William Alonzo Preston Calvin Bartley
1911-1997
Submitted by Mary K Kramer bomagodu20@icloud.com
“BILL” BARTLEY was born November 11, 1911, at 11:11am at 422 S 17th in Fort Smith,
Arkansas, the third child of Alonzo Preston and Kate McLaughlin Bartley.
He weighed in at 11lb 11oz and was the eleventh grandchild on his maternal side, wore a
size 11 shoe when grown and if he was asked about his lucky number he would always say,
17, with a dry wit and a twinkle in his eye.
His father was an express agent for Wells Fargo & Company while his mother was a
housewife taking care of the children, Guy, Lois, Bill and Louise. Alonzo’s job requirements
meant that the family was transferred frequently, usually in the middle of a school year.
Alonzo 's first posting was the Express Office at 15 N 6th in Fort Smith till the middle of 1914
then the office in Nowata, Oklahoma on Maple Street until April 1,1916 when the family came
back to Arkansas. They lived on Walnut Street in Rogers from 1916 to 1920, then Fayetteville
from 1921 to 1926 where they built a house on the corner of Locust and Spring Streets, 1927
saw the family in Eureka Springs where they lived at the Thatch Hotel till finding a house to
rent. Finally in 1931 they finally made it home to Fort Smith in time for Bill to graduate from
Fort Smith High School in 1931.
It was a bad time for finding work. Bill picked up any job available working at his Uncle John
McLaughlin’s Tire Shop, followed by a spot at Fort Smith Structural Steel Company, working for
family friends, the Sugarman’s. 1935 to 1939, he joined Guy for various jobs in Jonesboro,
Arkansas. He returned in 1940 to Fort Smith Structural Steel, just in time to join the Arkansas
National Guard on December 11, 1940. He was ordered to active service on January 6, 1941,
at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His unit, the 142 Field Artillery 1st Battalion, became the 936th Field
Artillery, training at Camp Bowie, Texas. The unit left August 9, 1943, arriving in Algiers
September 2, 1943, and making the way to Naples, Italy by his 32nd birthday on November 11,
1943. He was a technical sergeant in the artillery and was chief of his battalion’s survey
section, which “surveyed the guns and got them on target,” He also served as a forward
observer and reconnaissance officer. They had to get close to the front lines to find enemy
artillery or anything that disrupted the Germans. He received a Battlefield Commission to 2nd
Lieutenant, laughing when he told the story about getting them lost. He participated in the drive
across the Rapido River, the liberation of Rome, and the assault on Mount Cassino. He ended
up crossing the Po River 45 miles from Venice at the end of the war in the European Theater.
Bill embarked by ship to the USA on September 26, 1945, arriving October 13, 1945, at Fort
Bliss, Texas for the muster out rolls. He was so sick on the ship that he swore he would never
go aboard another unless ordered. His memories of the horrors of war were intermingled with
the sights of Rome, terrible and wonderful sights in his head—the faces of terror, death and
destruction, the wonders and beauty of Venice and Rome. He hated loud sounds of gunfire and
firecrackers till the day he died, he would flinch, his face pale, so on the 4th of July, sparklers or
snakes were supplied.
After arriving home, he went to work selling beauty supplies for Magnolia Beauty Supply, a company based in Louisiana. He had part of their Arkansas territory, and while visiting the
owner of Brella’s Beauty Shop in Fort Smith, Margaret Ann Becker, he asked her out to eat that
evening. They became an item and then married on August 3, 1946, in Bossier, Louisiana. Bill
and Margaret Ann became parents to 5 children, Mary Kay, Guyanne (named for his brother),
Nancy, Billy and Vicki.
Bill stayed with the Guard and while building his family, he was again called to duty in Korea,
Kate and Margaret Ann were afraid of losing him. His only brother, Guy, had been wounded
June 12 fighting in the hedgerows in France. He died the following day. Bill was the sole
surviving son, so Kate petitioned the government for help in keeping him alive. He was
stationed in Japan, serving as a labor officer at Camp Fuji, at the foot of Mount Fujiyama, in
charge of about 800 Japanese civilians maintaining the camp. Later he was transferred to
Yokohama, where he was the only GI who, along with 60 Japanese administrators oversaw a
Japanese labor force of 8,000. His third daughter, Nancy, was born while he was gone.
When he returned from active duty, he remained in the artillery unit of the guard until 1955
when he joined the 39th Military Police. He served as technician for the 39th Military Police
housed at 512 North B Street in Fort Smith. He was in the Criminal Investigation Division of
the Guard’s military police when his unit was called into active duty on the Little Rock Central
High racial crisis. He was gone for about a month. He continued working at the Armory,
supporting Margaret Ann and their 5 children. He drilled once a month and went to 2 weeks of
summer camp where he woke the party boys up before dawn.
There was another reorganization in 1963, and his job was phased out, so he worked in Little
Rock, coming home on weekends, and did a stint at the Pentagon. An opening came up at the
Air Guard Base for someone with his organizational skills: he was great at getting everyone and
everything ready for inspection. He finished his Military Career in 1971 when he was sixty but
worked security at the base for several years. His kids thought his job at the air base was the
best job he ever had because they got to make use of the swimming pool at the base every
day.
Bill was never one to sit idle, he found little jobs around the neighborhood, cleaning an office
building, delivering flowers for his neighbors who owned Burn’s Flower Shop. He entertained
the grandkids, read voraciously, kept in shape, walking and cycling, visited family and friends
and was always available to help anyone in anyway. He loved attending the 142nd FA Reunions
where he caught up with all the latest with his fellow veterans.
He finally had plenty of time to go fishing, so he and Margaret Ann bought a travel trailer, got it
stocked and took off for the lake, especially during crappie season. Setting up camp with
Margaret Ann’s brothers, their wives, his kids, and anyone who wanted to tag along, they
stayed all during crappie season. It was like a wagon train with flat bottom boats, they left early
in the morning, lunch and drinks in ice chests, each to their secret hole, fishing with cane poles,
from dawn to dusk. The fish were arranged in ice chests according to size, the largest always
on top for bragging rights. Large spotlights were needed to clean and filet the catch. The crappie was dipped in cornmeal and dropped in boing oil and fried to perfection, adding creek
fries and coleslaw for a heavenly feast. The evenings were filled with camaraderie, sitting in
lawn chairs, having a beer, talking, laughing at the tall fish tales about the one that didn’t get
away. When I feel sad, I close my eyes and remember the joy of that time.
Bill, my dad, my fishing buddy left this earthly realm August 7, 1997, for a heavenly home where
the weather is always perfect to cast a line.
I am going to end this with the words of Jim Griffith, his friend in the military and fishing
buddy: “Fighting a war was bad but enduring 30 below zero was no picnic. I never heard Bill
bemoan the hardship, separation from family and other things one must endure in such
situations. To him Duty, Honor, and Country came first, and he accepted it. Bill was
compassionate to subordinates and superiors alike. He went the extra mile to lend a helping
hand. He was an outstanding leader that all would do well to emulate.”
The ship on the way home 1945. Definitely NOT a cruise ship!
Sitting on deck on the way back home
Marriage of Bill and Margaret A. Becker in Louisana Aug. 3, 1946
Bill & Guy visiting with family
Letter written by the father, Alonzo Preston Bartley
National Guard Register (Army) for 1951
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