Download Donald Noble...119th Co. G - 30th Infantry Division "Old Hickory"

WWII thank you arrives from Belgium
Veteran receives letter from Belgium man whose
hometown was liberated by U.S. soldiers
By Jan Biles
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, February 24, 2008
SABETHA — World War II veteran Donald Noble received a letter from Belgium a few
weeks ago. The letter was from Vincent Heggen, a father of three young girls who lived
in Fouron-le-Comte.
"You probably will be surprised to receive a letter from Belgium," the letter, dated Jan.
11, stated. "My village, Fouron-le-Comte, is in the east of Belgium, on the Dutch border,
and was liberated by the 30th Infantry Division on September 12, 1944. On the evening
of the day of liberation, my father sheltered many GI's of the 2nd BN, 119th RGT. He
always told me about the GI's and the liberation.
Mike Burley / The Capital-Journal
World War II veteran Donald Noble, of Sabetha, was surprised recently to receive a
letter, from Vincent Heggen, of Belgium, thanking Noble for helping liberate Heggen's
village of Fouron-le-Comte in 1944. Although Noble was part of the 30th Infantry
Division which liberated the town, he was not among the soldiers who marched into
Belgium.
Mike Burley / Topeka Capital-Jou / Topeka Capital-Journal
Donald Noble was 19 when he was drafted by the Army during World War II. After
training in California and Texas, he was sent to England in January 1945.
Mike Burley / The Capital-Journal
Noble wore his dog tags through campaigns in the Ardennes (one of WWII's bloodiest
battles), Rhineland and Central Europe. He was discharged in December 1945.
Mike Burley / The Capital-Journal
Vincent Heggen's letter of thanks written to veteran Donald Noble.
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HISTORY OF THE OLD HICKORY
The 30th Infantry Division was formed from National Guard units from Tennessee, North
Carolina and South Carolina in September 1917 at Camp Sevier, S.C.
During World War I, the division broke through the Hindenberg Line and fought in
several battles, including Le Selle and the Meuse-Argonne.
The division was disbanded after that war. It was reactivated in 1925 as the 30th National
Guard Division and units from Georgia were added.
Over the next 17 years, the division went through several reorganizations. In September
1942, the division was designated as the 30th Infantry Division. In February 1944, the
division was sent to England to participate in the European Theatre.
The division was engaged in several battles, including Omaha Beach, the Battle of the
Bulge, the stand at Mortain and operations on the Vire River.
As the war ended, the division was deactivated in November 1945.
After another reactivation and deactivation, the division became the 30th Heavy Separate
Brigade in January 1974. Today, the brigade is part of the 24th Infantry Division, Army
National Guard.
For more information, visit the Old Hickory Association Web site at
www.30thinfantrydivision.com.
"I would like to thank you for what you did 64 years ago. You gave our freedom back.
This is something we do not want to forget and we won't forget."
Noble was a part of Old Hickory — the nickname of Company G, 119th Infantry
Regiment, 30th Infantry Division — but was not among the division's soldiers who
marched into Belgium.
"I don't know how he got my name or address," Noble said.
The letter, nonetheless, has resulted in correspondence between Noble and his wife,
Beulah, and Heggen, who erected a monument dedicated to Old Hickory in his
hometown last May and runs a museum that commemorates the sacrifices U.S. soldiers
made during WWII.
The letter also has revived decades-old memories for the 83-year-old Noble, who served
in the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns and whose decorations
include the Bronze Star, Victory Medal WWII and European African Middle Eastern
Theatre ribbon with three bronze battle stars.
Military history
Noble, who grew up on a farm about 14 miles west of Sabetha near Oneida, was drafted
by the Army when he was 19. He was sent to California, where he trained for a year with
a search light division. He was transferred to Fort Bliss, Texas, for infantry training and
then sent to the East Coast, where he and other troops would board a ship that would take
them to England.
"We left the United States in early January 1945 to go over there and end the war," he
said.
Noble said he disembarked in Liverpool, took a train to the English Channel, shipped
across the channel and then piled into the backs of trucks to be transported to the Battle
of the Ardennes, commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge, which was nearing its end.
The Battle of the Ardennes was one of the bloodiest in World War II, killing more than
19,000 U.S. troops.
"We went walking across Germany and had no opposition," he said.
Noble remembers going into Ardennes, a forested area with some houses, with the 11
other soldiers in his squad. He was carrying a rifle and a Browning automatic rifle. "We
shot at the Germans and they shot back," he said. "For a while there was continuous
battle."
The squad captured some German soldiers who had been hiding in foxholes. Noble said
he doesn't know what happened to the German prisoners after they were marched out of
the area.
Noble and the other soldiers slept in foxholes or abandoned buildings. He had a blanket
to keep himself warm during the harsh winter weather.
"Every day we'd have to put on different socks," he said, explaining the dry socks would
prevent frostbite and other foot problems. "Sometimes when they brought up the chow,
they would have dry socks, but I never had trouble with my feet."
Noble remembers marching to the banks of the Elbe River, where the troops stopped
because the Russians were on the other side. They remained there for about two months.
Noble said he wasn't wounded during military service.
"Some of them right beside me got hurt, but I never got hit," he said.
Noble remembers being on a ship heading to the United States when the news came that
the war was over.
"We pretty near upset the ship with joy," he said. "It was a real nice feeling to know we
wouldn't have to go to the Pacific for more fighting."
Noble was discharged in December 1945, and he and Beulah were married on July 2,
1946. He worked as a truck driver and mail carrier before he retired in 1994.
Preserving the past
Shortly after they received the Belgium dispatch, Noble's wife wrote to Heggen on her
husband's behalf, telling Heggen her husband wasn't one of the soldiers who liberated his
hometown. She explained his service record and told him about their lives and children
— Rodney Noble, who lives in Seneca and drives a truck, and Sharon Austin, a librarian
for the Topeka public school system. Another son is deceased.
Noble's brothers also fought in World War II. Everett Noble served in the Pacific, while
Lester Noble took part in the European Theatre. Both are deceased.
Heggen wrote he plans to attend the 30th Infantry Division's veteran reunion next fall in
Raleigh, N.C., and hoped he could meet the Nobles. Although they've attended reunions
in the past, the Nobles said they wouldn't go to the gathering this year.
Heggen has made it his mission to keep the history of his town's liberation alive and
honor the U.S. soldiers who made that happen.
"I want to preserve the past for the future," Heggen wrote in his letter. "Future
generations must know what happened to the 'Great Generation.'"
Jan Biles can be reached at (785) 295-1292 or [email protected].
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Reader Comments
Posted by: jrherrick at Feb 24, 2008 at 08:33:20 AM
That was a really nice article.
Posted by: stlwlkr at Feb 24, 2008 at 09:24:07 AM
Great story. We need to remember these heroes and the sacrifice they made for us. There are too few of these
WWII vets alive today. There should be more stories about those that are still alive and there should be a story on
how the government is holding veteran's benefits, waitiing for these last few survivors to die off before they recieve
their benefits. This is a sad truth about how our government treats it's heroes.
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