Guy Emerald Bartley
1908-1944
Submitted by Mary K Kramer bomagodu20@icloud.com
Guy was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas on March 31, 1908, to Alonzo Preston and Kate McLaughlin Bartley. He was the first child for the couple and the "Jewel of his mother's eye", thus the middle name, Emerald. A postcard marked sent at 3:30 pm from the Fort Smith Post Office to his grandfather, William Richard "Dick" McLaughlin, Charleston, Arkansas announces "that a 10 1/2 # boy just arrived, Everything OK, Come, Maud."
The family had three more additions in the following years, Lois in 1909, Bill in 1911 and the baby, Louise in 1914. All the children except Louise were born in Fort Smith. Alonzo was an Express agent for Wells Fargo and didn't stay in anyone place for any great length of time.
Guy and Lois started school in Nowata, Oklahoma from 1916 to 1918, then attended schools in Rogers, 1918 to 1920, Fayetteville, 1921 to 1926 finishing out his schooling in Eureka Springs, graduating in 1928.
The posting in Fayetteville lasted 6 years, so Alonzo and Kate decided to build a home in town. They found a lot on the corner of Locust & Spring Streets, then had a very nice place constructed, with large rooms and a beautiful front porch. Just a few blocks from the University of Arkansas, some of the Professors boarded there with the family. They imagined this is where they would settle, but Alonzo received a transfer to Eureka Springs so they rented out the house and moved to the Thatch Hotel until they could find a house to rent.
In 1923 the Arkansas National Guard was allocated a new organization, the 206th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) and many of these units were stationed near colleges, an enticement for the young men in the are.
Guy and a few buddies thought it would be a good time to sign up. July 7, 1925, just past his 17th birthday, he joined up for a three-year duration. He was placed in the 206th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) Regiment, Battery A, transferred to Battery E on May 18, 1927, then Battery G, December 1, 1927, and was Honorably Discharged on January 21, 1928. He had been attending High School during this time, graduating from Eureka Springs High School the 28th day of May 1928.
He was at the University of Arkansas for a year or two and in 1929 was offered an appointment at West Point. He thought long and hard about this honor but felt his math skills weren't up to par and politely turned down the appointment.
His father was transferred back to Fort Smith in 1931 and the family took up residence at 510 South 13th Street next door to the Oscar Fentress residence and Ambulance Business. According to family story, Oscar was interested in a place in Fayetteville and Alonzo need to sell his house there, so they traded. The family moved next door into the Fentress place at 504 South 13th, (now 14th ) Street, they converted the ambulance garage into 3 apartments and this place was home to the family for the next 50 plus years.
While Alonzo had a good paying steady job, his sons struggled during this time. In 1936, Guy found a job in Jonesboro working at Sou Candy & Sales Company. By 1939 he was employed by Metzler Motors, a Nash dealership and in 1940 he was living at the Hotel Noble, working the area as a wholesale drug representative.
On December 8, 1941, his dad suffered a heart attack and died. His brother, Bill, was training with the 142ndth Field Artillery at Camp Bowie, Texas. The 142nd would become the 936th and 937th Field Artillery. Guy didn't enlist until March 1942; he was helping his mother during this time.
Records show Guy's enlistment date as March 21, 1942, but his serviceman's diary states that they left Fort Smith on March 20, 1942, with a bus load of 63 men headed for Camp Robinson, Little Rock to be inducted. He was the only one who had not had a physical, he was 5'9" 130 lbs., with auburn, wavey hair and blue eyes. In his writings he showed the same wit of his brother, Bill. When interviewed for placement, it was rumored that salesmen and teachers were hardest to place, he wrote "ooks like Buck Private in the rear ranks forever for me."
The next stop was Camp Barkley, Texas, near Abilene, 10 miles from cousins that he could visit if he had time. It was 17 weeks of Basic Training. The men marched, drilled, listened to lectures, watched movies, first aid, showing sickening open wounds, avoiding STDs. Guy was rewarded with kitchen police duty (KP), latrine duty and whatever grunt work needed. On April 4, 1942, they were issued their rifles and bayonets - 115 of them that had been packed away since the last war with a heavy coating of Cosmoline that had to be scraped off. It took at least 2 hours to clean each one. The rifles are the 1918 Models and were in excellent shape.
Guy was the guy usually picked for Kitchen Police (KP) duty when he wasn't doing latrine duty for inspection. He got an Atta Boy from the Colonel for that duty, the "outhouse" sparkled.
The next day was Sunday, March 29, 1943, a good, no, a great day because he had visitors, family from Arkansas and from Texas. The group included his mother Kate, his sister, Louise and her husband, Russell Myers, his brother, Bill on leave from the 936 Field Artillery. Rounding out the bunch were family from Texas, cousin Zela with her husband George and cousin Virginia and husband, Francisco. Visiting with family was the best way to forget what was to come.
March 30th brought good news, the men who had previous service were made Honorary Sergeants and put in charge of a squad of 12 men. It was an early present for the next day was his 34th birthday.
Guy became a member of the Texas-Oklahoma division, but after D Day, they became the Tough 'Ombres, men from all states who fought through the "Hell of the Hedgerows".
In the fall of 1942, they motorized to Camp Bowie, Texas for combat firing, war games, practicing contacting the "enemy" at the ranches around the area. The terrible heat of summer now turned to the frigid experience of motoring vehicles and pitching pup tents in sleet and snow. Late January 1943, they were sent to Louisiana for 2 months of maneuvers with more war games and won the final attack before returning to Camp Barkeley. The next training spot was early September in the Yuma, Arizona desert at Camp Granite. New Year's Eve, 1944, the division was on the way to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for three months of POM (Port of Mobilization), leaving March 13th for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey where they bivouacked till March 21st. The whole Battalion took the train to the New York Port of Embarkation for 2 days of loading the ships. They passed the Statue of Liberty, saying goodbye, maybe forever, to their former way of life. The Battalion docked in Liverpool, England, April 9,1944. The following day they boarded a train to STURT COMMON, where pyramidal tents were set up in Camp A.
May 12 saw another train ride, followed by convoying to a camp called LLANMARTIN. Endurance marches with full pack, trench digging, close order drill, squad problems, courses on the German army, (equipment and language), getting closer to the primary goal. Keeping the world safe from evil.
June 1st, the entire camp is restricted, final preparations were completed and on June 4th, the entire Battalion, after a one-hour trip, detrained outside CARDIFF harbor and then boarded the Liberty Ship, SS Bienville. The ship headed to the Bristol Channel and dropped anchor.
June 6, OPERATION OVERLOAD had started, maps were brought out with detailed defense charts and the announcement "D Day is here". June 7, they crossed the English Channel, arriving early June 8th to their position off Utah Beach.
Soldiers scurried down the netting hanging from the side of the troop ship and jumped into a LCVP (landing craft) to make the precarious trek to the beach. With the waves rolling, aircraft overhead, shells exploding, they kept pressing forward. If they reached the beach in good order, they were advised to remove the waterproofing from their weapons, keeping a cautious look around the area. The men assembled for the march of several miles to where they spent an eerie, anxious night with the sound and light of artillery exploding, aircraft overhead, the smells of war permeating ever breath they took.
June 9th was spent getting ready, that night they moved toward the fighting, through mine fields and snipers, committed and duty bound, they crossed the river and moved into an area where foxholes were hastily dug, the noise of battle so close. On the 11th, they gained several hedgerows, it was slow going.
On June 12th, in the hedgerows, close to PONT L'ABBE, during a barrage of artillery fire, Guy was hit in the temple and face and was removed to a Field Hospital where he died the next day, June 13th.
He was buried in France, his mother got the telegram while the family was sitting in the front yard, having a glass of tea. The boy on his bike pulled up, parked his bike, telegram in hand, Kate slowly stood up and asked, "Which one?" Her greatest fear had materialized, the jewel of her eye was gone forever. Her other son was still fighting over there, she never really recovered from the loss.
In May 1946, President Truman approved the Return of the Dead Program for families wanting their loved ones remains near, but it was October 1947 that the first remains arrived in the USA. Kate requested that her son be buried by his father, he was reinterred January 21, 1949, at Forest Park Cemetery in Fort Smith. There was a records snafu, they couldn't find him, or the records were incorrect, so his Military Marker was not set until February 1950. Kate joined her husband and son May 17, 1955. Now they rest together forever.
Birth Announcement Post Card
West Point Acceptance Letter
In the dessert
July 11, 1944
Abilene Reporter-News
Abilene, Texas
July 12, 1944
Abilene Reporter-News
Abilene, Texas
Guy’s initial and last four digits military service number
Great grand nephew modeling the Tough ‘Ombré shirt.
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