Megargel High School - Mustang Yearbook (Megargel, TX)

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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 , .

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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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O V HAMPTON I was born three m1les northwest of Megargel Texas ln Baylor County on March 31 1912 My parents were John and Joseph1ne Riley Hampton They were farmers and thelr farm was on the l1ne of Archer and Baylor Countles My f1rst two years of schoolmg were at Seaborn ln Baylor County between Megargel and Westover two and one half mlles southwest from where I llved We walked the dlstance to school I then attended school IH Megargel unt1l I graduated The flrst years at Megargel we rode ln a buggy but later on we rode the school bus whlch my father drove After graduatlon I stayed home and helped my parents on the farm unul I marrled I marrled BCSSIC Maye Baker of Olney Texas on June 25 1934 m the parsonage of the Flrst Baptlst Church m Jacksboro Texas by Bro A R Brllberry who was the pastor of the Flrst Baptlst Church at that txme fWe v1s1ted Bro Blllberry ln Jacksboro on our 50th weddlng annlversary J After we marrled we made our home ln Megargel where I worked at the cotton gm d1d other odd Jobs and worked 1n the o1l field 1n the Archer County area In early 1936 I went to Ada Oklahoma and worked m the o1l f1eld there In the later part of 19361 went to Monahans Texas and worked there and other parts of West Texas as well as Hobbs New Mexrco In 1942 I came back to Megargel where I bought a house and lot from H T Halle and contmued to work m the o1l f1e1d and odd jobs I was roughneckmg and l1v1ng 1n Graham Texas when I was drafted 1nto Walters Mmeral Wells Texas Iwas then sent to Fort Bhss at E1 Paso Texas where I tramed ln Radar and Search hghts m the Ant1 craft I was then sent to Camp Stewart near Savannah Georgla where I tramed 1n twenty mllhmeter guns I was then sent to Fort Jackson at Columbla North Carolma tra1n1ng ln the lnfantry then was sent to Fort George Meade near Washmgton D C I then went to Camp Mlles Standash m Mass We salled for Germany 1n December 1944 out of Boston Mass After seven days at sea we landed m Llverpool England rode a tram to South Hampton and crossed the Englxsh Channel on a Hmdu boat landmg at Le Harve France I saw my flrst combat ln the Battle of the Bulge w1th the Flrst Army Nmth D1v1s1on 60th Regt wh1ch was the Walkmg Infantry I was wounded by rlfle f1re1n the leg on February 28 1945 Just after crosslng the Roer Rwer on a foot pontoon brrdge on a dark mght I was sent to the 203 General Hospltal ln Parls France After I was released from the hospltal I rejolned my outflt whrch was 1n the Hartz Mountams 1n Germany When the war wrth Germany ended I was 75 mlles from Berlln. From the tlme the war ended m Germany to December 1945 I served m the Army of Occupatlon . , . y x - - 9 9 , - - - . . u ' . 9 . 9 , . . . , , , . , , . . . . y . 9 ' 9 9 9 ' 9 9 , . 9 ' ' 9 . . . . , , . the Army in February 1944. I spent the first two weeks in the army at Camp 9 . 9 ' . 9 9 , , . , . . . . ' 9 9 , . . . . 9 9 9 ' 9 9 9 9 ' ' C6 99 ' . . . . . . U . ,, , , . . . 9 . . . . . y , . 9 9 9 '