WWII, 30TH INFANTRY DIVISION
PFC. DONALD ARMSTRONG FAGGART, CO F, 119TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 30TH "OLD HICKORY" INFANTRY DIVISION.
VETERAN OF BATTLE OF THE BULGE AND THE ROER RIVER CROSSING.
AWARDED COMBAT INFANTRY BADGE, BRONZE STAR, PURPLE HEART, SHARP SHOOTER M1 RIFLE MEDAL, EAMET MEDAL WITH TWO BRONZE SERVICE STARS, GOOD CONDUCT, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL.
Husband of Vera Mae Cauble Faggart of Ansonville, NC. Son of Robert M. Faggart Sr. and Eula Atlas Armstrong Faggart. Survived by wife Vera, son Thomas A. Fagart and his wife Toni Trump Fagart and two grandchildren Erin and Vince Fagart, and son Michael W. Faggart.
WW II veteran - served in 2nd Platoon, Co. F, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division "Old Hickory". Axis Sally had dubbed the 30th Division "Roosevelt"s SS" for very aggressive fighting.
Prior to entering the Army, Donald Faggart was a brick mason and traveled around the Carolinas and Virginia helping to build new military hospitals for the war effort. After receiving his notice for the draft on 28 Jul 1944, while laying brick on the Woodrow Wilson VA Hospital in Staunton, Va, he entered the Army.
Entered service 12 Aug 1944 at Camp Croft, Spartanburg, SC. Underwent basic and combat training at Fort McClellan, Anniston, Al. Departed U.S. 1 January 1945 from Bayonne, NJ (New York dock) for Europe on board the Queen Mary.
The Queen Mary arrived Gourock, Scotland on 7 January 1945. There were 16,240 U.S. troops on board the Queen Mary. It was on this voyage that the Queen Mary transported the largest quantity of troops during WWII. There were so many troops on board that even the indoor swimming pool, which had been out of commission for a long time, had multiple layered bunks placed there. Feeding that many troops was another issue. There were only two meals per day served and these meal were being served on a continuous cycle during a 24 hour day. Various color coded cards with section numbers were given out designating the time in which each section could go eat. Military Police were stationed at the food line to check the color coded section dining cards and to make sure that dining was conducted in an orderly manner. Deck space was limited so the men in each section of the ship were given a designated time, by section, to go out onto the deck. Other than eating and being able to go out on the deck once per day, there was nothing else to do other than staying in your individual bunk where you had to keep your gear and rifle. Pvt. Faggart said that as they were going through a warehouse type building as they were boarding the Queen Mary, each man was issued an new M1 rifle to clean. The vast majority of all of the troops on board were replacement troops for the Battle of The Bulge. They would not know which regiment or division they would be assigned to until they reach a replacement depot in France or Belgium.
From Gourock, Scotland Pvt. Faggart boarded a troop train for South Hampton, England and upon arriving there was immediately place on a ship bound for LeHarve, France. From LeHarve, France again placed on a troop train and sent immediately to Belgium and assigned as a replacement in the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division fighting in The Battle of The Bulge.
No sooner had the Battle of The Bulge ended (officially declared over on 28 January 1945) than Operation Grenade began. This was a mass invasion of Germany across the Roer River on 23 February 1945. In preparation for the river crossing, a prolonged artillery barrage was laid down. This was the heaviest concentration of artillery fire that was performed during the war on the western front. After making the Roer River crossing he was wounded by a German artillery shell explosion in the town of Daubenrath, Germany late in the afternoon of 23 Feb 1945. After being wounded he was evacuated to an evacuation hospital in France and then moved to the "Odstock" US Military Hospital in England where he underwent surgery. After a stay at the "Odstock" Military Hospital he was prepared to be sent back to the US and was sent to another evacuation hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. After a three day stay in Glasgow, Scotland, Pvt. Faggart was then flown by a C-54 "Skymaster" back to the US via Iceland and Newfouland and landing at La Guardia in New York. From La Guardia he was bussed to Mitchell Field, New York near Glen Cove. One last flight was from Mitchell Field to Richmond, Virginia where he spent one night and was then transported by hospital train to the Woodrow Wilson military hospital in Staunton, VA where he underwent several more operations.
As fate would have it, as a brick mason prior to entering the Army he helped to build the Woodrow Wilson Hospital, the very hospital where he received his draft notice and would under go several more surgeries. After the war was over, his final military discharge was on 13 November 1945 from the military hospital at Camp Butner, Butner, NC north of Durham.
The Army awarded him the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, European - African Theater Medal with two battle stars (Battle of the Bulge and Rhineland), Expert Rifleman (M1), Good Conduct Medal, and WWII Victory Medal.
His most coveted medal was not his Bronze Star or Purple Heart but his "CIB" Combat Infantry Badge. Although suffering harsh combat conditions and severe winter weather during the Battle of The Bulge and being wounded by a German artillery shell explosion, he always said that if he had to do it all over again he would still be in the infantry.
Axis Sally dubbed the 30th "Old Hickory" Infantry Division "Roosevelt's SS Troops". This was for the very aggressive fighting the 30th performed during the Battle of The Bulge. The men of the 30th took this as a complement and a special 30th Division shoulder patch was made up for the new name Axis Sally bestowed upon them.
Also, after the war, Gen. George C. Marshall bestowed upon and named the 30th Division the best division in the European Theater of Operation.
Special note: Pvt. Donald Faggart's squads officer was 1st Lt. Raymond Beaudoin of Holyoke, Mass. 1st Lt. Beaudoin was awarded the Medal of Honor after his death for his very heroic action in saving his men while the 2nd Platoon, Co F, 119th Reg, 30th Division was engaged in fighting in Hamlin (the town of the Pide Piper story), Germany. Capt. Edward Arn of Wooster, Ohio was his company commander.
PFC. DONALD ARMSTRONG FAGGART, CO F, 119TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 30TH "OLD HICKORY" INFANTRY DIVISION.
VETERAN OF BATTLE OF THE BULGE AND THE ROER RIVER CROSSING.
AWARDED COMBAT INFANTRY BADGE, BRONZE STAR, PURPLE HEART, SHARP SHOOTER M1 RIFLE MEDAL, EAMET MEDAL WITH TWO BRONZE SERVICE STARS, GOOD CONDUCT, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL.
Husband of Vera Mae Cauble Faggart of Ansonville, NC. Son of Robert M. Faggart Sr. and Eula Atlas Armstrong Faggart. Survived by wife Vera, son Thomas A. Fagart and his wife Toni Trump Fagart and two grandchildren Erin and Vince Fagart, and son Michael W. Faggart.
WW II veteran - served in 2nd Platoon, Co. F, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division "Old Hickory". Axis Sally had dubbed the 30th Division "Roosevelt"s SS" for very aggressive fighting.
Prior to entering the Army, Donald Faggart was a brick mason and traveled around the Carolinas and Virginia helping to build new military hospitals for the war effort. After receiving his notice for the draft on 28 Jul 1944, while laying brick on the Woodrow Wilson VA Hospital in Staunton, Va, he entered the Army.
Entered service 12 Aug 1944 at Camp Croft, Spartanburg, SC. Underwent basic and combat training at Fort McClellan, Anniston, Al. Departed U.S. 1 January 1945 from Bayonne, NJ (New York dock) for Europe on board the Queen Mary.
The Queen Mary arrived Gourock, Scotland on 7 January 1945. There were 16,240 U.S. troops on board the Queen Mary. It was on this voyage that the Queen Mary transported the largest quantity of troops during WWII. There were so many troops on board that even the indoor swimming pool, which had been out of commission for a long time, had multiple layered bunks placed there. Feeding that many troops was another issue. There were only two meals per day served and these meal were being served on a continuous cycle during a 24 hour day. Various color coded cards with section numbers were given out designating the time in which each section could go eat. Military Police were stationed at the food line to check the color coded section dining cards and to make sure that dining was conducted in an orderly manner. Deck space was limited so the men in each section of the ship were given a designated time, by section, to go out onto the deck. Other than eating and being able to go out on the deck once per day, there was nothing else to do other than staying in your individual bunk where you had to keep your gear and rifle. Pvt. Faggart said that as they were going through a warehouse type building as they were boarding the Queen Mary, each man was issued an new M1 rifle to clean. The vast majority of all of the troops on board were replacement troops for the Battle of The Bulge. They would not know which regiment or division they would be assigned to until they reach a replacement depot in France or Belgium.
From Gourock, Scotland Pvt. Faggart boarded a troop train for South Hampton, England and upon arriving there was immediately place on a ship bound for LeHarve, France. From LeHarve, France again placed on a troop train and sent immediately to Belgium and assigned as a replacement in the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division fighting in The Battle of The Bulge.
No sooner had the Battle of The Bulge ended (officially declared over on 28 January 1945) than Operation Grenade began. This was a mass invasion of Germany across the Roer River on 23 February 1945. In preparation for the river crossing, a prolonged artillery barrage was laid down. This was the heaviest concentration of artillery fire that was performed during the war on the western front. After making the Roer River crossing he was wounded by a German artillery shell explosion in the town of Daubenrath, Germany late in the afternoon of 23 Feb 1945. After being wounded he was evacuated to an evacuation hospital in France and then moved to the "Odstock" US Military Hospital in England where he underwent surgery. After a stay at the "Odstock" Military Hospital he was prepared to be sent back to the US and was sent to another evacuation hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. After a three day stay in Glasgow, Scotland, Pvt. Faggart was then flown by a C-54 "Skymaster" back to the US via Iceland and Newfouland and landing at La Guardia in New York. From La Guardia he was bussed to Mitchell Field, New York near Glen Cove. One last flight was from Mitchell Field to Richmond, Virginia where he spent one night and was then transported by hospital train to the Woodrow Wilson military hospital in Staunton, VA where he underwent several more operations.
As fate would have it, as a brick mason prior to entering the Army he helped to build the Woodrow Wilson Hospital, the very hospital where he received his draft notice and would under go several more surgeries. After the war was over, his final military discharge was on 13 November 1945 from the military hospital at Camp Butner, Butner, NC north of Durham.
The Army awarded him the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, European - African Theater Medal with two battle stars (Battle of the Bulge and Rhineland), Expert Rifleman (M1), Good Conduct Medal, and WWII Victory Medal.
His most coveted medal was not his Bronze Star or Purple Heart but his "CIB" Combat Infantry Badge. Although suffering harsh combat conditions and severe winter weather during the Battle of The Bulge and being wounded by a German artillery shell explosion, he always said that if he had to do it all over again he would still be in the infantry.
Axis Sally dubbed the 30th "Old Hickory" Infantry Division "Roosevelt's SS Troops". This was for the very aggressive fighting the 30th performed during the Battle of The Bulge. The men of the 30th took this as a complement and a special 30th Division shoulder patch was made up for the new name Axis Sally bestowed upon them.
Also, after the war, Gen. George C. Marshall bestowed upon and named the 30th Division the best division in the European Theater of Operation.
Special note: Pvt. Donald Faggart's squads officer was 1st Lt. Raymond Beaudoin of Holyoke, Mass. 1st Lt. Beaudoin was awarded the Medal of Honor after his death for his very heroic action in saving his men while the 2nd Platoon, Co F, 119th Reg, 30th Division was engaged in fighting in Hamlin (the town of the Pide Piper story), Germany. Capt. Edward Arn of Wooster, Ohio was his company commander.
WWII, 30TH INFANTRY DIVISION
PFC. DONALD ARMSTRONG FAGGART, CO F, 119TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 30TH "OLD HICKORY" INFANTRY DIVISION.
VETERAN OF BATTLE OF THE BULGE AND THE ROER RIVER CROSSING.
AWARDED COMBAT INFANTRY BADGE, BRONZE STAR, PURPLE HEART, SHARP SHOOTER M1 RIFLE MEDAL, EAMET MEDAL WITH TWO BRONZE SERVICE STARS, GOOD CONDUCT, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL.
Husband of Vera Mae Cauble Faggart of Ansonville, NC. Son of Robert M. Faggart Sr. and Eula Atlas Armstrong Faggart. Survived by wife Vera, son Thomas A. Fagart and his wife Toni Trump Fagart and two grandchildren Erin and Vince Fagart, and son Michael W. Faggart.
WW II veteran - served in 2nd Platoon, Co. F, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division "Old Hickory". Axis Sally had dubbed the 30th Division "Roosevelt"s SS" for very aggressive fighting.
Prior to entering the Army, Donald Faggart was a brick mason and traveled around the Carolinas and Virginia helping to build new military hospitals for the war effort. After receiving his notice for the draft on 28 Jul 1944, while laying brick on the Woodrow Wilson VA Hospital in Staunton, Va, he entered the Army.
Entered service 12 Aug 1944 at Camp Croft, Spartanburg, SC. Underwent basic and combat training at Fort McClellan, Anniston, Al. Departed U.S. 1 January 1945 from Bayonne, NJ (New York dock) for Europe on board the Queen Mary.
The Queen Mary arrived Gourock, Scotland on 7 January 1945. There were 16,240 U.S. troops on board the Queen Mary. It was on this voyage that the Queen Mary transported the largest quantity of troops during WWII. There were so many troops on board that even the indoor swimming pool, which had been out of commission for a long time, had multiple layered bunks placed there. Feeding that many troops was another issue. There were only two meals per day served and these meal were being served on a continuous cycle during a 24 hour day. Various color coded cards with section numbers were given out designating the time in which each section could go eat. Military Police were stationed at the food line to check the color coded section dining cards and to make sure that dining was conducted in an orderly manner. Deck space was limited so the men in each section of the ship were given a designated time, by section, to go out onto the deck. Other than eating and being able to go out on the deck once per day, there was nothing else to do other than staying in your individual bunk where you had to keep your gear and rifle. Pvt. Faggart said that as they were going through a warehouse type building as they were boarding the Queen Mary, each man was issued an new M1 rifle to clean. The vast majority of all of the troops on board were replacement troops for the Battle of The Bulge. They would not know which regiment or division they would be assigned to until they reach a replacement depot in France or Belgium.
From Gourock, Scotland Pvt. Faggart boarded a troop train for South Hampton, England and upon arriving there was immediately place on a ship bound for LeHarve, France. From LeHarve, France again placed on a troop train and sent immediately to Belgium and assigned as a replacement in the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division fighting in The Battle of The Bulge.
No sooner had the Battle of The Bulge ended (officially declared over on 28 January 1945) than Operation Grenade began. This was a mass invasion of Germany across the Roer River on 23 February 1945. In preparation for the river crossing, a prolonged artillery barrage was laid down. This was the heaviest concentration of artillery fire that was performed during the war on the western front. After making the Roer River crossing he was wounded by a German artillery shell explosion in the town of Daubenrath, Germany late in the afternoon of 23 Feb 1945. After being wounded he was evacuated to an evacuation hospital in France and then moved to the "Odstock" US Military Hospital in England where he underwent surgery. After a stay at the "Odstock" Military Hospital he was prepared to be sent back to the US and was sent to another evacuation hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. After a three day stay in Glasgow, Scotland, Pvt. Faggart was then flown by a C-54 "Skymaster" back to the US via Iceland and Newfouland and landing at La Guardia in New York. From La Guardia he was bussed to Mitchell Field, New York near Glen Cove. One last flight was from Mitchell Field to Richmond, Virginia where he spent one night and was then transported by hospital train to the Woodrow Wilson military hospital in Staunton, VA where he underwent several more operations.
As fate would have it, as a brick mason prior to entering the Army he helped to build the Woodrow Wilson Hospital, the very hospital where he received his draft notice and would under go several more surgeries. After the war was over, his final military discharge was on 13 November 1945 from the military hospital at Camp Butner, Butner, NC north of Durham.
The Army awarded him the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, European - African Theater Medal with two battle stars (Battle of the Bulge and Rhineland), Expert Rifleman (M1), Good Conduct Medal, and WWII Victory Medal.
His most coveted medal was not his Bronze Star or Purple Heart but his "CIB" Combat Infantry Badge. Although suffering harsh combat conditions and severe winter weather during the Battle of The Bulge and being wounded by a German artillery shell explosion, he always said that if he had to do it all over again he would still be in the infantry.
Axis Sally dubbed the 30th "Old Hickory" Infantry Division "Roosevelt's SS Troops". This was for the very aggressive fighting the 30th performed during the Battle of The Bulge. The men of the 30th took this as a complement and a special 30th Division shoulder patch was made up for the new name Axis Sally bestowed upon them.
Also, after the war, Gen. George C. Marshall bestowed upon and named the 30th Division the best division in the European Theater of Operation.
Special note: Pvt. Donald Faggart's squads officer was 1st Lt. Raymond Beaudoin of Holyoke, Mass. 1st Lt. Beaudoin was awarded the Medal of Honor after his death for his very heroic action in saving his men while the 2nd Platoon, Co F, 119th Reg, 30th Division was engaged in fighting in Hamlin (the town of the Pide Piper story), Germany. Capt. Edward Arn of Wooster, Ohio was his company commander.
PFC. DONALD ARMSTRONG FAGGART, CO F, 119TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 30TH "OLD HICKORY" INFANTRY DIVISION.
VETERAN OF BATTLE OF THE BULGE AND THE ROER RIVER CROSSING.
AWARDED COMBAT INFANTRY BADGE, BRONZE STAR, PURPLE HEART, SHARP SHOOTER M1 RIFLE MEDAL, EAMET MEDAL WITH TWO BRONZE SERVICE STARS, GOOD CONDUCT, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL.
Husband of Vera Mae Cauble Faggart of Ansonville, NC. Son of Robert M. Faggart Sr. and Eula Atlas Armstrong Faggart. Survived by wife Vera, son Thomas A. Fagart and his wife Toni Trump Fagart and two grandchildren Erin and Vince Fagart, and son Michael W. Faggart.
WW II veteran - served in 2nd Platoon, Co. F, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division "Old Hickory". Axis Sally had dubbed the 30th Division "Roosevelt"s SS" for very aggressive fighting.
Prior to entering the Army, Donald Faggart was a brick mason and traveled around the Carolinas and Virginia helping to build new military hospitals for the war effort. After receiving his notice for the draft on 28 Jul 1944, while laying brick on the Woodrow Wilson VA Hospital in Staunton, Va, he entered the Army.
Entered service 12 Aug 1944 at Camp Croft, Spartanburg, SC. Underwent basic and combat training at Fort McClellan, Anniston, Al. Departed U.S. 1 January 1945 from Bayonne, NJ (New York dock) for Europe on board the Queen Mary.
The Queen Mary arrived Gourock, Scotland on 7 January 1945. There were 16,240 U.S. troops on board the Queen Mary. It was on this voyage that the Queen Mary transported the largest quantity of troops during WWII. There were so many troops on board that even the indoor swimming pool, which had been out of commission for a long time, had multiple layered bunks placed there. Feeding that many troops was another issue. There were only two meals per day served and these meal were being served on a continuous cycle during a 24 hour day. Various color coded cards with section numbers were given out designating the time in which each section could go eat. Military Police were stationed at the food line to check the color coded section dining cards and to make sure that dining was conducted in an orderly manner. Deck space was limited so the men in each section of the ship were given a designated time, by section, to go out onto the deck. Other than eating and being able to go out on the deck once per day, there was nothing else to do other than staying in your individual bunk where you had to keep your gear and rifle. Pvt. Faggart said that as they were going through a warehouse type building as they were boarding the Queen Mary, each man was issued an new M1 rifle to clean. The vast majority of all of the troops on board were replacement troops for the Battle of The Bulge. They would not know which regiment or division they would be assigned to until they reach a replacement depot in France or Belgium.
From Gourock, Scotland Pvt. Faggart boarded a troop train for South Hampton, England and upon arriving there was immediately place on a ship bound for LeHarve, France. From LeHarve, France again placed on a troop train and sent immediately to Belgium and assigned as a replacement in the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division fighting in The Battle of The Bulge.
No sooner had the Battle of The Bulge ended (officially declared over on 28 January 1945) than Operation Grenade began. This was a mass invasion of Germany across the Roer River on 23 February 1945. In preparation for the river crossing, a prolonged artillery barrage was laid down. This was the heaviest concentration of artillery fire that was performed during the war on the western front. After making the Roer River crossing he was wounded by a German artillery shell explosion in the town of Daubenrath, Germany late in the afternoon of 23 Feb 1945. After being wounded he was evacuated to an evacuation hospital in France and then moved to the "Odstock" US Military Hospital in England where he underwent surgery. After a stay at the "Odstock" Military Hospital he was prepared to be sent back to the US and was sent to another evacuation hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. After a three day stay in Glasgow, Scotland, Pvt. Faggart was then flown by a C-54 "Skymaster" back to the US via Iceland and Newfouland and landing at La Guardia in New York. From La Guardia he was bussed to Mitchell Field, New York near Glen Cove. One last flight was from Mitchell Field to Richmond, Virginia where he spent one night and was then transported by hospital train to the Woodrow Wilson military hospital in Staunton, VA where he underwent several more operations.
As fate would have it, as a brick mason prior to entering the Army he helped to build the Woodrow Wilson Hospital, the very hospital where he received his draft notice and would under go several more surgeries. After the war was over, his final military discharge was on 13 November 1945 from the military hospital at Camp Butner, Butner, NC north of Durham.
The Army awarded him the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, European - African Theater Medal with two battle stars (Battle of the Bulge and Rhineland), Expert Rifleman (M1), Good Conduct Medal, and WWII Victory Medal.
His most coveted medal was not his Bronze Star or Purple Heart but his "CIB" Combat Infantry Badge. Although suffering harsh combat conditions and severe winter weather during the Battle of The Bulge and being wounded by a German artillery shell explosion, he always said that if he had to do it all over again he would still be in the infantry.
Axis Sally dubbed the 30th "Old Hickory" Infantry Division "Roosevelt's SS Troops". This was for the very aggressive fighting the 30th performed during the Battle of The Bulge. The men of the 30th took this as a complement and a special 30th Division shoulder patch was made up for the new name Axis Sally bestowed upon them.
Also, after the war, Gen. George C. Marshall bestowed upon and named the 30th Division the best division in the European Theater of Operation.
Special note: Pvt. Donald Faggart's squads officer was 1st Lt. Raymond Beaudoin of Holyoke, Mass. 1st Lt. Beaudoin was awarded the Medal of Honor after his death for his very heroic action in saving his men while the 2nd Platoon, Co F, 119th Reg, 30th Division was engaged in fighting in Hamlin (the town of the Pide Piper story), Germany. Capt. Edward Arn of Wooster, Ohio was his company commander.
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