Velma asked me to say a few words today in honor of him in this final service for him. I am proud to be his brother and his buddy. I am happy to have been guided by him and always had him as an example to live by. Even though he was about 5 years older than I, I didn’t always take his advice — because I was always the dreamer in the family and thought I had a better way. Boy, how often I was wrong.

With two older brothers and two cousins their ages, I was always the “tag-a-long”. I learned early to keep my mouth shut and never volunteer to ride the neighbor’s calf until they had tried him first. Growing up in Lapoint in the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s was interesting in spite of the Great Depression. We had to make our own fun and Boy, we made a lot of it!

LaMar was always a good mechanic, even when we were young. He was seldom wrong in his diagnosis of what an engine needed. Once, in the late 20’s, we made a Jalopy out of a Durant sedan. It developed a knock in the engine and LaMar said it would be all right, it was just a fan belt slap. We argued about it, and I really kidded him when two days later, I had it racing downhill at 52 mph — that belt slapped a hole in that engine block that you could have put your fist through. I was kinda glad to be right, cause it didn’t happen very often.

We often talked about out grandfather George Deliverance Wilson. We rehashed the stories we had heard about his experiences in the Mormon Battalion in 1846. Also his troubles with the Indians after that. Somehow it made us feel important that he was our Grandfather — not Great-Grandfather.

We the Second World War broke out, we were both up against that ago old problem — how to take care of a family and still do your duty to your country. There was a lot of confusion among the civilians as well as in the ranks. Lots of speculation about training and shipping out for duty over seas. Most men got 17 weeks of basic training, LaMar did and later so did I.

The reason I’m giving you this information is that I’m pretty sure that LaMar never talked to you boys about his experiences. He wanted to forget about it and he wouldn’t go to a war movie, not even the movie Patton. I’d recommend that you boys rent this video if you want to know more about the 4th Armored Division.

After Basic, LaMar went to Fort Benning, Georgia, for mechanics training. From there he went to France where he was attached to the 4th Armored Division, Patton’s pride and joy, part of the 3rd Army. During the Battle of the Bulge, all technicians were handed a rifle and told, “You are a Rifleman until further orders.” LaMar spent Christmas in a fox hole with a borrowed M-1 and 3 rounds of ammo. They were surrounded by the Germans and pinned down. When the Germans were pushed back, Patton put his men on the road to rescue the 101 st Airborne Division. They were referred to as the “Battered Bastards of Bastoine”. the 101 st Airborne Division were surrounded and pinned down by the enemy and would not have been able to get out without help. In 3 days the 3rd Army covered over 100 miles then went right back into combat without hot food or sleep. This feat would be next to impossible in the summer, but they did it in the dead of winter.

LaMar’s job was to keep the tanks — half tracks — trucks and jeeps rolling. He was just attached, not assigned, to the 4th Armored Battalion. This meant no promotion or pay increase. He remained a PFC (Private First Class) for months while running a crew of 23 mechanics, some with higher rank than his. He should have been a Master Sergeant at 3 times the pay.

His service truck was a captured 1 1/2 ton truck with a closed in bed like we see now delivering furniture. He said when they had food, his helper would ride in the back and prepare the food and pass it up through a broken window to the driver. They were living off the land which meant that geese, chickens, pigs, produce, and fruit was all confiscated. They were deeper in Germany than any other outfit, each night the Germans would close in behind them so, when morning came, it was fight no matter which way they went — might as well go to Berlin.

When they would capture a town, the Burgermeister was brought to the school house to oversee the confiscation of all weapons - guns - knives - bayonets - swords etc. Cameras and binoculars were also gathered up. Autos had to be immobilized and the bicycles were piled in long piles and run over with a tank tread. Every thing was done to immobilize the populace.

Some of the people started hiding their eggs in a safety deposit box in the banks. One GI robbed a bank and said keep the money, give me the eggs. He got 3 eggs.

LaMar’s helper said, “There is a whole case of eggs in that basement. Let's go fill our helmets.” LaMar said, “That ’s 55 dozen, lets go get the whole case.” For a week or two, some delicious food was passed through the broken window.

LaMar told me that the Germans had opened up a barrage and every body made a dive for a foxhole or some protection. One GI just kept running in circles. Everyone was yelling at him to GET DOWN. He just kept running but he yelled back, I can’t, my pockets are full of eggs!

The German 88 mm artillery piece was called the Screamin’ Meemie. It fired a projectile about the size of a man’s fist. It could be fired almost as accurately as a rifle. LaMar said some guy was up on a light pole and to terrorize him, the Germans shot the pole out from under him and let him drop to the ground.

I found that LaMar was awarded the Bronze Star for repairing a vehicle while under sniper fire. I asked him for details and he just said. “O they had a bucket full of them to pass out to the officers. They had one left over so they gave it to me.” I never was able to get any more details.

He brought home a mirror about the size of a postcard and about one half an inch thick. They were destroying a stockpile of search lights and he put a piece in his pocket. He said he carried it for several months before he looked in it. He had convinced himself that his hair had turned white and he was reluctant to look.

One semi automatic pistol that he brought home had plexiglas handles. He made the handles out of a piece of windshield or window from a German Jet that he and some the Guys shot down. He had Velma’s picture under one handle and Dea’s under the other.

There was brutality on both sides. There always is in a war. The 3rd Army inflicted one and a half million casualties on the enemy. They also liberated over 12,000 towns and cities. This was a time of all-out war for the millions in our defense plants and for the many thousands of men and women who were wearing our uniforms.

Our Father in Heaven said, “This is the promised land, choice above all others.” He did not say it would be easy to keep it that way. Look at the price LaMar’s generation paid to keep Hitler, Hirohito and Mussolini from destroying our freedom. I think we should constantly ask ourselves — who paid what price to make this great land as good as it is?

I thank you all for your patience and I hope I have been able to help you understand what it meant to be LaMar Norton. I ask the Lord to bless each of you and to help you over this great loss you have suffered — especially you, Velma.