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A Life Well Lived: Martinsville veteran looks back

Martinsville Bulletin - 1/1/2017

MARTINSVILLE - It took six days for the Queen Mary to reach its destination. Talmadge Mitchell counted, along with all the other passengers. Part of the reason was the cargo, which far exceeded the rules. Officially, the boat's capacity was listed at 900 people. When Mitchell stepped on board in February 1944, he was one of 15,000 soldiers packed inside, all heading off to fight in Europe. The 98-year-old Martinsville resident was honored this week, one of seven veterans recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mitchell was labeled as a "Veteran of the Day," part of a new effort by the department to let people know about individual veterans and their accomplishments. For Talmadge Mitchell, there's a lot to tell.

Mitchell was born on June 19, 1918, in Snow Creek, part of nearby Franklin County, the oldest boy in a group of nine kids. As the oldest, he set out to help his father feed the 11-person family, taking on jobs in a dye plant and then later working for a plumber and roofing contractor. But then World War II came and with it the military draft. On Nov. 2, 1941, just over a month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Talmadge was drafted into the Army. He spent 27 months here in the states, with 15 of those in Pine Creek, New York.

"The weather up there was awfully cold," Mitchell remembered. "One day we were out with our guns for four hours and the temperature was 20 below zero."

After that he was transferred to another camp in New York called Camp Shank, located at a point between the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. It served as a way station of sorts, giving soldiers a place to stay while they waited to be shipped off overseas. It was from there that Mitchell and 14,999 other soldiers boarded the Queen Mary and waited to see where they would be placed.

The answer to that was the United Kingdom, at least for a little while. The boat docked on Shannon Island six days after it had left New York and from there, he headed to Normandy. At this point, Mitchell was a rifleman, put in charge of a 155mm gun that was mounted on a Sherman tank.

On July 11, 1944, Mitchell arrived at Omaha Beach as a gunner corporal in Battery C of the 991st Field Artillery Battalion. Omaha Beach was the second beach from the west among the five landing areas of the Normandy invasion. Although his arrival was a month after D-Day, Mitchell said there was plenty of fighting still going on. His battalion was part of the heavy artillery and had four big guns, Mitchell explained, pointing out they shot 55,000 pounds of shells in just one night. The group was later recognized as one of only four to fire more than 48,800 rounds during the war.

When Mitchell reminisces about his days on the beach in Normandy, his eyes go to a faraway place and for a moment, it's as if his soul leaves the room.

"It's like it happened yesterday, it feels that way," he explained.

By September 1944, he and his battalion had made it through to Belgium. Their goal was to get to Aachen, a city on the border with Germany that was part of the Nazi defenses. By Christmas Day 1944, Mitchell had made it to the Ardennes Forest, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. It was in that fight that the Allies suffered the largest number casualties of any battle on the Western Front.

"I was right in the middle of it, the whole time," said Mitchell.

By the time he was discharged, on Oct. 28, 1945, Mitchell had risen to the rank of corporal. He also had been recognized with several awards, including the European African Middle Eastern Service Ribbon, the American Theater Service Ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Bronze Star.

The Bronze Star commendation highlights that even though he was under direct fire at times, he still completed his mission.

"In spite of these hazards, he never faltered in his missions and his work never suffered," the document reads. "His leadership, devotion to duty and courage have always been of the highest type."

He also came back without any serious injuries, but when asked how he thinks he got so lucky, he's quick to say luck had nothing to do with it.

"We got by without a scratch because the Lord was so "dad-blum" good to us," Mitchell said.

Coming home

Mitchell also keeps memories of what happened after the war More than 1,500 photos are spread out through his home, detailing different events that happened through the years. There's his marriage to his wife, Josephine and pictures of his two sons. There's also images from the 1950's, when Mitchell opened his own company, Talmadge Appliances, in Martinsville. He owned and operated that store for 42 years in the city.

Throughout his marriage, Mitchell and his wife also traveled the world. In his basement he has albums upon albums of picture projection slides from their adventures. His favorite album which he projected proudly was the one from Germany.

At one point, Mitchell stopped at what appeared to be a mansion in Germany, he couldn't remember the name of it.

"In a way just seeing that (the mansion) was worth the trip," Mitchell explained. "I sure would hate to mow that lawn though."

While Mitchell said he never suffered from PTSD, he said the war left an impact.

"I love to travel, but it took me a while after the war to do it," said Mitchell

On the other side of the finished basement is a map of the world that covers an entire wall. Mitchell points out Russia and laughs at how much bigger than it is then the United States.

In his spare time Mitchell said he likes to remember his memories and exercise. He is also an avid golfer and while he doesn't get to hit as many holes as he used to, he still goes into his back yard every day and swings the golf club.

To be 98, Mitchell is active and up until three months ago, he also acted as an usher for his church. For the future, Mitchell said he would like to go to the DMV at some point and reapply for his driver's license. He said he would have to see how that goes though.

A simple man who lived anything but a simple life finds pleasure in the small things these days. Mitchell will turn 99 very soon and lives every day like he's ready for Heaven. When asked for any tips he might be able to give someone for longevity his answer was about as simple as his life.

"I'm not ever anything but relaxed," said Mitchell "And, the Good Lord of course, those are my own tips."

Erica Haynes is a freelancer for the Martinsville Bulletin.