WW II Vet Recalls The 485th Bomb Group
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Born in 1915 on a Pierceton farm, the Warsaw man was 93 years old at the reunion. The next oldest attendee was 92.
In an interview in his home Thursday afternoon, Tuttle said he enlisted in 1943. Until then, he was deferred to help with his grandfather's farm.[[In-content Ad]]"I decided I would go if everyone else was going," he said. Tuttle was a volunteer draftee.
Once Tuttle joined the Army, they put him in the Air Force. They sent him to school at Seymour Johnson in North Carolina to be a mechanic. "It was a big mechanics school," Tuttle said.
He spent the summer of 1943 going to school there. Then he was sent to Illinois for more schooling.
"If it wasn't for that, I'd have been overseas a lot more," Tuttle said.
He finished school in 1944, but was sent back to North Carolina to await going overseas. In August 1944, Tuttle traveled with 7,500 other servicemen to Naples, Italy.
"No one of us knew where we were going. We were all replacement guys," Tuttle said.
They were in Naples two weeks. Then they were sent to a little town called Venosa to join up with the 485th Bomb Group 15th Air Force Squadron 828th.
Tuttle said the Bomb Group had been there since April. They already had the air field ready by the time Tuttle arrived.
There were plenty of mechanics on hand. Tuttle ended up driving trucks and hauling officers around. If there was guard duty to be done, Tuttle was called because he was the "new" guy.
Most of the new guys were private first class officers or corporals, Tuttle said, and didn't get to rise in rank because of the short time they were there. Tuttle ended up as a corporal because it was decided he was there long enough.
At base, six guys shared one tent. As far as he knows, Tuttle said the men he shared a tent with have all died.
"We only had a few snow falls that winter, but it was always damp," Tuttle said. "We lucked out, it was not too cold."
He only served overseas until the war ended in May 1945. Tuttle said after they got back to the States, they could have been sent to the Pacific, but the war ended in the Pacific by that time.
"I got lucky," he said.
When he got back from serving in World War II, he married his wife, Naomi, in June 1945. Next year they'll celebrate their 65th anniversary.
In 1998, Tuttle took his wife, Naomi, two daughters, his son and his son's wife on a trip to Italy. Tuttle said he couldn't find the airfield anymore. The vegetation had grown up all around it.
"I've gotten to see Europe twice now," Tuttle said.
At the October reunion this year, only 30 servicemen of the 828th's squadrons showed up, Tuttle said. At one point, he estimated, there were more than 2,000 servicemen who were part of the squadrons.
Next year's reunion is in North Carolina. Tuttle said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it down there.
As for the wars now in the Middle East, Tuttle said he hoped they'd get over as quickly as possible.
"I wouldn't want to go overseas now because you don't know who your enemy is," he said. "You don't know who is going to blow you up."
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Born in 1915 on a Pierceton farm, the Warsaw man was 93 years old at the reunion. The next oldest attendee was 92.
In an interview in his home Thursday afternoon, Tuttle said he enlisted in 1943. Until then, he was deferred to help with his grandfather's farm.[[In-content Ad]]"I decided I would go if everyone else was going," he said. Tuttle was a volunteer draftee.
Once Tuttle joined the Army, they put him in the Air Force. They sent him to school at Seymour Johnson in North Carolina to be a mechanic. "It was a big mechanics school," Tuttle said.
He spent the summer of 1943 going to school there. Then he was sent to Illinois for more schooling.
"If it wasn't for that, I'd have been overseas a lot more," Tuttle said.
He finished school in 1944, but was sent back to North Carolina to await going overseas. In August 1944, Tuttle traveled with 7,500 other servicemen to Naples, Italy.
"No one of us knew where we were going. We were all replacement guys," Tuttle said.
They were in Naples two weeks. Then they were sent to a little town called Venosa to join up with the 485th Bomb Group 15th Air Force Squadron 828th.
Tuttle said the Bomb Group had been there since April. They already had the air field ready by the time Tuttle arrived.
There were plenty of mechanics on hand. Tuttle ended up driving trucks and hauling officers around. If there was guard duty to be done, Tuttle was called because he was the "new" guy.
Most of the new guys were private first class officers or corporals, Tuttle said, and didn't get to rise in rank because of the short time they were there. Tuttle ended up as a corporal because it was decided he was there long enough.
At base, six guys shared one tent. As far as he knows, Tuttle said the men he shared a tent with have all died.
"We only had a few snow falls that winter, but it was always damp," Tuttle said. "We lucked out, it was not too cold."
He only served overseas until the war ended in May 1945. Tuttle said after they got back to the States, they could have been sent to the Pacific, but the war ended in the Pacific by that time.
"I got lucky," he said.
When he got back from serving in World War II, he married his wife, Naomi, in June 1945. Next year they'll celebrate their 65th anniversary.
In 1998, Tuttle took his wife, Naomi, two daughters, his son and his son's wife on a trip to Italy. Tuttle said he couldn't find the airfield anymore. The vegetation had grown up all around it.
"I've gotten to see Europe twice now," Tuttle said.
At the October reunion this year, only 30 servicemen of the 828th's squadrons showed up, Tuttle said. At one point, he estimated, there were more than 2,000 servicemen who were part of the squadrons.
Next year's reunion is in North Carolina. Tuttle said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it down there.
As for the wars now in the Middle East, Tuttle said he hoped they'd get over as quickly as possible.
"I wouldn't want to go overseas now because you don't know who your enemy is," he said. "You don't know who is going to blow you up."
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