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Pfc. Townes Wilborn Bolt |
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| Service: U.S. Army - WWII
Division: 36th Inf. Div., 143rd RTC, Co. E Battles: Operation Anvil - Southern France; Southern Germany Decorations: Purple Heart w/ 1 Oak
Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star Burial: Chestnut Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery, Laurens SC |
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Late Tuesday
afternoon, near sunset on March 27, 1945, somewhere on the west bank of
the Rhine near Leimersheim, a brief and, but to only a few, an
insignificant skirmish took place. A small group of tired
and scared German soldiers, seeking cover from the ever growing presence
of Americans who had crossed into their Fatherland, stumbled onto
the rock foundation of a mostly destroyed farmhouse. As they
approached the rubble, opposite the river side, they froze as they heard
the distinctly American voice shout twice, “Halt!”.
There, in the corner of the building was an American soldier, struggling
to get his machine gun turned and aimed at them. Before he could
get into firing position, the lead German soldier fired on the crouched
figure, sending him rolling to the ground. His shot was only
the first of a brief clatter of small arms fire. When the noise
subsided, Pfc. Townes W. Bolt was engulfed in pain. The German
soldier’s hastily fired round had shattered his left wrist. The
bullet exited his arm and pierced his clothes, and again ripped the
flesh of his lower torso. First aid was applied and an evacuation
jeep was summoned from a nearby aid station. The young wounded soldier waited impatiently for his ride to medical attention and relief. As time passed and pain increased, he decided the hurt would be no greater walking than waiting. With only field dressings on his wounds, he made his way on foot the two miles to the aid station where he was able to rest and receive relief from pain. Medical treatment was quick and effective now. The German soldiers were on the run and the flow of American casualties had drastically subsided. Soon, an ambulance took the groggy soldier to a hospital behind the lines in France. He was further treated and, as the traffic allowed, he was evacuated to a hospital in somewhere in England. His wounds were treated and, as far as possible, repaired. All that remained now was the long healing process. Being comfortable is a relative thing. Despite the pain of the injuries, being in a warm bed with clean sheets, and having regular hot meals worked miracles for this grateful soldier. No freezing foxhole, no noise and dread of shell fire, no whine of bullets, no smell of the dead or cries of the dying. He had been through the hell of war and seen up close it’s ugly face. He had lived up to his and his country's expectations, and, unlike many of his close friends, he was alive... and he gave thanks. From his narrow hospital bed, he struggled to write a letter to his wife, trying to make reasonably legible words and sentences. For this left-hander soldier, writing with his right hand was awkward. At last these words from his heart would find their way to paper, and then across the sea. In later years, his forever wife recalled the letter and the concern of seeing this unfamiliar handwriting. Often a buddy of the wounded or killed soldier would write the wife or parent to soften the blunt War Department telegram that always started, “ The Secretary Of War regrets to inform you...”. The young wife hesitated but a painful moment before opening this magical letter. Her tears of joy soon washed away the many months of terrible worry and uncertainty. Her husband and true love was alive and would war no more. The hospital treatment was effective. The dangers of complications abated. Healing was assured. Finally on Friday, May 11th 1945, he was on a hospital ship bound for the USA. (This article was written by Townes' son, Michael Bolt. Published in the Laurens Advertiser Newspaper 2 April 2003) |
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Townes Bolt is an Abraham Bolt descendant All Rights Reserved - 2004 boltancestry.com |
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