Harshbarger line: Cleveland Harshbarger in World War II

I admit it . I nagged,  I begged.  I implored.  Finally, husband and I went to the VA Services Office in Huntington, Indiana, and were able to obtain the separation papers for Cleveland Harshbarger, who served in World War II.  Basically all I knew of his service was that he was a bazooka gunner and that he had been in the Battle of the Bulge  I remember his telling me that things were quiet and then "All Hell broke loose".  That was the extent of my knowledge of his service.  I wanted to know more, so my children, and all of Cleve's children and grandchildren and yes, great grandchildren would know a little of his story. 

What I have been able to find is still just a little of his story, but it is so important that I want to share it now.  More details may or may not be forthcoming, as more records are available, but since most of the records of World War II servicemen men were burned in 1973, we'll never know his full story.  I'm just grateful that Cleve filed these records with the Huntington County recorder when he returned from his military service  He wasn't required by law to do this, so not every soldier filed their separation papers.

From these papers, we know this about his schooling before he entered the Army.  He graduated from Rock Creek High School in 1943, and his civilian occupation is listed as "Student: Had just finished a four year high school course at the time of induction.  Took such courses as typing, bookkeeping, commercial mathematics, general business, algebra, English, biology, wood shop and Latin."

That's the background for Cleve's enlistment in the U.S. Army on November 1, 1943.  He actually entered into active service (left Huntington, Indiana for Ft. Benjamin Harrison) on November 22, 1943, which was just two days before Thanksgiving Day.  He must have missed his mother's good home cooking on Thursday, but perhaps the Fort had a special meal planned, also. 

I don't know where Cleve trained, or whether it was anyplace other than Ft. Benjamin Harrison, due to the loss of records.  However, I know that he was part of the Twelfth Infantry, and I can follow a little of their history.  The unit arrived in England on January 29, 1944 so Cleve likely had basic Army training and not much more, by that time.  He may have received whatever training it took to be an anti-tank gunman (bazooka and probably other weapons) in England. 

The 12th Infantry landed on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, D Day.  It seems to me that I remember Cleve saying that he went in on D-Day plus 17, which would likely have meant that he went in as a replacement for casualties.  The 12th Infantry took part in the Battle of Mortain (American name; German name was Operation Luttich) from August 9-August 12, 1944, but it is likely they had been doing some fighting in the interim.  Two of the five campaign stars Cleve was entitled to wear were from the battles of Normandy and of N. France, so these actions probably fit the criteria for these two stars.   

He also had a campaign star for Ardennes, which is the Battle of the Bulge mentioned earlier.  The 12th Infantry earned a Presidential Unit Citation for their valor in action in Luxembourg, and also earned the Belgian Fourragere.  We don't know for sure where Cleve was but it was in this general area, and he would have been quite busy.  Cleve was also involved in battles in the Rhineland and Central Europe, for which he also earned campaign stars, but I don't have any details about that time. 

As mentioned earlier, Cleve was in an anti tank company, and the bazooka was the weapon he mentioned to me that he had used, although there may have been others also.  His Separation Qualification Record shows that he spent four months in infantry basic training, twelve months as an anti-tank gun crewman, and six months as a cannoneer. A cannoneer didn't aim the cannon, and he was not supposed to discharge the cannon, although I can't say that he never did that.  His basic job as a cannoneer would have been to pack the shells, set the fuses, and load the cannon. "Under the pressure of a fire mission, these tasks were hellish in the freezing, wet weather of Northern Europe.  If your frostbitten hands were not already cut up from separating the silk powder bags with a knife, you got soaked kneeling down in the puddles and mud that formed around the gun pit. "  Cleve was promoted from private to private first class when he finished basic training, and that is the rank he had when he was discharged.  

He was discharged at the Hospital Center Separation Point at Camp Butner, N.C. on November 5, 1945.  I don't know that he was ill or injured.  Many thousands of soldiers were discharged here so the location name may be a bit misleading.  Or maybe everyone was given a thorough physical before they were released, in case of future VA claims.  Cleve would have been home to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family, but those two years changed him, as they did every serviceman, forever. 

During the next two years, Cleve went to work at Majestic in Huntington, married a young waitress, Mary Beeks, whom he met in Huntington, and settled down to raise a family.  Like other servicemen, even though he was forever changed by his war experiences, he was ready to live his American dream which he had fought so hard to protect.  Honor and respect and a bit of awe is due him and the others of his generation.  We are free because he fought for us. 

The line of descent is:

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants