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(Courtesy photo)
Those were the words to the song that World War II Veteran Artie Lebsack, 88, of McCook, Neb., sang to Monica Harvey as he greeted her at his door. His daughters, Patsy Botts of Denver, Colo., and Lori Backer of Boise, Idaho, responded to the invitation for a Veteran to have his picture taken by one of the NEBRASKA VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY 83 signs. The picture will be highlighted on the www.veteranmemorialhighway83.com Web site.
Monica Harvey represents the VETERANS MUSIC MINISTRY and also sang some Patriotic songs to Artie. She is also president of the Veteran's Highway Association, which promotes small business along the Neb. '83' Corridor, while honoring veterans. It remembers those who died for their country, thanks the living for putting their lives on the line for their country, and belatedly thanks and welcomes home the Korea,/Vietnam/Era Veterans. The Veterans Music Ministry is the outreach of that 3 rd step, by reaching out to Korea/Vietnam/Era Veterans at Traveling Walls, biker rallies, rides, PGR events, POW/WOW, reunions, Field of Flags dedications.
This article is written in the order of the information Artie shared early one Sunday morning in February 2009. It is a brief description of the service he paid to our great country. Some locations and places may be spelled phonetically.
Who would have ever believed on July 3, 1920, that the two three pound twins born south of McCook, Nebraska, would be serving side-by-side during World War II? Who would have ever believed that they would both return safely after enduring months of combat straight? Two and a half years later, the twins came back to McCook. They were inseparable after their experience at war. They built similarly-designed houses, they were both employed by Burlington Northern Railroad (later serving as conductors on the McCook-Denver route), and they enjoyed continuous golf rounds together. They never forgot the battles what it meant to be home. Who would ever believe when they joined the army in 1942 they were split up?
Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Artie Lebsack and his twin brother, Sammy, were drafted into the Army at the young age of 21. Both brothers were sent to Denver, Colo., for induction in July. Sammy was then sent to Spartanburg, S.C. and Artie was sent to Camp Roberts, Calif., for his basic training. Opposite ends of the country. The boys came from a family of 15 children. Their parents were immigrants from Frank, Russia, and settled in McCook, Nebraska, where their father worked on the railroad.
The family was distraught that the twins were separated after being drafted, but understood the incident with the Sullivan brothers created a policy that family members were not allowed to serve in active duty together. Their younger sister, Edna, then 12 years old, decided to write a letter to President Roosevelt. She requested that he consider an exception to the rule and allow the "inseparable twins" to serve together. FDR contacted Nebraska Sen. George Norris. Senator Norris remembered the "shoe shine boys" from McCook. They shined shoes, including his, to earn money for their family. He sent a recommendation letter to President Roosevelt and requested that he sign a Presidential Order allowing Artie and Sammy to serve together. That he did.
To Sammy's surprise, Artie showed up unannounced to Spartanburg. After basic training, the reunited twins were sent to Camp Caribal in Apalatche, Fla., to be trained for amphibious landings. After nine months, the twins went to Camp Pickett, Va., where the training continued. Upon completion, the twins became part of the 307th Regiment, 77th Infantry Division, Co. M, 81 mm mortar. They ended up in Hawaii for a few months to train for the war. Unbeknownst to them, they were being trained for the Guam invasion. After a week at sea, on July 23, 1944, the 77th Division invaded Guam. Under fire, the Higgins boat occupied by the twins, along with the rest of the Army and the Marines, made a beachhead landing. It took approximately 1 1/2months to secure the island. On Guam, the brothers stayed in the same foxholes most of the time, but split up so they wouldn't be killed together. Sammy got a shrapnel wound, but refused the Purple Heart. He saw too many amputees whom he thought deserved it more. Later, Artie found a bullet hole in his own fatigues.
When Guam was secured, the 77th Division left for New Caledonia, near Australia, for rehabilitation. Before reaching their destiny, the army turned around the division to assist with the ensuing Leyte invasion. The conflict with the Japanese was ongoing on the island. The 77th Division made a beachhead landing in Ormach, a city located on the opposite side of the island. Their mission was to cut the island in half and squeeze the enemy out by using forces from both sides. As a result of this tactic, the Japanese called in reinforcements. Upon arrival in Leyte, and to the surprise of the U.S. Army, the Japanese caught the U.S. troops unprepared one evening. They bombed and strafed the Army from an air pursuit. But, the U.S. answered back. The troops disabled the Japanese invasion boat with small arms and mortar fire. It was during this battle that Artie earned a Bronze Star for his heroic efforts. The division had run out of ammunition. Regardless of the danger, Artie along with other soldiers realized the necessity of securing more ammo for the troops. "We ran out of ammunition, so I had to run to the ship and back. It was do or die! They'll kill you either way, so do it!" It was an act of survival, not a heroic act.
Artie survived the retrieval, storming the beach under enemy fire, successfully furnishing more ammo for the troops. After a lengthy campaign, Leyte was secured by the U.S. forces, the Army then made preparations for the invasion of Okinawa.
The 77th Division was sent to destroy Japanese invasion boats stationed in the Kamereto Islands prior to their invasion of Okinawa.
The Army was successful in foiling the Japanese plans and was able to secure the flank of Okinawa for itself. On their way to Okinawa the 77th Division ships were surprisingly hit by Kamikaze forces. The ship next to Artie and Sammy's was hit directly. Fortunately, the Kamikaze directed to their ship only scraped the deck and went off the other side into the ocean. The Kamikaze had misjudged its target in the rough seas. Had it been a direct hit, the twins may have met their fate. Several soldiers were lost during the hit.
After the battle of Okinawa, the 77th Division Was sent to Ie Shima to secure a small airfield. It was during this time that Artie heard about the death of Ernie Pyle, a war correspondent who was with the Army during their time on le Shima. After six days, the 77th secured the airfield. Artie and Sammy, along with their Division, returned to Okinawa. Together, they fought for weeks until the end of the Okinawa battle. Gen. Buckner, the head of their
division, was killed. The Japanese general committed hari kari as a result of losing the battle. It was another U.S. victory. The civision went to the island of Cebu (Philippines) for rehab. During the trip back, a terrible typhoon was encountered, and fortunately, all survived. While in Cebu, arrangements were being made to invade Japan on Nov. 1, 1945. But before they disembarked from Cebu, the atomic bomb was dropped to end World War 11. The necessity to invade Japan was no longer necessary. The Division was then sent Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido (Japan). There the twins served occupation duty for a couple of months. Finally, Artie and Sammy got orders to go home. They went to Yokohama, near Tokyo, and spent two weeks preparing to return home. The twins were lucky enough to be flown around Japan on a peaceful sight seeing tour for two hours. During that time they circled Mt Fujiyama They also saw the Emperor's palace. From the air, they truly realized the devastation of Tokyo. Artie stated that it looked like a pool table.
Once back home, they sailed up Columbia River and debarked in Vancouver, WA. They loaded a troop train to Denver to be discharged. The twins had experienced 188 days of actual combat during their time in the Pacific theater. Artie truly believed that after this horrible experience, he would never set foot back in that part of the world again. He was wrong. In 2002, 56 years later, Artie's daughter, Patsy, planned a return trip to Guam and Tokyo for Artie. It was during this trip that Artie finally received the Bronze Star that he so heroically earned, but never received.
Much to his surprise, a secret ceremony had been arranged during the trip. The medal was finally awarded. "The people of Guam, after all of these years, are the most grateful and thankful people I have ever met. They treated me like royalty," Artie stated. Up until their mother passed away three years ago, his daughters had only seen their dad cry twice. The first time was when he lost his twin brother, Sammy, the second was upon receipt of the Bronze Star 56 years later. This is what memories are made of.