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.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

In Memory of John Roy Lowe, 1st Sgt. M Co., 407th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division


A wonderful, kind and sweet heart stopped beating on May 20, 2008, as John Roy Lowe departed this life and went to be with his Lord and Savior. He was surrounded by the family he loved so much.

He was the third child born to John S. and Florence (Nye) Lowe in Binger, OK on April 22, 1922. He had one brother, June, and three sisters, Helen, Dorothy and Patsy Ruth.

John Roy lived a full and interesting life growing up in Oklahoma, living the farm and ranch life and learning at an early age what hard work was having weathered the 1930's Great Depression.. At the age of 14 he learned to ride the railroad freight cars to different destinations where he would pick cotton, save the money and go back to Oklahoma to help his mother and sisters. He spent the summer when he was 17 in Cody, WY working for a rancher on Sage Creek but traveled back to Oklahoma in the fall where he rented some farm land. He bought a saddle horse, which he loved dearly. He had always loved horses. As an infant, his oldest sister would give him a ride on a horse with her to pacify him when he was fussy. At 19, he sold what livestock and equipment he had and joined the Ozarks 407th Infantry. His experience with hard work paid off as he quickly became Platoon Sgt. of the 3rd Battalion, M Co., 102nd Infantry Division, going from Camp Maxey to Fort Dix and on to Cherbourg, France with special training to break the Seigfried Line. Seven months later with 201 actual under fire combat days across Germany, they were on the Elbe River waiting to meet the Russians. He had battle fatigue and volunteered to stay in Germany for 2 more years in the Occupation Army. He was honorably discharged in l947 as 1st Sgt. with two Bronze Stars (one for Valor), a Good Conduct Medal, three Battle Stars and many other medals. He was proud of his service to his country.

He had a wonderful sense of humor and was always able to say something funny, even in tough times and he loved to entertain with stories about his life. If there was a crowd gathered at a farm sale, he usually was in the middle, giving them the humorous version of some incident.

He came to Burlington in 1947, purchased a small ranch, which was always his dream - just to have a ranch of his, own. He liked to say he chased one of the Burlington girls until she caught him and they married on July 19, 1948 and spent the next sixty years just enjoying their life ranching, raising registered horses, commuting to Basin with a job there five days a week, improving and adding acreage to the ranch and having two sons, seven grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren who were the joy of their lives.

His parents, brother, two sisters, father and mother-in-law, five brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, and several nieces and nephews predeceased him. His beloved son, Roy Michael, also predeceased him on May 20, 2001, and a great-granddaughter, Kirsten, also predeceased him. He will be missed greatly by his beloved wife, Margaret, his grand-daughters, Tracey, Kimberly (Sean), Dana (Shad), Wendy (James), Vicki (Travis), his grandsons, Eric (Traci), Nathan (Jennie), his great-grandchildren, Bret Ashley, Austin, Damien, Jaxon, Michael, McKenna, Isaac, Josilyn, Waylon, Aidan, Cory, Thayne, and Claire; his daughter-in-law Carol Lowe, his sister, Patsy Ruth (Charles) Clark, his sisters-in-laws, Maxine (William) Boynton, Marie Hendricks, brother in-law, Jerry Nicholson (Hulene), many nieces, nephews and his two companions, Tuffy and Buddie.

Visitation will be Thursday, May 22 from 6 to 8 p. m. at Thompson Funeral Home who is in charge of arrangements. Graveside services will be at Burlington Cemetery on Saturday, May 24 at 10:30 a. m. Honorary pallbearers are all his friends.

"Hi Honey, d'ya' think the rain'll hurt the rhubarb?"

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