Megargel High School - Mustang Yearbook (Megargel, TX)

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ERNEST MATTHIAS HALE 1 Ernest Matthias Hale, born October 2, 1911, is the youngest of five sons and one daughter tyoungest childl of William Henry Hale and Florence fRileyJ Hale. The Hale family moved from Grandview Texas to Westover Texas CBaylor Countyj in 1905 They lived four miles northeast of Westover on a dryland farm where they hauled water from Godlln Creek on the Bar X Ranch My dad said I could live in the wagon until I could build a two room house with a lean to Dad wintered lus work horses the buggy mare and milk cow COld MIHHICJ on mesquite beans and praxrle grass gathered by hand before winter set in I started to school in Westover in 1917 I graduated from hlgh school in Megargel in 1929 and walked six miles every day to attend school After high school I worked in the oil fields south of Conroe Texas Longview Texas and Hobbs New Mexico during the winter months and helped my dad farm the rest of the year I married Anna O QBobb1eJ Russell ln Lovington New Mexlco on July 24 1939 Bobbie was born March 28 1914 at Farmersville Texas to Andrew Bruntson Russell and Anna Mae Uonesj Russell We moved back to Westover to farm in 1940 on the John Dormler place I worked in local Oll fields and farmed until 1942 When the Japs hit Pearl Harbor December 7 1941 I went to Abilene to enlist in the U S Marine Corps the next day I was not immediately accepted COn account of age and marriedl but I was accepted July 16 1942 Cwith age San Diego California I was given the rank of Corporal the last week of boot camp to become a D I fDr1ll Instructorj there being a shortage of qualified men to train marines Bobbie came to San Diego before I finished boot camp and began work in the Consolidated Bomber Plant as a riveter I trained recruits until accepted as an officer candidate I then went to Quantico Virginia June 1943 to receive my officer s training and Bobbie went with me I completed O C S and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant U S Marine Corps Next I completed R O C and was sent to Medium Tank School Jacques Farm California Bobbie went with me and worked in San Diego until I fl1'1lShCd training and flew to Guadalcanal and then to Pavuvu fRussell Islandsj 90 miles north of Guadalcanal to form and train an armored amphibians unit CTh1rd Armored Amphibious BHIIHIIOIID This unit was assigned to the First Marine Division to assault Pelelieu Island 3 3 3 ' 3 3 . u . , 3 3 3 3 3 . b . . . , . , 3 ' 3 3 3 3 , . - 3 3 3 . . , y . and marriage status waivedj. I finished boot camp at U.S.M.C. Recruit Depot, , . . . , . . . . . . , 3 3 3 . . . . , . . I a 0 o o I Q , . . i . . . , 3 3

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EMMA HAMBY MCLEMORE I don t have many recollectlons or memorles of my early chlldhood I was born at Munday Texas I don t know how long we Cmy famllyl hved there We hved at Round Tlmber later for several years I suppose as my two younger ststers were born there I hved most of my l1fe ln and around Megargel I attended school there all my school years except one half term I went to school about a half of a term at the small one teacher school at Klckapoo north of Megargel Even though I enjoyed It there I was glad to get back to school 1n Megargel where we had a lot of good teachers I have a DICIUF6 of our hlgh school faculty I don t know how many of our teachers are stlll l1v1ng or where they l1ve I lost track of the students even after graduatron I saw Olaf Halle several tlmes as he was pastor of a church at Roartng Sprmgs I beheve I also saw Zelma Hayden a tlme or two when she came to Plamvtew Several years after I f1n1shed school I went to Dllby Texas where my sxster Jessle l1ved I hved and worked there unt1l I marrted m 1942 We then moved to Houston then to Raymonvxlle and moved mto town I went to work at F W Woolworth s where I worked unt1l the store closed 1n 1972 I worked there for seventeen years I later went to work for T G 8LY and worked there thlrteen years untll It closed ln 1986 Smce then I have been retlred whlch for me IS harder than workmg any tlme I loved betng busy I probably would st1l1 be workmg lf the store hadn t closed I thmk Walmart caused several stores to go out of buslness I have one daughter who has spent most all her I1fe and school years m Pla1nv1ew She graduated from Pla1nv1ew H1gh School and went to Wayland College Th1s 1sn t a very colorful or lllterestlng hlstory of my hfe, but as I sa1d I dont remember too much of my early hfe I lmagme some of the other members of our 1929 class w1ll have more tnterestlng hlstorles All of my famlly and relat1ves are gone from Megargel now We have had two or three famlly reunlons there at Olney , . . . , . . ' 9 . . , We later came to Plainview and started farming. After we left the farm ' 1 , . . . . . . , , . . .

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Second Lreutenant Hale Executrve Offrcer A Company was rn the frrst wave of armored amphrbs that led the Frrst Marme Drvrsron onto the beach on Pelelreu on September 15 1944 where they encountered the frercest frghtrng yet rn the Pacrfrc Lt Hale was wounded rn the face and left shoulder by bullet splrnters on the 27th of September 1944 but recerved frrst ard and returned to hrs unrt the next mornrng Pelelreu was secured after twenty erght terrrble days and after some 10 700 .laps were krlled by actual count The Frrst Marme Drvrsron lost 1 121 Ckrlled rn actronj 6 336 wounded and 73 mrssrng Lt Hale s battalron had only two operatronal Amphrb Tracts left after the operatron Lt Hale and 200 men of hrs battalron went back to Pavuvu sometrme late rn October 1944 where they got new replacements and began trarnrng to take Okmawa Before gorng to Pelelreu the 3rd Armored Drvrsron sent an offrcer to Pearl Harbor for therr whrsky shares whrch they drd not recerve untrl after the Pelelreu operatron Each offrcer had wrlled hrs share to hrs buddres just rn case Lt Hale and two of hrs tent mates Lts Robrnson and Varley recerved 9 shares all told C30 Qts per sharej together and havrng no offrcer s tent flys Lt Hale agarn was rn the frrst wave to assault Okmawa Aprrl 1 1945 as Thrrd Platoon A CC O J commander Okmawa was secured fmally on June 22 1945 Lt Hale had recerved hrs promotron to lst Lt when on Okrnavta He returned to Guam where he was berng sent home on pornts when the war ended He was promoted to Captarn on September 10 1951 and retrred the 8th of May 1957 wrth the rank of Captarn U S M C R lst Lt Hale was separated from actrve duty February 17 1946 and returned to the farm at Westover Bobbre became a L V N Ernest served as Countx Commrssroner C1964 19721 Durrng hrs term a new Court House and Hosprtal were constructed Ernest and Bobbre strll resrde at Westover where they farm and rarse a fevs cattle He has been an outdoorsman all hrs lrfe and has krlled over 140 bucks whrch mrght be some sort of a record They both love Brrttany Brrd Dogs and have rarsed at least a dozen of them Ernest loves to hunt quarl wrth dogs mostly enjoys workrng wrth and watchrng the dogs He and Jake Cockrell burlt one of the frrst coyote callers just before World War II They were qurte successful rn callrng and krllrng scores of coyotes and bobcats Had they patented therr caller they mrght be wealthy now srnce varmrnt callers are so numerous There are only Ernest Vrrgrnra and Whrt left now of the Wrll Hale Famrly Ernest and Bobbre have retrred now, strll lrve at Westover and rent therr farm out Telephone IS Megargel 563 3457 g - , . . 7 9 5 Y 1 a n s , - 1 . v n , 9 D Y ' ' 9 3 . 1 4 L as 1 ,, n I 1 stu . ,, . . . . , . , . . . , ' 5 club, stacked it in their tent, causing them to have to sleep nearly under the , 4 u 1 , p ' . 9 9 l , , . . . . . ' 9 7 3 , .