thedrifter
01-21-07, 08:09 AM
WWII vet recalls days transporting German POWs at Davis
January 21,2007
CAROLYN ALFORD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Hello, friends and neighbors. It is good to see you here.
While visiting with the morning regulars at Dunkin Donuts last week, I met Leamon Wooten who transported German prisoners of war around Camp Davis during World War II. I had no idea that there were German prisoners at Camp Davis in Holly Ridge, so I found his story fascinating.
Leamon, 81, is a World War II veteran who grew up in Maple Hill on a dirt road 12 miles from the paved highway. Leamon was one of five children. His father, Carroll Wooten, helped build the east/west runway at Camp Davis in 1942. Leamon was in high school and also worked at Camp Davis that year as a plumber's helper. He returned in the summer of 1943 to drive a pickup carrying seam fitters to the Army Hospital at Camp Davis.
Leamon joined the Navy when he graduated from Burgaw High School in April 1944, but only served about a year because of a medical injury. Leamon returned to work as a civilian at Camp Davis driving a truck, transporting German prisoners of war around the four-mile long base.
Leamon did not speak German, but a few of the prisoners spoke English. There was no guard as Leamon drove the prisoners from the prison compound to work at the mess hall at Camp Davis. The prisoners never tried to escape, Leamon said, because there was no place for them to go. The vehicle Leamon drove was a military M-37 Dodge pickup that is now called the Vintage Power Wagon. The truck was called a "Command Car" and it had a canvas top.
Leamon said he would put a couple of the prisoners up front in the leather seats and four to five in the back for the short trips to the mess hall. As time passed, they got to know each other, Leamon said, and the prisoners began cooking breakfast for him. Over breakfast they would discuss how the Germans ate European style and he ate American style. The prisoners tried to teach Leamon how to change hands and use his utensils like they did.
Leamon remembers the day he earned his nickname "Wooten Super Driver." He had driven the prisoners to the mess hall and they were standing on the mess hall deck when he was leaving. Leamon backed into a 1941 Plymouth owned by one of the Army officers at the base. After that, the prisoners called him "Wooten Super Driver."
The POWs wore American Army uniforms with PW on it. When they worked at the mess hall, they wore white aprons. Leamon had to go to the warehouse to pick up a load of beans and one of the POWs, Carl, said he would go with Leamon. When the soldier at the warehouse finished, Leamon reached for the requisition to sign it. The soldier told him that civilians could not sign the requisitions and handed it to Carl. Leamon laughed and told him Carl was a POW. The soldier handed the requisition back to Leamon to sign.
At that time, no one knew about the atrocities that were going on in Germany. The soldiers left and Leamon never heard from them again. A group of Dutch Marines came to Camp Davis after that to be trained to establish a colony in Indonesia.
The Americans were using the base at that time for artillery and antiaircraft training. One of Leamon's duties was to carry people to Sears Landing - which is now Surf City - for antiaircraft training. Planes would fly overhead sometimes piloted by women from the Air Force Auxiliary. The planes would tow a sleeve that the soldiers manning the antiaircraft guns on the ground would shoot at the sleeves. Thank goodness they were towed 200 feet or more behind the plane.
The soldiers would also fly remote controlled airplanes that teams of two would shoot at the airplanes using 40 mm guns. "They never could hit one while I was there," Leamon said. When the plane would run out of fuel, a parachute would open and the plane would float to the ground where the soldiers would pick it up.
The Army would also fly little red experimental planes beside observation planes. "I remember looking at the plane and there was no place for a pilot. It was all equipment," Leamon said. I guess that was the precursor to the high tech robotic planes now flown in Iraq.
At night, the soldiers would locate aircraft with search lights that could be seen for 15 miles. Leamon can remember seeing the lights at Maple Hill as the soldiers tracked the aircraft. The tracers from the anticraft guns could be seen in the light.
Camp Davis was transferred to the Marine Corps in 1945 and Leamon was transferred to Camp Lejeune. Leamon found a technical school in Chicago in a catalog and wrote to them. The school accepted him and he attended in 1946 on the GI Bill. He learned basic electric and radio and they showed the students a television. It was the first time he had ever seen a TV.
Leamon married Eleanor Lanier from Pender County on Dec. 6, 1952. The Wootens have two daughters, Ronda Mills and Shirley Evans, and four grandchildren. Eleanor worked for First Citizens on New Bridge Street. She left to stay home with the children and returned to work in 1961 at Blue Creek Elementary with Principal E.J. Rublein. Eleanor started the library at Blue Creek and taught herself library science. Eleanor moved to the classroom as a teacher assistant until she retired six years ago.
Leamon retired in 1981 after 33 years working at Camp Lejeune. He then began working for Southern Auto Parts in outside sales.
"I am fortunate to have survived, to get around and work like I do," he said.
The 'real' world
Last week, I got one of those letters from my daughter Britainy; you know, the one where they thank you for loving them and taking such good care of them. You wait patiently for one of those letters and when it finally comes, you know that you will cherish it forever because it signifies that your baby has grown up.
Britainy talked about the "real world" in the letter and I would like to share a part of it with you.
"I am hours away from home, surrounded by people who, for the most part, don't care and would not notice if the corner of the coffee shop I sat in for eight hours today was completely empty. (She had sat there doing her school work.)
"At that moment, I realized I was lucky to have grown up with the security of having you for my mother and being born and raised in Onslow County, which I have decided isn't part of the 'real world' because there, and with you, I know people honestly care about me and others around me. I know that there, people want to see me happy and successful and most of all, I know now that if I ever need anything, I just need to run East."
I, too, like calling Onslow County home.
Thank you for coming.
Contact Carolyn Alford at calford@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 218.
Ellie
January 21,2007
CAROLYN ALFORD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Hello, friends and neighbors. It is good to see you here.
While visiting with the morning regulars at Dunkin Donuts last week, I met Leamon Wooten who transported German prisoners of war around Camp Davis during World War II. I had no idea that there were German prisoners at Camp Davis in Holly Ridge, so I found his story fascinating.
Leamon, 81, is a World War II veteran who grew up in Maple Hill on a dirt road 12 miles from the paved highway. Leamon was one of five children. His father, Carroll Wooten, helped build the east/west runway at Camp Davis in 1942. Leamon was in high school and also worked at Camp Davis that year as a plumber's helper. He returned in the summer of 1943 to drive a pickup carrying seam fitters to the Army Hospital at Camp Davis.
Leamon joined the Navy when he graduated from Burgaw High School in April 1944, but only served about a year because of a medical injury. Leamon returned to work as a civilian at Camp Davis driving a truck, transporting German prisoners of war around the four-mile long base.
Leamon did not speak German, but a few of the prisoners spoke English. There was no guard as Leamon drove the prisoners from the prison compound to work at the mess hall at Camp Davis. The prisoners never tried to escape, Leamon said, because there was no place for them to go. The vehicle Leamon drove was a military M-37 Dodge pickup that is now called the Vintage Power Wagon. The truck was called a "Command Car" and it had a canvas top.
Leamon said he would put a couple of the prisoners up front in the leather seats and four to five in the back for the short trips to the mess hall. As time passed, they got to know each other, Leamon said, and the prisoners began cooking breakfast for him. Over breakfast they would discuss how the Germans ate European style and he ate American style. The prisoners tried to teach Leamon how to change hands and use his utensils like they did.
Leamon remembers the day he earned his nickname "Wooten Super Driver." He had driven the prisoners to the mess hall and they were standing on the mess hall deck when he was leaving. Leamon backed into a 1941 Plymouth owned by one of the Army officers at the base. After that, the prisoners called him "Wooten Super Driver."
The POWs wore American Army uniforms with PW on it. When they worked at the mess hall, they wore white aprons. Leamon had to go to the warehouse to pick up a load of beans and one of the POWs, Carl, said he would go with Leamon. When the soldier at the warehouse finished, Leamon reached for the requisition to sign it. The soldier told him that civilians could not sign the requisitions and handed it to Carl. Leamon laughed and told him Carl was a POW. The soldier handed the requisition back to Leamon to sign.
At that time, no one knew about the atrocities that were going on in Germany. The soldiers left and Leamon never heard from them again. A group of Dutch Marines came to Camp Davis after that to be trained to establish a colony in Indonesia.
The Americans were using the base at that time for artillery and antiaircraft training. One of Leamon's duties was to carry people to Sears Landing - which is now Surf City - for antiaircraft training. Planes would fly overhead sometimes piloted by women from the Air Force Auxiliary. The planes would tow a sleeve that the soldiers manning the antiaircraft guns on the ground would shoot at the sleeves. Thank goodness they were towed 200 feet or more behind the plane.
The soldiers would also fly remote controlled airplanes that teams of two would shoot at the airplanes using 40 mm guns. "They never could hit one while I was there," Leamon said. When the plane would run out of fuel, a parachute would open and the plane would float to the ground where the soldiers would pick it up.
The Army would also fly little red experimental planes beside observation planes. "I remember looking at the plane and there was no place for a pilot. It was all equipment," Leamon said. I guess that was the precursor to the high tech robotic planes now flown in Iraq.
At night, the soldiers would locate aircraft with search lights that could be seen for 15 miles. Leamon can remember seeing the lights at Maple Hill as the soldiers tracked the aircraft. The tracers from the anticraft guns could be seen in the light.
Camp Davis was transferred to the Marine Corps in 1945 and Leamon was transferred to Camp Lejeune. Leamon found a technical school in Chicago in a catalog and wrote to them. The school accepted him and he attended in 1946 on the GI Bill. He learned basic electric and radio and they showed the students a television. It was the first time he had ever seen a TV.
Leamon married Eleanor Lanier from Pender County on Dec. 6, 1952. The Wootens have two daughters, Ronda Mills and Shirley Evans, and four grandchildren. Eleanor worked for First Citizens on New Bridge Street. She left to stay home with the children and returned to work in 1961 at Blue Creek Elementary with Principal E.J. Rublein. Eleanor started the library at Blue Creek and taught herself library science. Eleanor moved to the classroom as a teacher assistant until she retired six years ago.
Leamon retired in 1981 after 33 years working at Camp Lejeune. He then began working for Southern Auto Parts in outside sales.
"I am fortunate to have survived, to get around and work like I do," he said.
The 'real' world
Last week, I got one of those letters from my daughter Britainy; you know, the one where they thank you for loving them and taking such good care of them. You wait patiently for one of those letters and when it finally comes, you know that you will cherish it forever because it signifies that your baby has grown up.
Britainy talked about the "real world" in the letter and I would like to share a part of it with you.
"I am hours away from home, surrounded by people who, for the most part, don't care and would not notice if the corner of the coffee shop I sat in for eight hours today was completely empty. (She had sat there doing her school work.)
"At that moment, I realized I was lucky to have grown up with the security of having you for my mother and being born and raised in Onslow County, which I have decided isn't part of the 'real world' because there, and with you, I know people honestly care about me and others around me. I know that there, people want to see me happy and successful and most of all, I know now that if I ever need anything, I just need to run East."
I, too, like calling Onslow County home.
Thank you for coming.
Contact Carolyn Alford at calford@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 218.
Ellie