Paris Goes To War

War came Paris, Texas on December 7, 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declarations of war of the Axis countries of Japan, Germany and Italy against The United States brought World War II literally to the doorsteps of Paris.

The U.S. response to war hit Paris like a tidal wave and the results were everlasting.

This small East Texas town responded as hundreds of small towns across America did. Its sons, daughters and citizens joined the war effort.

But Paris began to develop its own uniqueness with the opening of Camp Maxey just a few miles north of the city limits in 1942. Two major divisions, the 102d Infantry Division and the 99th Infantry Division, trained there. It is estimated that over 200,000 troops and civilians trained and worked at Camp Maxey during its short 4 years of existance.

Camp Maxey was also selected as a site, as were many other training camp sites in Texas, to house German prisoners-of-war. More than 6,000 Germans were hosted there until well after the last shots of anger were fired in Europe in 1945.

Paris, as was the whole country, was like a stirred pot. The young men and women who came to Camp Maxey to train spent their leaves in town. Many of them met, courted, and married local men and women. Likewise, Paris sons and daughters who left were meeting their future spouses. The long historic ties that had held Paris together as a tight community were stretched around the world.

To and from Paris the letters streamed in and out from friends and families: from the battle fronts, from far-away hometowns, from Washington D.C., to Europe, to The Pacific and literally all points of the globe.

Sad news of soldiers being killed, exciting news of the birth of a new baby, common news about town gossip all swirlled around this small town of Paris. Paris was making its contribution to march the country toward victory.

In 1941 Paris Goes To War.


How To Add A Story & Pictures To Paris Goes To War

If you have stories, pictures or items of interest to contribute to these web pages, please email them to steelyfamilias@yahoo.com. You can send written articles in doc or pdf formats and pictures are preferred in jpg format. Contributions will be posted according the their relevance to Paris, Lamar County, Camp Maxey and World War II. All contributions may be used on these blog web pages as well as any future publications that may appear on the subject.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Homer Vaughn Wagnon, Jr.

102d Infantry Division, 407 Infantry, B Company

Homer Vaughn Wagnon Jr. was born in Macon, Georgia, on December 27, 1923, an only child. He left this world on Wednesday, November 29, 2017, having just satisfied his life's ambitions. 

His father was always a Macon man and his birth mother, Marie Willey Wagnon, a Thomasville, N.C. native. His stepmother was Mary Wilson Harvey Wagnon who gave him a stepsister and stepbrother, Claude Harvey Walton and Herschel "Buddy" Harvey, to be his siblings. Vaughn was educated at Lanier High School for Boys, Purdue University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia. 

As a Mechanical Engineer, he pursued his lifelong compulsion to design and build. Living in Philadelphia in 1950, he was employed by Uniroyal and later RCA. Moving to Charlottesville in 1959, where Sperry and Teledyne employed him, he ably met his goals as a machine designer. His range of new products varied from mechanical rubber goods, radio and TV, naval ships, and aircraft applications. In 1983, he became a self employed PE and diverted effort to Civil Engineering as a structural designer. In this capacity he enjoyed working with steel and concrete structures in the building industry, as well as wooden structures in the housing industry. Retiring in the year 2000, he claimed his was a most satisfying career of 50 years. 

In his family were the love of his life, Darlene Raitt Wright Wagnon and her children, Debbie, Doug, Dan and Deana. Vaughn's children were Larry and Linda from his first marriage. Altogether this family included eleven grandchildren, Tanya, Tara, Tariq, Timothy, Mary Mason, Nancy Douglas, Logan, Corey, Jaid, Sam and Taylor; five great-grandchildren, Chase, Charley May, Channing, Nan and Noah; son-in-law, Doug Barnes; and daughters-in-law, Kathryn Caperton, and Patricia Moyer. All live in Virginia except Doug and Linda Barnes of Chicago. What a delight it was to be part of this wonderful family. 

Vaughn was happy working in his home workshop building things for the house and garden. He was an airplane private pilot, and was rated ASEL and VFR. He obtained his VA state "M" competence rating for operating a motorcycle. He enjoyed playing bridge, both duplicate and party games. He was a passionate collector of everything relating to his life experience and that of his loved ones. 

He was especially proud of his collection of guns and military memorabilia, reminiscent of his service in World War II. Words, music and language were his everyday delight. Ballroom dancing with Darlene and their many friends was a virtual obsession. Vaughn was drafted on June 15, 1943, into the Army's ASTP program for engineers. He completed his basic training in Camp Hood, Tex., and then spent 6 months in Lafayette, Ind., attending Purdue University. From there he was inducted into the 102nd Infantry Division, "Ozarks", where he was trained to be an infantry rifleman in "B" Co., 407th Inf. at Camp Swift, Tex. 

Sent to the ETO with his division in 1944, he fought across Europe from France, through Belgium, Holland and Germany to the Elbe River on VE Day 1945. Wounded only once, he was awarded the EIB, CIB, PHM, BSM w/cluster for valor, GCM, WWII VM and EOM for Germany. Nine months in combat, he served his country in three campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. 

After the war, he was in the army of occupation for another nine months with the 79th and 90th Divisions. Vaughn rose through the ranks to become a platoon sergeant with the grade of S/Sgt, and was given an honorable discharge on December 28, 1945. In later life, after retirement, Vaughn became a member of the BPO Elks Lodge 389, VFW, DAV, NRA, AAHG, CWRT, AL Post 74, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, 19th Va. Inf., Camp 1493 and the Thomas Jefferson Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution. 

He and Darlene were active participants with the "Ozarks", 102nd Infantry Division, at their annual reunion sites all over the USA and he functioned as their Asst. Webmaster. 

His family will receive friends to celebrate the life he loved from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2017, at Hill and Wood Funeral Home, 201 N. First Street, Charlottesville, Virginia. His family welcomes you to join them at the American Legion, 3025 Louisa Rd., Keswick, Virginia, following the visitation at the funeral home, for light refreshments. Interment will be private. 

Flowers and memorabilia are welcome. God willing, the occasion will be happy, with no regrets. Condolences may be sent to his family at www.hillandwood.com
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102d Infantry Division, 405th Regiment Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/405th102dOzarks/

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Ray Stratford 
102d Infantry Division, 405 Regiment, C Company
February 26, 1925 - December 29, 2017

ISLAND PARK, ID – Ray Paul Stratford, 92, passed away at home surrounded by family on December 29, 2017, following a courageous battle with cancer. Ray was born in Pocatello, Idaho on February 26, 1925, the second child of Rae Percy and Olive Jenson Stratford. He was preceded in death by his parents, older sister Lora Stratford Williamson and younger brother Lowell J Stratford, and two grandchildren.

Ray grew up in Pocatello, spent summers on the Buffalo River in Island Park, earned his Eagle Scout award, and graduated from Pocatello High School in 1943. Ray briefly attended Idaho State College, before joining fellow members of “The Greatest Generation” to serve in World War II in the U.S. Army. He saw action in the European Theater, serving with the 102nd Infantry Division, 405th Regiment, C Company as they participated in the Allied offensive moving from the Netherlands to the Rhine in Germany, earning the Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star.

Ray attended Stanford University where he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. He received a professional engineers license from New York State and went to work for General Electric in Schenectady. Ray became a fellow of IEEE authoring over 40 technical papers and a college textbook. In 1994, he received the IEEE outstanding achievement award. He was known around the world for his contributions to Harmonics in Electrical Power Systems. Following his retirement from GE in 1985, Ray worked for Power Technologies Inc. and taught at both Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and The University of Texas at Austin. Ray was a recipient of the Strathmore’s Who’s Who in 2000. Ray has been a part of Rotary since 1955.

While at Stanford, Ray met and married his first wife, Claire Dennery on September 9, 1949. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1950. Ray and Claire had three children, Bruce (Nancy Hadfield), Trumbull, CT; Jim (Donna Christian), Melbourne, FL; and Suzanne (Chuck Parkinson), Rapid City, SD; raising them in Scotia, New York. After 20 years of marriage, Ray and Claire chose to take their lives in different, but very positive directions.

In 1973, Ray met Nancy Long, the woman who would become his life-long companion. He embraced her three children as his own: Deborah Arieda McFadden (Jack), Wilton, CT; David Arieda (Elizabeth McCormick), Fort Edward, NY; and Heather Stratford-Geibel (Bill), Spokane, WA. They were married in Schenectady, New York on April 24, 1974 and had their union sealed on August 7, 1975 in the Idaho Falls Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Finally retiring to Island Park Idaho in 1990, he and Nancy built a log cabin on the Buffalo River next to the cabin he enjoyed as a child. He became active in the community and was on the Idaho GEM committee, the Island Park Historical Society board and Chairman of the Island Park Planning and Zoning Board. In 2000, he received the Island Park Man of the Year Award. Ray and Nancy, active in the LDS Church, served a mission in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission and also worked in the South Africa Temple from 1996-1998.

Ray loved building projects and built cabins both in Island Park and in New York on Lake George. He passed that knowledge and love of building along to his children. He valued family, learning and service. The world is a better place because of Ray and the people he touched. He will be missed and remembered by many.

Ray is survived by his wife, Nancy, children: Bruce, Jim, Suzanne, Deborah, David, and Heather. He is also survived by 22 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews living around the world.


Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 4, 2018, the Island Park Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 4120 N. Big Springs Loop Road, Island Park, Idaho. The family will receive friends Thursday from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment will be in the Mt. View Cemetery in Pocatello under the direction of Baxter Funeral Home.
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