 1917 - 2010 (93 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has 2 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
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| Name |
Roland Riches Eagar |
| Birth |
4 Jul 1917 |
Eagar, Apache, Arizona, United States  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
9 Jan 1946 |
ARIZO |
| FamilySearch ID |
KWCB-8QP |
| Death |
25 Nov 2010 |
Pinetop, Navajo, Arizona, United States |
| Burial |
1 Dec 2010 |
Eagar Cemetery, Apache, Arizona, United States |
| Person ID |
I175616 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
25 Feb 2024 |
| Father |
George Albert Eagar, b. 27 Jun 1879, Hillsdale, Garfield, Utah, United States d. 12 Oct 1971, Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States (Age 92 years) |
| Mother |
Lurana Brown, b. 10 Sep 1882, Nutrioso, Apache, Arizona, United States d. 2 Sep 1959, Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States (Age 76 years) |
| Marriage |
9 Jan 1903 |
Eagar, Apache, Arizona, United States |
| Family ID |
F27750 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Notes |
- November 10, 1944, 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division: Roland R. E a gar (1917-2010)World War II, First Injury
The date was Nov. 10, 1944. The place was Eastern France a few miles no r theast of Nancy in Alsace Lorraine. We had been out of action for a f e w days, resting and receiving replacements. We received a new Lieutena n t by the name of Runyan. This would be his first experience 'in action ' . On Nov. 9 we'd broken a hole in the enemy’s line and left a Headquar te rs Company in the village of Viviers to secure passage to our rear s o w e could evacuate our wounded and get ammo, fuel and other supplies a s w e needed them. During the night a company of enemy soldiers had atta cke d the forces we had left there, taken them captive and closed the roa d th rough the town. We had to be able to pass through the town and my p latoo n was ordered to force our way through the town and recover our tro ops th at were being held captive. I believe that if Lt. Runyan had bee n more s easoned, he would have insisted that we have infantry with us t o keep Baz ookas from firing at us at close range. When tanks were in to wn they wer e quite vulnerable to Bazookas. Being new, Lt. Runyan accept ed the orde r as it was received.
On Nov. 10, 1944, at about 9 a.m. we attacked. Within about 75 yards o u r tank was hit by a Bazooka shell. Our driver, Joe Rossi, was killed i ns tantly and the tank rolled to a stop on the side of the road. The oth e r 4 of us scrambled out with rifle and machine gun fire buzzing aroun d us . Lt. Runyan was taken prisoner immediately. Robert Punch and Cart er Fe ltner tried to run back the way we had come and were killed by smal l arm s fire. I was blinded by the brightness of the exploding Bazooka s hell a nd burned on my face and hands. My legs were bleeding quite badl y from s hrapnel wounds, but I could walk. My vision was not completel y lost, bu t I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I needed cover from the smal l arms fir e that was surrounding me. I made my way inside the attic o f a nearby hou se. The house was on a hillside and the road was on the u pper side of th e house so when I entered, I was in the attic which was f ull of straw . I did not have a weapon on me and couldn’t have used i t if I had ha d one.
Laying in the straw, I could hear a german soldier firing his rifle . I c ould smell his cigarette, and sensed his approach to ascertain i f I wa s a threat to him. He did not touch me or harm me in any way . I tried n ot to move or give him any reason to think I might survive m y wounds, the n heard him report to his Sergeant. I passed out several t imes and was a ware of time passing. My wounds stopped bleeding so I wasn ’t afraid of bl eeding to death. I lay there the rest of the day and tha t night. The nex t morning I knew I was going to have to get medical att ention soon. Shor tly after daylight I heard voices in the street and th ey were speaking En glish!
I called out and was answered with a command to “Come out you ***** SOB ” . I yelled that I was not a ***** and managed to crawl to where I cou l d be seen. Those American infantrymen called the medics on their radi o . The medics came, put me on a stretcher and carried me to their aid s ta tion. I was given a little food, and transported by ambulance to a ho spi tal in Nancy.
At the hospital my hands and face were cleaned up; Vaseline was smeare d o n my face which was then covered with thick bandages, leaving holes f or m y mouth and nostrils. I spent 8 hours in surgery as shrapnel was re move d from my legs. Blood plasma was infused in one of my arms and dext ros e in the other one. I thought I would freeze to death. That plasm a an d dextrose were right out of the refrigerator!
After 4 or 5 days I was placed on a hospital train and taken to Pari s t o a general hospital. When I was able to walk again, I was taken t o a co nvalescent hospital about 30 miles south of Paris where I had Than ksgivin g dinner. Soon after that, I was discharged from the hospital, a nd sen t to a replacement depot (we called them repple depots). I was th en move d back to my Company where I arrived soon after the 1st of Januar y. Onl y then did I learn what had happened to the other 4 men of my cre w on Nov . 10, 1944.
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