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.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

In Memory of Carl Milton Bean, KIA 1944, Inducted Into Service At Camp Maxey 1942




Carl Milton Bean was born in Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia on October 28, 1918. Carl was the second child of Mr. Marcellus M. Bean and Mrs. Ethel Susan Bean. The Bean family was long established in Moorefield and Hardy County. When Carl was born, he joined an older brother, Marcellus, and the Bean house was soon populated with three younger siblings: Raymond, Mary Susan, and Ellis.

Carl spent his youthful days being educated in the public schools of Hardy County. He graduated in 1939 from Moorefield High School, and then attended nearby Shepherd College.

Carl was inducted into the United States Army as a private on December 28, 1942. Upon induction he was sent for training at Camp Maxey, Texas. It was while he was at Camp Maxey that Carl began another new chapter of his life, that of a husband.

In March of 1943, Miss June Dolan decided to pay a visit to Carl during his basic training. While June was at Camp Maxey the couple decided to wed and they were married in Texas on March 17, 1943.

In December, 1943 Carl was sent overseas to the European Theater with the 625th Ordinance Ammunition Company. Carl was killed in action while participating in Exercise Tiger on April 28, 1944.

Exercise Tiger, or Operation Tiger, was the code name for one in a series of large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, which took place in April 1944 on Slapton Sands in Devon. Coordination and communication problems resulted in friendly fire deaths during the exercise, and an Allied convoy positioning itself for the landing was attacked by E-boats of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, resulting in the deaths of at least 749 American servicemen.[1][2] Because of the impending invasion of Normandy, the incident was under the strictest secrecy at the time and was only nominally reported afterwards.

Carl's body was buried at sea, and he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

In recognition of his honorable service in World War II, and for his ultimate sacrifice, Carl Milton Bean's name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge, England, and Carl's was one of the original names inscribed on the West Virginia Veteran's Memorial. Carl is also honored on the World War II memorial online registry by Jacqueline B. Coffroth.

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