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SGT.
ALBERT WRIGHT OF DULUTH
One of the reluctant heroes of WWII
By Charles Summerour
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: As we observe Independence Day
soon, Charles Summerour of Main Street Bank in Lawrenceville visited
with a Duluth resident who fits the definition of one from our "Greatest
Generation.")
DULUTH, July 3, 2001 - - Tom Brokaw has done us a wonderful favor
by raising awareness of the status of our World War II veterans.
His book and TV documentaries point out many aspects of that era,
which are now taken lightly. That includes the fact that we are
losing these veterans at the rate in excess of 1,200 a day.
As a baby boomer, I plead guilty to an awareness level limited
to a few family veterans, history classes which seemed boring, and
a few other true veterans who have crossed my path. Recently I was
inspired to visit one of the veterans who has experienced war and
peace as few have.
When I first met Albert Wright of Duluth over 30 years ago, he
has just retired from the U.S. Army as a Master Sergeant. Naturally,
he was "Sarge." Just recently I recognized the fact tat
over the year he had slowly become "Mr. Albert", which
validates what Brokaw says about our memory of a war full of reluctant
heroes. With this in mind, I decided to sit down with "Sarge"
and hear his amazing remembrances again.
Sarge volunteered for duty on Jan. 5, 1937, at the age of 25. As
an infantry soldier, he spent several years in training, which he
credits as reason he will celebrate his 90th birthday in November.
When our entry into the war in Europe was begun, he was in infantry
training at Fort Benning, Ga.
For the invasion of Europe, he was a staff sergeant in the 4th
Division on a troop ship in the English Channel. He was part of
the Normandy Invasion on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. (For the record,
these dates are from his memory, not some history book!)
On D Day, he clearly remembers seeing Brig. Gen. Teddy Roosevelt
Jr. (the first infantry general to land at Utah Beach, who died
at Cherbourg of a heart attack in 1944) on the sea wall urging the
troops not to stop on the beach, which they didn't. In fact, they
went eight miles inland before meeting serious resistance.
Many battles followed, like Sherwood on June 25th, St. Lo on July
25, taking Paris on August 25, and breaking the Siegfried lines
on September 25th. While waiting for supplies after taking Paris,
Sarge recalls talking with Ernest Hemingway, who happened by on
a motorcycle.
During the Battle of the Bulge, Sarge remembers the "pleasure"
of eating K-rations in a foxhole on Christmas Day, 1944. After crossing
the Rhine River in January, 1945, German resolve was so low that
the mayor of Heidelberg declared the city open, allowing the Americans
to defend it.
After the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (on April 12,
1945), Sarge and his unit were about to cross the Danube River,
moving toward Munich, when the war in Europe ended (on May 8, 1945.)
He credits his survival to "training" and the leadership
of such Generals as Bradley, Patton, Montgomery and Patch.
To qualify for priority for shipping home, soldiers were ranked
on a point system, including how long they had served in Europe,
how much conflict that had been in, whether they were married with
family, and other criteria. To show how many points, he attained,
Sarge was on the second troop ship which left Europe for America
in June, 1945. He would spent another 12 years in the Army, make
two other trips to Europe, and even adopting a daughter in Germany.
He retired from the Army on February 21, 1957, and moved to Gwinnett
County in 1959.
Despite numerous commendations including two Bronze Stars, Sarge
would probably never claim to be a hero. He would probably say that
the real heroes are buried at Normandy, and throughout Europe. But
for me, he qualifies. His memory amazes me and is only surpassed
by his wit and love for life, family, friends, his Lord, his church,
and his country.
God bless Sarge, and God bless America.
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