The war-time letters of Charles Lowry

My grandfather Charles Lowry had a long career as a Federal employee, which included almost two years in the United States Army. It probably wasn't by choice that he entered the Army. Like almost 10,000,000 other men between 1940 and 1947, he was drafted and declared 1-A - Available for unrestricted military service.

Once drafted, he entered Basic Training at Camp Blanding in Florida. He would spend several months there learning basic soldiering before receiving leave and returning to his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. His leave finished, he took a train for Fort George Meade, Maryland. Just outside of Washington, D.C., he visited with friends and took in the sites before shipping out for England. He was assigned to a replacement unit, a Casual Company as it was known, and it was a boring life. Guard duty, sleep, uniform inspection, eat, repeat.

The real action started when like so many others, he was assigned to a fighting unit. In this case, he was assigned as an ammunition bearer in a squad and platoon of Company D/Heavy Weapons, 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Ben Chapla), 28th Infantry Regiment (Anderson), 8th Infantry Division (Stroh), XIII Corps (Middleton), United States Third Army (Patton), Twelfth United States Army Group (Bradley), Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (Eisenhower) [Commanders when Chuck entered the fight in Aug 1944].

Charles Lowry was a replacement. Replacement troops prior to 1943 were used to fill slots in new units being created and sent overseas. By 1944, when Charles went through basic training, recruits weren't just filling new units, but were used to replace combat casualties from units fighting in Europe, the Pacific and in Africa.

The letters Charles wrote home capture a basic painting of Army life. He was restricted from providing his location most of the time. Asking questions to his mother was the best way to get information of home.

Charles was wounded during the early stages of Battle for Brest, France when a hand grenade detonated near him, causing the ammunition he was carrying to explode and sent shrapnel fragments into his legs. He had been in France for eight days and on the front line for three hours. He was lucky if he knew the first names of the men he was fighting with. Friendships were non-existent for replacements (later called reinforcements because of the harsh connotation of the word 'replacement' in a military unit that had suffered casualties). The chance a replacement would be wounded or killed in his first 14 days of combat was nearly 70%.

Chuck was removed from the line, first sent to a casualty collection point, before a truck ride to field hospital. He was then transported to England for care and eventually to Fort Benjamin Harrison Army Hospital in Indianapolis where he spent nearly a year in recovery of his wounds.

If you have questions or comments about the letters, I encourage you to post them in the comments section.

Charles J. Lowry, 1924 - 2007

Private-First Class Charles J. Lowry
Company D, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division

Charles J. Lowry, life-long resident of Youngstown, father of eleven children, grandfather of eighteen and great-grandather to two, died early Sunday morning at his home after a long illness. He was born November 10, 1924, the only child of Charles E. and Margaret M. Lowry, attended McKinley Elementary School, and graduated from Ursuline High School in 1942. He spent time in the United States Army during World War II, receiving the Purple Heart. He married Jean Grocutt at Saint Columba in 1948. Jean passed away in February 1987. He was well known in Yougstown for owning Lowry's Custard Stand, first on Belmont Avenue and then for a long time on Logan Avenue. He retired from the United States Post Office and in his retirement, gave his time to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, for whom he opened and operated their first soup kitchen on Front Street from 1981 until 1987. He remained active in the St. Edward's St. Vincent DePaul Society until recently. He also was known for organizing bus trips to Saint Anne de Beaupre Shrine in Quebec, Canada and Notre Dame football games. In 2000, he was inducted into the Ursuline High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the first tennis player to be inducted.

Chuck's Honorable Discharge papers from the United States Army in 1945. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for being wounded during the battle for Brest, France on August 28, 1944. He spent almost two years in hospitals both in England and at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.

Chuck with his new bride Jean and Grandpa Pepperney on his wedding day, May 29, 1948.

Chuck with his granddaughter Caroline and her new husband Jon on their wedding day, November 25, 2006.

Chuck and Jean on their wedding day, May 29, 1948.

Chuck and Jean with little Pat on the front stoop at their house on Mansell.

Chuck and Pat

I'm sure he is plotting his way out of this event.

Chuck and Jean celebrating Christmas at his son Pat's house on Dennick Avenue in 1986.

Chuck with his daughters Mary and Kathy out at Chuck's house in Liberty.

Chuck's 80th birthday was celebrated in grand Lowry style.

More of his 80th birthday party, with son Mike in the foreground and daughter Margaret next to him.

Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town …

To leave comments and reflections of Chuck, select the "# Comments" link below this line.