Holbrook line: Ray Holbrook 1915-1944

I'm not sure why I've waited so long to write about my uncle . Perhaps it was because I knew that I only knew part of his story.  I have just learned enough now that I feel compelled to share this, because it's important for our family (and anyone else who is reading this) to know about our hero. My mother always called him a hero, and told us he died at Anzio in Italy, but that is all that I really knew about him before I started this genealogy quest .

I had some information in my file about Ray but didn't understand some of it, and it didn't give the full story.  This isn't really the full story, but it's a condensed version.  Ray was born to Loren and Etta Stanard Holbrook November 4, 1915 in Colville, Washington.  He was the oldest of four children.  About a year after the birth of his youngest sister, his parents separated and then divorced in 1933.  He and his brother Howard were raised largely by their father, until high school.  Their parents wanted them to have a better education than was available in the Colville area, and besides, the family story is that they were getting to be a little bit rowdy.  They were sent to live with their school teacher aunt, Elizabeth Stanard, and attended Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington.  Ray graduated in 1934.

In the 1940 census, he was listed as living with his father, who operated a saw mill.  Ray's occupation was listed as laborer and, although the census doesn't state this, he was working for his father.  Maybe he thought it was time to move on, because Ray talked to an Army recruiter and he enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 11, 1940 at Ft. George Wright, Washington.  He was soon sent to Ft Lewis, Washington for training.  He had enlisted for a one year term and was assigned to the infantry.  I've not found records of when he re-enlisted, but he must have done so.  Here's where it starts to get interesting. 

Somewhere, somehow, after the outbreak of World War II, he was made aware of an opportunity to join a new unit of men.  The unit was to be made up entirely of men, both American and Canadian,  who had volunteered for the job.  They were especially looking for men who were lumberjacks, raftsmen, and skiers, among others.  The particular component that was to bind the men together was that these people all loved adventure.  They were willing to accept jobs that they knew were dangerous, and of course, they were all committed to their country.  These were men who would soon learn to fight and sustain themselves behind enemy lines in mountains and in winter conditions.  Their initial training took place at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana.  By the time the men left this base, they had learned the basics of paratrooping, of winter survival, of long marches, of night time operations, and of other things we don't really want to know about. 

By now, the unit officially had a name, the First Special Service Force.  One of their nicknames became "The Devil's Brigade."  Their first assignment was to the Aleutian Islands, specifically Kiska.  They landed on August 15, 1943, only to discover that the Japanese had withdrawn their forces two weeks earlier.  They stayed only a few weeks and  when they returned the men were given leave.  I don't know if Ray went home or not.  If he did, this would have been his last time to see his family.  There was more training, near San Francisco, Sacramento, Vermont, and Virginia.  By the time the FSSF left for Europe, the war had been in progress for almost two years, and these soldiers were some of the best of the best in terms of the kinds and depth of training they had had.  There were 1800 combat men, plus support crew such as cooks, medics and Headquarters.  What these 1800 men would accomplish, before D-Day, was so extraordinary that Congress in 2013 voted the unit a Congressional Gold Medal, which was actually awarded in 2015. 

The men landed at Morocco and went to Oran, Algiers, but that was just a staging point for their ultimate destination of Italy.  Before the battle of Anzio, these men were the spearpoint of an attack on the German fortress at Monte La Difensa.  Within days of their arrival, they planned the attack on this mountain, choosing the hardest route to the top because they thought the Germans would not be expecting the there.  This mountain overlooked the entire Rome valley, and control of this mountain and one other meant the invasion army to come would have a clear route to Rome.  Ray's company, the first company of the second regiment (1-2) was at the forefront of this attack.  It was begun in the night time hours of December 2, and Ray, in his first real battle, was wounded during this attack.  I don't know anything about his wound at this point but I do know his mother was notified, and he was awarded the Purple Heart.  Ray was apparently out of commission for some time but he didn't lose touch with his unit and eventually rejoined them. 

The next we know of Ray is the sad news, in newspaper articles and in a letter to his mother, of Ray's death on March 30, 1944.  He was on a patrol in front of the lines (this was after the large landing at the Anzio beach head) and the men encountered a mine field . A buddy set a mine off and was badly injured.  While attempting to help the wonded man, Ray set off another mine which exploded and caused his death.  Other members of the patrol said that he could probably have saved himself by throwing himself to one side, but made no effort to do so, thereby saving his comrades who were just a short distance away. He was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for his bravery. 

The First Special Service Force went on, without Ray and without many others who were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner during the life of the force.  They were in action for about a year, in Italy and during the invasion of southern France, and during this time the unit suffered an attrition rate of about 600%.  That means the original 1800 men were replaced 6 times, to keep the unit at strength.  Of course there were some survivors from the original group, but I've not yet found a number to give.  I do know there is one gentleman still alive, who is 108 years old.  The movie "The Devil's Brigade", (1968) tells a fictionalized version of the battle of Monte la Defensa, and I have ordered a copy.   

We need to know these stories, of how young men from all over this country and other countries, came together to fight for freedom.  We need to tell these stories to the next generation, and the next, and the next.  These men, including Ray, were heroes and worthy of remembrance and honor 

Note:  Some of the information in this post was provided by Lynda Beacon, who administers the Facebook page for the First Special Service Force.  If I have mis-stated anything that she told me, I apologize.  Much of what I've said here comes from personal research, information available on the internet, and letters that I have in my possession.  Together, it is all starting to make sense, but I would love to have still more information, especially regarding Ray's injuries and recovery from his wound(s) and when he returned to duty.  That information may be available, but I will have to save up quite a few pennies to obtain it.