Hubbert Guthrie was born August 15, 1918 in Fulton County, Kentucky. He was living in Memphis when he was drafted into WWII. He enlisted at Dresden, Tennessee and trained off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod before being shipped to Europe. He served from August 2, 1941 – August 8, 1945. He was discharged as a corporal from the 12th Armored Division. He remembers being asked to sneak behind enemy lines at night to retrieve a Jeep taken by the Germans. He also participated in breaking through the Ziegfried Line.

Guthrie participated in the Battle of Anzio that led to the liberation of Rome. While coming ashore at Anzio, a mine-sweeping boat in front of his hit a mine and exploded. As his boat approached the floating wreckage, he spotted a tattered 48-star American flag floating in the water. He scooped it up, wrung it out and saved it. Though oil-stained and torn, he brought it home as a souvenir. Guthrie was wounded at Anzio and spent 10 days in the hospital.

After the war Guthrie returned to Tennessee. He died March 24, 2006.

Hubbert B Guthrie