feed the “Bulge.” The Germans could not let us take the town and had to commit forces slated for the “Bulge” to keep us from capturing the town.”
John described the life-changing experience he had during this relentless shelling:
“I was raised in a strong Protestant environment. When I became a teenager, I spent a lot of time wondering if there was a God. So there I was, lying the field, terrified. I wasn’t aware that I knew the 23rd Psalm, but I found it was running through my mind. I felt that God was standing at my shoulder. With that feeling, my terror eased. I knew that I had no control over whether I would live or die; it was up to God. I had no feeling whether I would stay alive, but it didn’t seem to be a big problem; God was there beside me and I would accept whatever his will was. There were many times later that I would feel the same panic, but I knew then where to get my strength. I never had to wonder again about the existence of God.”
L Company moved forward. In early March, the day after the U.S. 9th Armored Division captured the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Germany, they were among the first to cross this damaged bridge:
“The Germans had loaded the bridge with explosives; the detonation had caused some structural damage but did not drop the bridge into the river. Hitler was very unhappy. The bridge did hang a little lopsided. [We asked] ‘They want us to walk over that?’ They did, so we crossed... with mortar shells and artillery shells dropping around the area.”
After several days of heavy fighting, John wrote: “When... I counted heads, there were 13 of us left from what had once been a 42-man platoon.”
John assumed the role of platoon leader, until reinforcements arrived. By the end of the war, he held the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was honorably discharged, and he received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in combat. He married, raised five children, and worked as a civil engineer.
WWII: Bernard Hails:
Bernard with me at a Naval war memorial in Washington, DC (author photo)
Bernard Hails had recently turned 87, when I escorted him on the Honor Flight in 2013. He had a great sense of humor and an easygoing personality. I enjoyed being with him very much. Bernard was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. Shortly after he turned 18, he joined the Navy and trained at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. From there, he was assigned to the USS Mount Baker, an ammunition supply ship that provided critical supplies to Admiral Halsey’s Pacific Fleet, during the major battles of 1944-45.
Bernard was in the first group of 40 black sailors assigned to the USS Mount Baker, which already held a crew of 350 sailors. During the first three months, the black sailors were given a hard time by the other sailors, who didn’t think they could handle the job. But after they had proven themselves, things went more smoothly. Serving on an ammunition supply ship was an especially dangerous duty. If the ship had been hit, there would have been little chance of survival.
After the war, Bernard was honorably discharged at the rank of Seaman First Class. He settled in Detroit, Michigan, where he got a job at the Chrysler factory and raised a family. In 1976 he retired to Florida, and he passed away in 2021.
WWII: The Dodge brothers:
No, they are not the famous Dodge brothers who founded a car company. They are my three uncles, who served in separate military branches during the war.
L-R: Gordon Dodge, John Dodge, Bill Dodge, Kenneth Dodge, and their father Bert Dodge (family photo)
Author Note: My father, Kenneth was the oldest. He tried to enlist in the Army, but he was already in his thirties, and his job with the U.S. Steel Plant was considered essential to the war effort.Bill Dodge high school photo (family photo)
Bill Dodge, the youngest brother, joined the Navy in September, 1944 at the age of 17, and was trained at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. By the time he completed training, the Pacific war was winding down, so he was stationed at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, CA and served as a Hospital Corpsman, providing medical care to the wounded returning from the Pacific battle theater.
After the war, he married, had three sons, obtained advanced college degrees and worked as a college professor. His love of boating continued throughout his life, and he and my aunt even lived on a boat for a few years. He passed away at the age of 87.
John Dodge, undated photo after the war (family photo)
John Dodge, who was five years older than Bill, left high school after the attack on Pearl Harbor and enlisted in the Marines. He went through a series of rough battles on the Pacific islands, including the major battles at Guadalcanal. After he was honorably discharged, he married, had a daughter, and worked at the local bank.
John appeared to have retained his fun-loving sense of humor, but my Aunt Mary said he had screaming nightmares for years. On Halloween night, after handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters, Uncle John took a nap on the couch and never woke up. He’d had a heart attack at the age of 35, likely brought on by the PTSD he suffered after the war.
Gordon Dodge, U.S. Army Air Corps (family photo)
Gordon Dodge, two years older than John, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943, after completing business college. He had always wanted to fly, and he once told me that as a teenager, every time he saw a plane flying overhead, he’d wish he was in the pilot seat.
After several months of training, he was assigned as a B-17 co-pilot, for the U.S. Mighty Eighth Air Force, 447th Bomb Group, 709th Squadron, stationed at Rattlesden AFB, England. From late 1944-1945, he flew 35 bombing missions over Germany.
Uncle Gordon was honorably discharged at the rank of Captain. He and my Aunt Doris raised two children, and he worked as an air traffic controller. He passed away at the age of 97 and was the last living member of his B-17 crew.
Uncle Gordon is the inspiration for Grandpa Leo, a character in my award-winning book: Hunt for a Hometown Killer. He also appears in the sequel I am currently writing: Hunt for Hometown Justice. My website contains more information about these books, click here: Mary Dodge Allen, Author
Crew of the B-17 named: Blue Hen Chick
Front Row, L-R: Joe Trambley, (Tail Gunner); Max Shepherd, (Ball Turret Gunner); Olaf Larsen, (Radio Operator); Jim Shannon, (Engineer); Harold McKay (Armorer); Back Row - Standing, L-R: Gordon Dodge, (Co-Pilot); Wes Pitts, (Navigator); John Rosiala, (Bombardier); Ralph Minker, (Pilot).
Ralph Lee Minker, U.S. Army Air Corps (family photo)
My very first HHH post was an edited version of crew pilot Ralph Lee Minker’s diary, describing one of their missions. To read this blog, click this link: Into the Air Against Germany - Edited Summary of a B-17 Pilot's 20th Combat Mission
Through the Eighth Air Force, 447th Bomb Group website, I connected with Ralph Minker’s widow, Sandra, and we are now friends. She was able to meet my Uncle Gordon before he passed away.
In 2019, we both had the honor of sitting in the cockpit of the B-17 named: City of Savannah, housed in the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. The experience was powerful. Sandra was in the pilot seat, and I was in the co-pilot seat, and we both teared-up, thinking of Ralph and Uncle Gordon in the cockpit together during those dangerous missions.
L-R: Sandra and me in B-17 cockpit /The Tablet Honoring the Blue Hen Chick B-17 crew in the Memorial Garden at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, Savannah, GA (author photos)
Of the more than 200 airfields used by the U.S. Eighth Air Force during WWII, only a few remain intact – including the airfield in Rattlesden, England where Uncle Gordon and his B-17 crew was based.
My husband and I visited that airfield, which is now used by private glider pilots. It is hard to express the depth of emotion I felt as I stood on the control tower walkway and looked out at the runways. I thought about Uncle Gordon and all the other B-17 bomber crewmen based there. Many of them never returned.
Me, standing on walkway / The original control tower building at the Rattlesden, England airfield (family photo)
Vietnam War: Captain Joseph Milligan, U.S. Air Force:
USAF Captain Joseph Milligan / The POW bracelet I wore for over 2 years (family photos)
This POW bracelet bears his name and the date his plane was shot down over enemy territory, 5-20-1967. I got this bracelet during my last year of college, and I prayed for him every day for over two years.
I was overjoyed when I read in the newspaper that he was one of the few POWs who survived and made it home! He had endured captivity and torture for nearly 6 years. I wrote to him, and below is his letter to me. An excerpt:
“Dear Mary, You will never fully realize just how much comfort the American people brought to the prisoners of war during their hour of need by wearing bracelets bearing the names of those prisoners. I am humbled, proud, and very appreciative that you wore a bracelet bearing my name. Thank you for your support. Yet, a simple thanks doesn’t seem like enough. Perhaps a simple tear would be a more descriptive expression of my gratitude. And, believe me, I’ve shed a few since returning home. “Homecoming” has been... the happiest moment of my life.”
Original letter I received from him (family photo)
Joseph married a nurse he met in the hospital, while he was recovering. He graduated from college with a degree in Veterinary Science and had a successful career, while he and his wife raised their family. I am happy to say Joseph Milligan and I reconnected as Facebook friends a few years ago.
These war veterans sacrificed so much as they served our country with honor. I salute each and every military service man and woman, past and present, with heartfelt gratitude. I also salute the doctors and nurses, the police, fire fighters and all first responders who put their lives on the line every day.
Abraham Lincoln expressed this gratitude eloquently:
“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.”
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Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers.
Recent release, anthology devotional: El Jireh, The God Who Provides
Mary's story, entitled:
A Mother's Desperate Prayer, describes her struggle with guilt and despair after her young son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh provides what we need.
Click the link below to purchase on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/El-Jireh-God-Who-Provides/dp/1963611608
Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.
Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com: