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News
Coahoma Freedom Parade
marshals
King, Reid, Richters
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Grand marshals for Saturday’s 10 a.m.
Coahoma Freedom Parade are all World War II veterans. They
are:
William H. (Pop) King
Mr. King was the first draftee from
Mitchell County after Pearl Harbor. He participated in WW II
from 1943-1946, serving in the European Theater, including
France, Belgium, Germany and North Africa, where he was
captured by the Germans and held prisoner in a POW camp. After
his release he was injured in a jeep accident in Bastonge,
Belgium. Upon returning to the United States, he received many
distinguished service medals, including the Purple
Heart.
He retired from farming and carpentry
and worked as a door greeter at Wal-Mart for five years. He
currently enjoys gardening and his church. He and his wife of
59 years, Lucille, have three children, nine grandchildren,
three great grandchildren and are expecting three new great
grandchildren in the coming year.
Pops is very active in the POW
organization and the DAV chapters.
Carl Dale Reid
Mr. Reid is a lifetime resident of
Howard County and veteran of WWII, having entered active
service Sept. 26, 1944. After basic training in the Army, he
was shipped out to the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He was sent to
Hawaii, the Marshall Islands and then on to Siapan for
additional training before being sent to Okinawa, where his
unit joined up with the 27th division in taking control of the
island.
He spent time on several other islands
during the war, including Gotemba, Xoriyama, Hokkaido,
Soppora, Guam and also in Tokyo and Yokahama, Japan. He
received combat medals and commendation medals for his service
in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He returned home to friends
and family May 211, 1946.
Mr. Reid is the youngest son of the
late Hiram and Dona Reid. He had two brothers, clay and Juil,
both deceased. He married Mabel Earlene Edens Dec. 14, 1941.
She has since died. They raised five sons, Billy Carl,
Phillip, Royce, Mike and Donald.
Earnest Alexander Richters
Mr. Richters entered the service Jan.
26, 1945 in Midland. He took basic training at Fort Sill,
Okla. and was subsequently trained to fire 105s. He was sent
to the Philippines but by the time he arrived, the war was
over. So he became part of the “mop-up” crews who disarmed
live ammunition. While in the Philippines, he told his first
sergeant there was a live, unstable 35 mm round in the tent.
The officer said not to worry. It went off, killing three
men.
Mr. Richters was shipped to Tokyo,
Japan in time for Christmas of 1945, where they dumped live
ammo in the ocean.
He had purchased kimono dresses for
his girls and a 25 mm saddle gun for his son, but someone
stole them on the boat home.
He was shipped home after Christmas
and docked in Seattle, Wash. He tells the story that he was
given $10 and bought the biggest T-bone steak with a big ring
of fat that he could find, served with fries and
ketchup.
He was put on a train to El Paso but
was put off on a side rail somewhere in New Mexico and almost
froze to death before he found a lieutenant who got them back
on track. He was discharged at Fort Bliss. They wanted him to
stay and get his front tooth fixed by he said “no.” he wanted
to go home and see his family.
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