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Remembrances of World War II are quickly fading with the passing
of those “Greatest Generation” military members offering the last
firsthand accounts of the struggles, horrors, triumphs and personal
sacrifices marking a war that killed millions, including 600,000
Americans.
Those who made contributions to the 20th Century’s
greatest event – nonagenarians if they are still alive – offer
unique insights that are sometimes forgotten or dismissed by history
books as either inconsequential or insignificant.
Still, many
have downplayed their wartime roles, declining to make mention of
their experiences or brushing it off as a civic responsibility –
what one should do when duty calls.
Count 99-year-old Richard
Bell Jr. as one of those holding true to what journalist and author
Tom Brokaw defined the “Greatest Generation” – those who embraced
values of service and humility along with an understated sense of
pride.
The Blackstone native earned several medals during the
war, to include the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
and Bronze Star attachment (double). For whatever reason, however,
he was never presented with the awards upon returning home in 1945
and never claimed or even mentioned them. That is a statement, more
or less, about who Bell is as a person, said his great nephew
Benjamin Sessoms Jr.
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August 26, 2017 - Richard Bell, a 99-year-old veteran and Blackstone
resident, poses for pictures with medals he earned more than 72
years ago in World War II during a family reunion event Aug. 26 at
the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center. Bell was a participant in the
Red Ball Express logistical operation during the war. Bell’s great
nephew and former reporter Benjamin Sessoms Jr. discovered a year
ago his relative never received awards pertaining to his military
service and initiated efforts for a formal presentation. Congressman
Dave Brat along with Brig. Jeffrey Drushal, Chief of Transportation
at Fort Lee, presented the medals. (Photo by Terrance Bell, U.S.
Army Garrison Fort Lee PA)
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“He is a very humble and spiritual person,” he said.
Bell was drafted into a segregated Army in which blacks
wore the same uniforms as whites but were pushed into menial
jobs, endured poor living conditions and issued subpar
equipment. Only a few black units were ever used on the
frontlines. Nevertheless, many willingly donned uniforms
with the intent of proving they were worth the rights and
privileges granted to whites.
On the other hand, many were oblivious to
the political climate and simply did what they thought was
right and did their best to represent themselves, their
families and their people, said Sessoms.
Bell, part
of the Army months before the U.S. entered the war in late
1941, remembered when it came crashing into his
consciousness shortly after the Japanese stormed Pearl
Harbor. He was sitting in a Washington, D.C. movie theater
with a girlfriend. What happened next is something today’s
generation of Soldiers are not likely to experience.
“They come over a (loud) speaker and told all the Soldiers
to ‘return to camp immediately,’” recalled Bell. “I got up,
got a cab and took her home … and he (the driver) took me to
Fort Meade (Md.).”
Bell, who was 23 years old when he
arrived in the European theater of operations, was
eventually assigned to an all-black unit whose members were
later called upon to drive trucks to supply advancing troops
in northern France.
Called the Red Ball Express, it
was a 1944 logistical effort making use of mostly African
American Soldiers who were not assigned critical war roles.
The three-month operation, however, proved critical to the
Allied victory.
“I drove from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every
day,” said Bell. “That was my shift.”
At its peak,
Red Ball Express convoys consisted of nearly 6,000 vehicles
carrying more than 12,000 tons of supplies daily to the
frontlines.
When the war ended in 1945, Bell returned
home to Blackstone, eventually married Catherine (his wife
of 58 years) and settled in Baltimore. There, he worked at
Bethlehem Steel as a millwright and retired after 38 years.
He returned to Blackstone in 2003 after Catherine died.
Today, Bell is the single occupant of a trailer sitting
in a quiet neighborhood located on the outskirts of
downtown. Looked after by another nephew who lives across
the street, he passes time caring for his cats and watches
TV in a living room surrounded by wood-paneled walls filled
with family photos, newspaper clippings of President Obama’s
first-term election and certificates from his many church
activities.
Those walls feature no war mementos and
no photos of him in military uniform or with any of the
people he served. Although Bell’s military service has been
known by other family members, he does not talk much about
his experiences, said Sessoms, and does not remember much.
Furthermore, Bell did not have children who could convey
his service to others. His military legacy could neither be
promoted by any of his seven siblings, all of whom have
passed with the exception of one – his 103-year-old sister
who resides in an assisted-living facility.
From all
that is known about Bell, the war has all but faded from his
memory.
“It was in the past and something I never
thought about,” he said.
Bell’s wartime achievements
were discovered by Sessoms, who, in the process of gathering
information for a 2016 family reunion, came across his
records and began an effort to formerly recognize his great
uncle for his service to the nation. The medals were secured
with help of Bell’s congressional representative, Dave Brat.
“It’s been an honor just to help him get those awards,”
said Sessoms, “knowing that it wasn’t something he was hurt
about or something he was remorseful about. Receiving them,
I thought, would be something that would make him feel proud
and help him understand his family supports him and his
country is behind him as well.”
Brat presented Bell
his medals Saturday at a family reunion event in Henrico
County. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Drushal, Chief of Transportation,
provided an overview about the Red Ball Express prior to the
presentation. He said he was excited about meeting someone
who took part in such a historic wartime event.
“To
meet someone who participated in what is really a legendary
transportation operation during World War II is just a great
honor,” he said.
Bell, who uses a walker and cannot
stand for long periods, sat at a table as his medals were
presented. Members of the media took his picture, and 30-40
onlookers – mostly family members – applauded. Some shouted
“Hallelujah” and “Praise God.”
Bell’s military
service, now brought to light and validated as family
history, has given generations of his family a treasure to
behold, share and inspire, said Sessoms.
“A lot of
African-American families don’t have good records of their
family members or history,” he said. “Having a documented
history helps you to look toward the future and helps you
understand the past. Generations of my family can now look
back and see their great, great uncle Richard Bell Jr. was
there during World War II. He was there as a part of the Red
Ball Express and served under Gen. (George) Patton.
“It will give them a sense of pride and let them know that
if he did this, they could do it as well and be proud of
their service.”
Following the presentation, Bell
beamed with the medals sitting before him. He was clearly
proud of his service. Excited family members encouraged him
to speak, but Bell’s hearing loss made it difficult to hear
questions and what he did say was mostly unintelligible.
Bell’s words, however, probably would not express the
sentiment of someone who answered his country’s call without
complaint; who did not expect much for his deeds; and who
lived through the Great Depression and 18 presidents –
including the first African-American to take office.
Maybe, articulation is not necessary for a man who bore
witness to the strife of a great war and other historical
events. Just maybe, his mere presence, along with the
knowledge of his journey as a citizen and Soldier, says much
more than words can express.
By Terrance Bell, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee PA
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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