In 1942, World War II was raging in Europe.  The US and Britain had declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941 the day after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.  Elston Samuel was 30 years old when he decided to enlist in the US Army in February 1942.  During a time when the US had to draft men to serve in the army, Elston, who was a farmer and over 30, would not have been eligible for the draft but felt the calling to serve the country he loved so much.  His brother Henry also joined the US Air Force at the same time. 

Elston served his country proudly during World War II from February 13, 1942 to August 30, 1945 when he was honorably discharged.  During his time in service, he served as a medic in North Africa and as a postal carrier in Italy.  He earned four bronze stars for the following campaigns:  Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Northern Appennines and P O Valley.

I recently asked my grandmother, Ann Samuel, for stories that my grandfather may have shared from his time in World War II.  She shared with me that my grandfather, Elston, had told her that the Army had trained their medics to give shots by giving shots to oranges.  Elston had told her when it came time to give shots to the soldiers, a Lieutenant lined up in front of him passed out on the floor.  While in North Africa, there was a period where there wasn't much to do for the medics so when someone came looking for volunteers to join the Army's postal service, Elston stepped up.  He was always active and looking to stay busy and continue to serve.

Working for the Army's postal service took my grandfather to the front lines on numerous occassions into life threatening situations.  However, my mother, Sylvia Samuel Moore, mentioned that she had asked her dad when she was younger if he ever had killed someone during the war, he said no.

Elston was well known for his love of life, family, and country.  Even in desperate times, he could find time to laugh with his fellow soldiers.  Some of the friends in his squad thought Elston slightly resembled Adolf Hitler (since he wasn't very tall and had a small mustache) and thought it would be funny to have him lay down and pretend to be dead and pose for a picture.  They draped a Nazi flag over him and took the picture.  He really thought the picture was funny and mailed it home to his parents in Hope Arkansas.  His mother, Ora Mae Samuel, didn't have a sense of humor about the matter.  She didn't see the joke and only saw her son laying there dead and even sold some of his belongings before she found out he was alive.  Needless to say she was NOT happy with his sense of humor.

Another story Elston had shared about his time in the Army was when he was touring Italy.  He mentioned once how he had gone through Pompeii shortly after Mount Vesuvius had blown.  He told how he was very excited when someone offered him ice cream as that was a treat from home he missed.  He was sorely disappointed when he found that italian ice cream (called Gelato) was not the same.  He also mentioned a few times how he would run into someone he knew from back home in Arkansas at different points in Italy while carrying the mail.  He thought it was very funny that he could be thousands of miles from home but still see people he knew .

After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1945, Elston met Annie Louise Harris, the love of his life and they married November 2, 1946.  They had three children:  Sylvia, Cynthia and Bill.  Elston was a tool and die maker at Taylor-Squibb Mfg Co (formerly J.Y. Taylor Mfg Co.) in Garland until he retired. 

Though he had rightly earned his veterans benefits during his service to his country, Elston never used any of those benefits made available to him until just very shortly before he passed away.  In November 2006, after his 60th wedding anniversary, he was admitted to Clyde Cosper Texas Veterans Home in Bonham, Texas where he passed away at the age of 95.

My grandfather was a true patriot in my eyes since he enlisted at the age of 30 when he would have been safe from the draft.  He had a pride in this country that knew no bounds and felt obligated to serve.  I could never be more proud than I am of him.