The City of Gainesville and the Texas WWII Historical Monument Fund will dedicate a historical monument honoring the men of the 103d INF Div and the 847 men from that unit who sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedom.
The dedication will take place on November 11, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. and be held at the Texas Department of Transportation Travel Information Center located north of Gainesville on the west side of US Hwy I-35.
Brief History: Camp Howze was established on August 17, 1942 as a temporary infantry training facility. The 103d and two other infantry divisions (totaling over 90,000 soldiers) trained at Camp Howze prior to their combat action in Europe. The facility also housed 3,000 German POW’s.
Camp Howze occupied approximately 58,000 acres in Cooke County and was located across the fence on the west side of the TXDOT Travel Center. The old 120 ft tall and 50 ft diameter Camp Howze concrete water tower, is currently visible about 1 mile west of the Travel Center.
|
The buildings, with the exception of the Hospital, were single wall wood construction covered with black tar paper. Troop quarters housed a platoon of 40 men and were heated by a simple coal stove at each end of the building.
|
The camp was declared surplus and dismantled in the fall of 1946. The land was later offered for sale.
In 1998, a small group of 103d veterans, including B. Melton “Mel” Wright, Lejeune “Rabbit” Wilson, and the late Robert N. “Bob” Powers, formed a 501-(c)(3) Tax Exempt Corporation. Its purpose was to erect a monument at a prime location honoring the men of the 103d Inf Div of WWII and to preserve this vital part of history for future generations. The Travel Information Center was selected as the prime location.
After seven years, State approval was acquired with the assistance of Texas State Land Commissioner, Jerry Patterson.
An Interlocal Agreement between TxDOT and the City of Gainesville covers the final plans. The City has been in total support of this project and is furnishing the complete foundation.
L-R: Rabbit Wilson, Edd Hayes
Cheryl Cash and Kennth Kaden.
The monument now stands at the
Travel Center with the
dedication scheduled for
November 11, 2006.
The Monument fund is donating the 9-ft world-class bronze statue, the 10-ton Granite pentagon shaped base, five solid granite panels and ten bronze plaques. The five bronze plaques for the pentagon base will contain data of the organization, battle records, 103d WW II history, Camp Howze history, and dedication information. The five bronze plaques for the five granite panels will list the names of the 847 men that sacrificed their life to preserve our freedom.
103d Veterans and their friends and relatives have furnished the bulk of the donations that have made this noble venture a reality.
The architect is Arthur Flynn, a 103d veteran. The sculptor is Edd Hayes.
|
