Harold Edgar Higginbotham

February 25, 1943

Six Flagler county men were sent to Blanding last week for induction. Turned down three for physical deficiency. They were HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM, Marvin Adams and Robert Long. The three who are in the army now are Zeno Mercer, Joseph Brantley Pellicer and Jessie James Quigley.

August 26, 1943

Two more Flagler county men have entered service - -Lee Blakely going into the navy and HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM to the army.

October 7, 1943

Pvt. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM has been transferred from Blanding to Camp Gruher, Oklahoma.

October 28, 1943

Pvt. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM has qualified as expert rifleman on the range at Camp Gruber, Okla. Our informant said Harold shot 199 out of a possible 200, winning not only the "expert" medal but a $10 cash prize offered by training officers of his group in addition.

January 6, 1944

We received a letter from Pvt. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM, who is stationed at Camp Gruber, Okla., saying he had finished reading the Tribune and "thought I would drop a line to show my appreciation. I always read the paper throughly from front to rear, including advertisements, and I have tried to figure out what I like best. I like to read about the other fellows and gals in the service best and then about friends around home. The part I get the most kick from though is the second page. I always pass the paper through the barracks so the fellows can read the editorials and short paragraphs. They really get a kick out of them.

Every time I get the paper I almost have to fight in order to read it first. I can say that The Tribune is the most thoroughly read paper of any in the barracks and I am really proud of it.”

(Thanks a lot Harold. We enjoyed your letter and we are happy to know that you fellows enjoy and appreciate the paper. The thought that you might enjoy it was what prompted us to make the offer to send it to those in service from our county)

March 9, 1944

Just received a letter, too, from HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM with the army at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, Harold said: "For the past five weeks I have been in the hospital with a broken ankle. I broke it in a training accident. I still have a cast on but expect to have it removed in a few days. I will be here at least three more weeks waiting until the bone is strong enough to resume training.

I get around pretty good on crutches and enjoy two movies a week put on by the Red Cross. If it were not for the Red Cross, life in the hospital here would be a lot worse. They have some kind of program for the patients every night and during the day one can enjoy different games in the recreation hall. Tell all my friends hello for me and that I'm getting along just fine.” (Glad to get your letter Harold; write again)

May 11, 1944

Pvt. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM at Camp Gruber. Oklahoma, writes his kid brother, Clifford here, that he recently met up with Pfc. Walton Johnston who was recently transferred from Camp Hulen. Texas, to Camp Gruber. Clifford also informed us that he recently had a letter from his brother, Jack Higginbotham, and that he is now in Burma.

November 2, 1944

Pvt. Jimmy Hargett, at Blanding for several months, has been transferred to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma. Two other Flagler county soldiers are stationed there - Walton Johnston and HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM.

November 9, 1944

Pfc. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM of Camp Gruber, Okla., spent several days here last week with his brother, Clifford. Harold said he saw Jimmy Hargett soon after Jimmy arrived at Gruber.

November 16, 1944

Pvt. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM who has been at Camp Gruber, Okla., several months now has a New York APO address.

December 28, 1944

Three fellows who left Camp Gruber, Okla., some time ago have arrived in France. They are Jimmie Hargett, HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM and Walton Johnston. They are yet together.

January 11, 1945

Clifford Higginbotham, young brother of Gilbert, HAROLD and Jack HIGGINBOTHAM all of whom are in the army at widely separated places of the world, told us this week that Gilbert has been sent out from Pearl Harbor to "somewhere else in the Pacific" and is a "gunner on a Liberator bomber and has completed 3 missions on his new assignment." His brother HAROLD is in France and his other brother, Jack, is somewhere in the India-Burma-China theater.

January 18, 1945

And a letter from Pfc. Walton Johnston who recently landed in France together with two of his Bunnell buddies - Jimmy Hargett and HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM. Walton relates:

"We were finally given a breathing spell so I'll not waste any time asking for The Tribune to be sent to me.

HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM, Jimmy Hargett and myself went to Aix and Marseille, France, a few days ago. Marseille is pretty well torn up from the war. I couldn't find a square meal but the wine flows like water. In fact, you can get wine easier than water.

Cigarettes are ten dollars a carton when you can find any. Thank God Uncle Sam is furnishing us smokes.

Have been on the move since we left Marseille. Rode in box cars. Over here they are called Forty and Eight - forty men or eight horses to a car.

Where I am at now the people seem friendly enough but we are not allowed to mingle with them.

Tell the rest of the gang hello for Harold, Jimmy and myself."

(Ed note: So you three have gotten acquainted with French box cars! - Those dinky things so familiar to American soldiers there 26 years ago. This writer has seen plenty of them. In fact he is a member of an honor society of the American Legion called La Societe des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux, usually called the Forty & Eight. We wonder if they had just unloaded the horses when they loaded you in?)

February 22, 1945

And a V-Mail from HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM, headed "France, February 2, 1945." He says:

"Received my first copy of The Tribune (since I arrived overseas) today and it is really nice to read about everyone at home. It was the November 30th edition.

Things over here are a lot different from what the folks at home think. A lot different than I thought! I am now in Co. B instead of C. My outfit, here only a short while, has been commended by Lt. Gen. Jacob L. Dever and several other high ranking officers.

We have engaged in a major engagement which entitles us to wear a star on our overseas ribbon. I have received my combat Infantryman Badge which, needless to say, I am very proud of.

I saw Jimmie Hargett a few days ago and he was OK. Thanks again for the paper. It means a lot over here. P. S. Please excuse anything that looks like bragging, but it is a real outfit."

(If your outfit isn't worth bragging about, Harold, it isn't worth mentioning. We extend congratulations for being awarded the Combat Badge. Any guy that has that, has my profound respect.).

March 29, 1945

Sgt. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM, on the Western Front, recently was slightly wounded in both knees, he writes his brother Clifford here. Harold said no bones were broken and that he will be good as ever soon. He has been awarded the Purple Heart medal.

April 29, 1945

Public Relations at 127th General Hospital, ETO, advises us that "Sgt. HAROLD E. HIGGINBOTHAM, squad leader of a rifle platoon that recently smashed through the Siegfried Line has been awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in the attack. He is now recovering at the 127 General Hospital.

"My Platoon's job was to take three hills in the first day of the attack," said Higginbotham. My squad was out in front - I was wounded as we took the third hill when my buddy stepped on a mine."

His brother Clifford, here, tells us that HAROLD says he is expecting to be "back in the line" in a short time.

June 21, 1945

More word this week from Jimmy Hargett in Saint Johann, Austria. He is still stationed near HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM and they got together recently. Jimmy said that Harold still has trouble with his legs. He said that HAROLD was wounded by shrapnel when his "buddy" stepped on a mine. His "buddy" lost a foot. This happened when they were taking "Hill 301."

Jimmy is an 81 mm mortar man while Harold is a rifleman.

Jimmy said that the first day of the ‘all out’ drive they kept going. "The mortar I work with killed 11 and wounded 22. That put 31 Krauts out of the way."

He also sent an order of the day issued on May 13. The order praised the men of the 42nd division for what had been done since they went into combat on Christmas Eve.

August 9, 1945

A letter from S/Sgt. HAROLD HIGGINBOTHAM in Salzburg, Austria:

"Guess you had thought I had forgotten you. Well, I haven't. Being so close to Jimmie Hargett I knew he was writing everything that might be news.

I am writing now to let you know that The Tribune is beginning to come through pretty regular now. I always feel lost without it because I always find news in it that I don't get in letters.

I was very lucky last week and received a pass to Paris. It was one of those things that one never forgets. I always said I wanted to "see Paris" and I really did!!

I am very glad to see that a lot of the Bunnell boys are getting to come home although I know they are just stopping off on their way to the Pacific.

I was especially glad when I heard about Walton Johnston being home because at one time I had given him up.

I am now in Salzburg but I don't believe for long. In peacetime it was a very beautiful city but now, like all the larger cities, it is mostly ruins.

My division (42nd) is to be part of the army of occupation but that doesn't necessarily mean the men. They will probably keep the higher point men and transfer the low point men into outfits slated for the Pacific. My 42 points look mighty small right now.

Thanks again for everything and give my regards to all my friends."

September 6, 1945

A letter from S/Sgt. HAROLD E. HIGGINBOTHAM who is in the ETO. It seems that Harold has been pulling a lot of guard duty, but it doesn't seem to have him down. He said he had not received a paper in over a month but that their mail had been held up and he expected to get some at any time.