Tampa Goes to War

Every community in America contributed to the war effort. And Tampa was no exception. While many men and women worked in the city shipyards in factories others left behind loved ones and friends to go overseas to do their part in the war. The coming years would impact the rest of their lives. And these are some of their stories. Evelyn Johnson was in her early twenties when she joined the Women's Army Corps traveling first to England then France. Prior to joining the service I had studied French

at an American cause church was saying Augusta MST in Raleigh North Carolina and at that time I didn't understand why I had to study French I didn't think I would ever you be able to use it. And I remembered that you never know where you go and you never know what you need to know. So when I arrived in France I was all right because I had some French knowledge and I knew how to speak French somewhat. And in the United States where there was a segregation and I had problems with that. That is one reason why I didn't. Go into Officer Candidate.

I was reluctant because of my attitude towards segregation. I never understood why I couldn't drink out of a water fountain or why I couldn't go into a better restaurant. When we were in Europe we didn't have any problems whatsoever. We will be well accepted. And then. When I came home I still have problems with the segregation. Are you it was a six Triple-A postal directory. But Talia. Was sent overseas to redirect all of the European operations of mail. There was a backlog of almost two and a half years of mail that had not been processed. And we processed all of it in England

and then we went on to France to do the same thing. And mail is very important. To the military. So I felt that I had done a a tremendous tremendous job. When I was off duty and when I was a parasol really. I was impressed with the sham Silly say. And the fountain. And I decided that I was going to dance around that fountain. I've always been able to do that and I decided that that night I was going to Desa around that fountain. Because I thought perhaps I would never get to Paris again. And I did.

George drew was working as a ship inspector at the Tampa Shipbuilding Company in 1942 when he quit his job to become a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps. On August 27 1904 during his 13th mission over Europe. The second lieutenant's life was changed forever. During a run over the oil fields a black hammer his B-24 lost two engines forcing him and his crew of 9 to bail out near the Yugoslavian coastline. Well I hit the slip drayman. I made one swing back and come back down backwards and I hit right on top of the mountain and all of the rocks and I hurt both of my ankles my back of my where I fell backwards and put a knot on the back of my head. So I don't know where he got the information but he had everything he told me I went on leave and when

I came back to Fort Worth I was transition told me where I went to pick up my crew and go and where did my face drain and then he followed me all the way over seas and to the group. David Furnish dried cabbage. And had worms and I may use the word for proteins and then made a soup out of it. And frozen. Potatoes are potatoes and we'd have to peel the rotten. Part of the potatoes off and then what peeling was good. And the potatoes we put in a mix to them of the soup to make it a little more flavorful and I think they drug a piece of meat through it with a strain on it. But I never did see any. And if you're one for the American Red Cross and the British Red Cross bar for wheat or starboard. But it is an experience that.

You lost your freedom and when you do that you've lost everything. One minute you make all of your decisions. And next minute your decisions are made for you. And you have to abide by those decision whether you like them or not. That's about the main thing that. We had to follow what they should do. That's how we got through with it I guess. They knew that I would operate in a war they didn't know where I was or anything. And. That was the hardest part about not hearing me. You. And then Patton came in with his time and he told us sergeant to roll up that Bob Barr.

And he did. And then they lowered the flag and I would guarantee they would i dry and the whole place. And. You know I was fortunate enough to sign that flag this January. Or. I doubt it. Take nothing for the experience that I'd never do it again. You read this story God in my cope. Now.

Yeah. I guess it was a faith. It was a. You. Can explain or even the good Lord with us that was the whole thing. Joe and Willie Vila the oldest boys in a family of 14 were pumping gas in West Tampa when the U.S. was pulled into war. Eager to enlist 16 year old Lily and 17 year old Joe went to Orlando where they lied to recruiters about their ages. The boys never really worried about the dangers they would face in combat.

You know we don't think that way. You don't think that way. You know why. Because you go to the movies and you see those carboy bang bang bang and they stand up again when they go again right. That's what I thought that wall was right. And water going now. It was hell. Not right away. The Japs were going to find more death. And named. The El craft. They used to land on it. And then. In the third day they will we will in. An air. Craft. For your. The jet but. In the past when the trouble began.

A bomb. From an Al prank dropped bomb any got a piece of steel in my hand over here is still there still an ear. That told me the doctor treat me real good and in Australia. The colonel game all warnings you will. Call me poncho. I want you to. Be a sniper. Every time we make a landing. You'll be ready to run for war. Whenever he says just the players are. Going to see what they got out there in front of the hole he was in Australia. And the Crown always strong with your bros you're in very good.

You're wrong wrong. He said I'm going to make a promise. You will my boy. You're there when all come back. I will eat great because I'm going to stop eating great now. This island. Over there. Before you got your water can now. Be with Brown in Maine. I now eat the meat. I live. In university. Here and I used to. Tell the colonel you see this side of this we don't do our.

We don't often we said that he said the colonel said. Why. He said what name you see there. If you know it. And name match. And you get a C V I L 8 that I thought I was I was going to go oh oh oh oh. Now instead of an island there is a park in Tampa named for the seven Vila brothers who serve more than 60 years in combat around the world and return home alive. Sam Givens would one day be a member of Congress. But before that he was a member of the Army's 500 first Parachute Infantry Regiment where in the early part of the war he trained new recruits. Well the first thing we did since we got him off the train is we took him over to a tower that was about 40 feet high and we put a little harness on him as a joke. If it is a

joke we put him back on the train. We did joke we kept him. I landed all roughly 70 yards maybe 50 yards from about 15 soldier German soldiers shooting up in the sky at the airplanes above us. That saved my life they could hear the airplanes they couldn't see me because the camouflage that I wore. And because they were night Blinded by having fired so much into the darkness they could hear the plane so they fired at the planes. And I landed so close to them that when I hit the ground they could have heard me and they not been shooting

and they could have seen me had they not been night blind. Infantry unit a fourth infantry unit landed our beachhead practically no casualties of around 100 cases where the infantry unit landed on the beaches it had not been opened up from the rear by a parachutist had huge casualties thousands of casualties. So we got our job done in work. So we piled on frocks and moved up to Bastogne jumped off the back of the truck. That was the only joke we made on that mission and it went

out to find the Germans and we didn't take it in time to find him they were coming as fast. The whole hundred First Division was cut off from the rest of the United States Army for about a week. We ran out of food we ran out of gasoline we ran everything the Germans really. And it was winter set in. AS. For the snow was. Up to your rear end with so deep. But the slowest. Guard varies because. The Germans had to use the roads and the roads were covered with snow and that made our holding Bastogne a little sampler but inclement or horrible weather that we had. And the heavy casualties again. Were very sobering. Well it turned out to be that it's historic but it that time I didn't think of it that

way. We were just doing the job that we had been trained to do and we've been tasked to do. And. You know. I don't think the average combat soldier acts heroic at all when you know some of the things we do turn out to be heroic but it's a sense of duty it's a sense of training it's a sense of not letting your fellow soldier down. Those are the kind of things that. Would run through your mind. And I don't think there was a finer group of soldiers in the 500 first Parachute Infantry Regiment. I was proud to be a member of it.