Ilene Hall Joined the Army to Search for Her Husband During WWII

Our American stories we tell stories about everything here on the show sports business to history and everything in between including your stories. There are some of our favorites are next story. Well, it's one about service love and sacrifice. Let's follow Eileen Hall's incredible journey across Europe as she searches for her husband in the middle of World War II. Eileen was a member in the women's Army Corps or what we got together with Eileen and her daughter Sherry, who both live in Canton Ohio is Eileen I'm from Canton, Ohio. I was born in 1011 23 and my mother and dad had a restaurant in downtown Canton and we had a hotel up above the restaurant and that's where I was raised.

We lived right across the street from McKinley high school so all I had to do was walk for high school was walk across the street go to school after my mother made it to my high school graduation and shortly after that she passed on and my dad remarried and I felt very uncomfortable at home. Different mother really working real overbearing company so it's a long time that 75 years ago. You know, so I'm trying to remember a lot of but I'll never forget, but in there I met a girl and we became friends and we worked in the stationary supply office and she had a boyfriend from Galleon Ohio and every time he came up to see her. He brought his brother, so she said you think you'd mind dating his brother if he brings them up nice.

I don't know well that was it because we just melted and it's just worked out so but he was being drafted. Like all he was going to be sent to Oklahoma so after my dad remarried.

I just didn't feel comfortable at home so I said, I think I'll go.

I always want to go to California so I said, I think I'll go to California because I've always wanted to go there so I boarded the train and it stopped in Oklahoma and I thought well I'll just see you know him while I'm here so that's as far as I got married after I was there a few days we had to go through blood tests and it was really you know so and we were married in Parsons office and then it wasn't long after that that he was sent overseas so I thought well since I'm married to him.

I go back home and see what I can do you know it. So I went back home and I decided to enlist in the service so I went in downtown Canton where they had their recruiting office and told him I would like to join the Army well the Navy what really wanted but you couldn't get in that one until later. So I decided to get in the Army. If I could. So even though I was married I had to get my dance consent because of my age.

I couldn't do it unless I had my parents consent. So I went to where he worked and told him and he said well if I don't do this you'll do something else crazy so he signed. He was a World War I veteran, so he signed and I took it back and after that I got into basic training in Daytona Beach, Florida.

From there I was, I volunteer. They said as we were being interviewed girls that had already volunteered, said you'll be sorry and so but I volunteered for everything. So I always got the pic of things that I wanted to do so. I thought that was a good idea. From there I was sent to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia for driver training and I let convoy through Georgia is one of our tryouts.

You know, to see how we did so well and then we had to go in gas chambers and take off of gas mask and stay for a few minutes then go out and get your breath again and then we had to lay down in the fired shots over us. You know, to see how we react and then we had to go through other training abandoning ship. We had go you know, to a top of the ship that would be in go down the sides and a couple of the girls were just terrified of doing it so I helped along with them and then after that was all done I was sent to Fort Lewis, Washington, and I was only there for a little while.

The fellows in the barracks were used to having women there. And boy every time we'd walk out everywhere. You guys walking with us but anyway I volunteer.

They will ask for volunteers to go overseas so I volunteered, but there were too many so I wasn't going to get to go, but that the last minute, 1 gallon dropped out until I took her place and then it wasn't long after that that we sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey, and boarded the Queen Elizabeth and headed for France. So on a ship that in peacetime would accommodate two people there were 24 wax in one room and and then we went on and we landed at Glasco Scotland and the Isle of Clyde and there we were met with them.

Red Cross and Salvation Army, and they gave us food and and totally decided where we were going to go from there. Some of us boarded the train and headed for Sutton coalfield England. That's where I was one of the station for a while and we been listening to Eileen Hall's journey to find her husband in the middle of World War II.

A great back story. Can't wait to hear more. Sure, you can either only come back more Eileen whole story here on our American story. Folks if you love the stories we tell about this great country and especially the stories of America's rich past. Know that all of our stories about American history from word innovation culture and faith are brought to us by the great folks at Hillsdale College placement. Students study all the things that are beautiful in life. All the things are good in life.

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What an adventure. This lady was my goodness. And so many other women who served in the war she wanted to be in the theater and volunteered for what's pickup. We last left off.

Some of us boarded the train and headed for Sutton coalfield England. That's where I was going to be stationed for a while so that's where I had to drive a Jeep by I went through the motorcar so I was allowed to drive a Jeep and up to 2 1/2 ton truck, so I drove the everybody in Sutton coalfield in England had to list them if they had a room available for GIs because they didn't want the women staying in room to say one of the men to be there so that's what I did for a while got them all done and then I was sent. I drove a major layer that for four of us were drivers and I we all drove an officer, so I drove a major, so we were on call 24 hours a day for whatever reason they wanted us so that I had to drive in the fog so bad that I had put my foot up, they drive on the left side on the curb so I know where I was going and because of that my left leg is is not as big as my right.

It took that much. It froze, you know, and I had to go back to the barracks and they put me up behind bakery so I could thaw out to my late so frozen from drive and so I we had gone through many air raids at night and one of the gals that if I'm going to get killed. I'm going to do it right here and so the rest of the site. We stayed together so that was it because there were nightly air raids auto after I left England I went to France and was with the post office. There is a driver, so every morning I drive into Paris and you could stay with this streets were empty except for people going through garbage cans trying to get something to eat people and dogs, and that's something I'll never forget. And as I drove to the post office that I was yeah just as I drove in something cracked on the steering wheel and I couldn't steer, but I was already there so I was that I felt that was a blessing because if I done that out in the you know out on the streets. It would have been something else. I have faith I just felt be protected.

Whatever I did because I if I volunteered for some. My felt the that's what I should do so. I just had a different life than some of the other wax but the Battle of the Bulge was going on then, and they were bringing the wounded into the hospital in Paris and our commanding officer was called from from the hospital and asked him to send some wax down to help the wounded were coming in so fast so I our commanding officer called me and said you know going to take some wax to the hospital so I got a ton and 1/2 truck and loaded it with wax and drove into the hospital and from hospital and walked in and hear the GIs are all laying on the floor. You could just walk sideways and so they we wouldst kneel down and talk to them. Take, you know, we all went and talk to each one and ask what where they were from and disc items. Calm down before and then they finally found room for them all so but when I had time off. I was allowed to take the Jeep and I became acquainted with two fellows from Iowa and one was had his left leg amputated below his knee so he was going to be sent home and he said he hated to see go home without see in Paris and I said well I'll see what I can do. So I went to my commanding officer told her to the stories she said you take a deep and showing wherever you want to go.

So where there were wax in the back and me driving and him sit beside me and took them all over Paris so he was in almost excited about that and we kept in touch for years after I got home so but then I got a letter from my husband saying he was going to be sent to the CVI that the China Burma and I thought and I start to cry, and the officer was below me and she came up and one to know why I was crying and I said well my husband is going to be sent to CB area and I said I probably never see me again and she said I'll see what I can do. So she got me orders attached to Mark Clark's but he never knew I was part of his service so but that got me to the airport and asked if you know if anybody was going to Paris and there there was a plane just out there that was going to be going to Italy and I told my story to the guy at the desk and so he said that plane right there, you can get on so they put down the bomb bay doors and I walked out and laid one on one side and one on the other lifted me up, putting in where the gun to radius and that's how I rode from there to to Italy and I got off of the plane and I was standing on the road and I didn't realize right in front of me was the Tower of Pisa because I didn't realize it was that big.

You know, and so I walked out and I started hitchhiking along came British Guyana truck three soldiers in the back and one was they were attending to one and I said what happened. He said he got hurt, but not by fire. I don't know exactly how I got hurt and they're going into Rome so they stop for water and the driver of the truck had to come back and stand in front of me so I could lean to the back because the people just came from everywhere. They want to touch me. I didn't know what to do so they would look out for me and then we left and went on to Rome to the Red Cross. There and they put me up for the night. The next morning was a Sunday so was church so I went down and went to church and after a little while before church started fellow sat down beside me and he looked at my practices. You're not from around here are you and I said no I can. I told them my story. He said I'll see what I can do so the next day he had gotten permission for Ms. officer and he was able to take me from Rome to Milano, and on the way it started to rain and the fellow didn't know how to do that the top to the Jeep so I showed them how to do that and he took me up and my husband was waiting for me.

Waiting there. So we had our honeymoon on Lake and I had our own villa attached to a regular one, which is owned now by George Clooney and I'm sure George Clooney doesn't know it but I'm going to write a letter to sometime if he ever gets it. The ability asked ST yeah so yeah that was the fifth Army rest camp so we left from the harp on the DB Alexander headed for United States as we pulled into New York harbor all the lights came on and they took us off the boat and fed us the best Thanksgiving dinner.

We ever so and from there we had to go to Fort Dix to get released from the Army and then I boarded the train for Canton, Ohio and when I got to Canton. There were my husband, my, my dad just welcomed me home. Got home seven days before I did, but other than that way.

I think my experience is something not too many people have the opportunity to experience so that's my love story and I love to tell it so thanks for the opportunity to tell it that's it that's it.

Thanks for the opportunity to let us know, and what a beautiful story about so many things particularly just the sheer sense of adventure off to Europe to fight Nazis searching for each other. Learning how to drive trucks and tanks supply lines defeat one of the world's worst enemies in history. Eileen Hall's journey to find her husband in the middle of World War II story here on our American story, then we returned to our American stories of mixed story from art burden arts and author writes about them often overlooked group of people in the Western frontier African-Americans will share with us the story of one of the most feared outlaws in the Indian territory Turkey bill terrorize the area for two years before we talk about Bill, let's talk about his father, George, let's get into the store. George is very interesting because he was from Selma, Alabama, and his mother was not enslave but she was a concubine of Martin Goolsby was a very rich plantation owner is in the banking so when the Civil War started not be a slave. George was hard for Exley Gettysburg, and I guess that it is working for him to leave. The Confederates went to the northern side, and was at the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. George went back to Selma, but there was some issues because some of the Confederate soldiers recognize George as being it Appomattox, and he threatened to kill him and he left and went to the Indian territory as joy. The 10th US Calvary resident all-black resident team rank very quickly became a sergeant on the top sergeants in the 10th after being there while he did me a young lady named Ellen and she was a laundress for the Timoteo and they get married and ladle on that regiment was relocated to Fort Concho in Texas and that is where Crawford was born but George got into a little problem at Fort Concho. They were next to a town in San Angelo some the buffalo soldiers was having a real hard time in transit will go to town, go to disclose they will be harangued by buffalo hunters and cowboys in this one particular time soldiers stripes will cut off his uniform is pants and he was roughed up beat up he went back to the posted for counseling. Told what happened and the story goes that George allowed the buffalo soldiers to get access to their weapons and they get went back to San Angelo and Southtown. So is an George said that you need to leave the Army at that point he went AWOL left her with four little kids.

Clarence and Luther Crawford and his sister. So that's, like the background of the story about Crawford Goolsby and his name is not goals is actually Goolsby but the people call it goals. Because the spell GOL BSB why I guess him and his father long to get jobs jobs for Gibson and then he started cowboy so he was cowboy problems occur when there was a dance in town in started picking on his brother's little brother and he didn't like it too much.

Any trapped in a sea. There was a fight, not Acropolis for the big he was. He was about almost 6 feet tall and probably somewhere around hundred 92 other policies, stocky will bill you been up the next day after you get beat up caulking coming into the livery stable starting to think that he thought he killed and went on its Indian territory called one of the scout, trying to get away from the law and that's where his whole outlook were, jumped off, Crawford had earlier worked with a couple young men on the Sukkot Brothers, Bill Cook Crawford took up they had said to do some things that was not legal, so the lady was stealing horses and such, and in 1893 circulation receive $8.5 million payment for the sale of the Cherokee that was planted. Once all payments were made to citizens of selected towns and the Coke brothers and Crawford requested their share of plan payment. The cooks had a friend named Effie credit agreed to pick up their shares because they can go and pick up the money because it warrants for the rest of the circular authorities and Effie was also the manager of a place known as the halfway house stagecoach station between Delacroix and Muskogee on June 15. Effie went to tell. She had a strange husband was working as a guard for the payment.

The names on the request you gave the Cherokee treasure and credited to a man had outstanding warrants profit goals before attempted murder Bill Cook for larceny and he realized that they would be waiting at the halfway house stagecoach station for their monies and told the authorities and so they gave Effie the monies that they will owe little to her knowledge and follow by a fairly large posse before they got there though, as these young men I guess they will file very enterprising.

There was a stagecoach that did stop at the house and it was rock by them while they were there waiting for their monies and as if he got to the halfway house profit was all said stagecoach station seen the posse, there proceeded to be a very hellacious gunfight took place.

They got away one of the cooks, not Bill Cook but his brother did get wounded in the fight for Cherokee video did kill one of the Turkey lawn after the outlaws got away.

Effie was interviewed about allotment and she was as was profit goals.

Be a member of the outlaws that they do said she got when she said no I wasn't profit goals be, but Turkey bill was after that Crawford Goolsby was always known as Cherokee. He was 18 years old. He said that he construed from his waist level, and Harley Mrs. start. He would also brace the rifle but it guess his leg worked the lever very fast sound so fast. Sound like a sewing machine.

He said he shot it like that to scare people use it for accuracy. Always put the right shoulder but is also he loved astronauts with law and that's very interesting because most outlaws never love to have some doubts but he really never turn down a good shootout if he could have the law. He was very colorful. The cities were a white hat with the red van on and wore jingle. Bob spurs yet started chaps leather chaps metal studs on so he was very colorful guy used to like to know you like a peacock against the state and we been listening to RT Burton told the story of Cherokee bill and his father George, my goodness, what a story George had African-American fighting for the Confederates and then also finds himself one day in Gettysburg where he changed teams and then is at Appomattox.

When we come back more of the remarkable story of Turkey bill told by Arthur and we returned to our American stories in her story with art Burton Outlaw Turkey bill will be less left off art was telling us about how Bill turned to a life of crime. After committing attempted murder after a fight. Bill would soon link up with the brothers. That's where things went even further, so let's continue. Rizzo was known as Bill Cook day and Cherokee bill became the worst element of a gay most feared member of the gang was made up of white, black, Indian most part young man the size of the game with same sort of months some real dropout, some with joy the original members of the game line for George Sanders and Henry Munson all black Indian Friedman Curtis Davison Jeff Snyder Elmer chicken Lucas white male and Sam vertebrae did Mike Williams, Jim French and Bill were Cherokee and explodes very first day, the boldest and most brazen robbery venture. Cooking occurred today that the gang robbed the Lincoln County bank Taylor was a barber named JB Mitchell was sitting in front of establishment and crap out.

The dogs are in town there robbed the bank Cherokee bill Howard Flynn to shut up and Mitchell rose up from his chair. Still, how Cherokee bill to his Winchester rifle decided after you set the barber there was approximately 100 gunshots flatbread again after they robbed the bank of $107 and sent the game role west of town and they rolled into a timber and they had a gunfight once they get into the timbers when the members of the gang was captured by the posse. The rest of the gang escaped into the heels. October 9 again split up a few father feel could and the rest of the game went to on the night of October 22 293 outlaws small town told the gang robbed two stores in the post office $400 surety built the first doorkeeper as a hostage second-story to storekeepers to the post office. A few days later Cherokee bill robbed the town of Lila Beale started on one end of the main Street business on the street within him and his gang was out of town and my research looking at games. This is the only time we have known outlaws to go into town and started one in town main street rock business on Main Street.

This is unprecedented Cherokee bill that struck at the small cattle town and upon the Cherokee nation for the money and valuables amounted to $600 is a lot of money back then because the average wage for an old person could be $100 a year so $600 quite a bit of money. A man by the name of Ernest Melton from Paris Texas is working across the street at a restaurant when they heard shots of the FRB are rest to the window to see what was happening.

Cherokee bill glanced at the window and saw Milton staring at him just for nothing at all. Turkey bill took his Winchester rifle shot Milton in the here killing him instantly. After this robbery, the Federal Ct. in Fort Smith Arkansas for the $1300 bounty did our lab surety scheme to catch Turkey bill was plotted by US Marshal George Clark and Debbie responses Bill Smith and George Lawson and they were very dedicated to training bring Cherokee bill in they say Smith and Lawson found out that Bill was sweet on the knees, dip US Marshal Rogers and they met with Rogers and about the plan future invited to write his home while his niece Maggie glass Rogers procured assistance of a good friend in the Cherokee Freeman include skills to assist with the caption on January 29, 1895 Cherokee bill arrived at Roger's home, and he spent a good part of the evening visiting with Maggie truly had crushed so then he play cards with Rogers and skills all night. Up to 4 o'clock in the morning all the time.

Cherokee deal kept his Winchester and his left never gave Rogers's chance press at breakfast. He began to appear as if the player was not working.

After eating I sent negative neighbors house the backup to Bill decided he wanted to smoke leaned over the fireplace to light his cigarette rod to seize the moment he Cherokee bill of the hill with forested blow, not Cherokee bill down but not out. Rogers and skills fall bill for 20 minutes until they were able to get a pair of handcuffs on Cherokee deal was finally Even after they get the handcuffs on him Cherokee bill was so strong handcuffs booklet. Scales had a double barrel shotgun and kept the gun on Cherokee until he got him the town where they met up with Bill Smith Parker Judge Parker the hanging judges people like to call it to Bill's worst criminal he never come forth bit and just Parker was there from 1875, 1896. So he seen many a bad Outlaw deals indicted for the murder of Ernest Melton, pled not guilty and he was represented by defense attorney Jay Warner read was on top attorneys that work for Cherokee bills found guilty of murder and human 25th 1890 fat was set as his execution date. The lawyer re-found 14 errors in the trial proceedings an appeal to the Supreme Court just Parker issued a state of the execution date.

So, the Supreme Court look at the appeal and on July 26, 1890 fat someone smuggled a pestilent gel for Cherokee field attempt to jailbreak at 7 PM the jail guard Campbell. He often got Lawrence Keating in the departed, Jill known as murderers row. Wake up people who was incarcerated for murder and it was a possibility he often Keating to ring the prisoners in for the night paper was jammed in the keyhole to lock the rule sales to keep it from locking in Turkey. Bill jumped out of his sealant told him to throw up and give me that pistol instead of obeying Keating reach was always volunteer to be a sounding instantly available 15 minute gunfight ensued. No further injuries but also no resolution Henry*another Cherokee who was in jail for murdering a US marshal offered to speak to Bill and get his guards agreed and started his opportunity and went to Bill Silva convince him that it was useless to continue. I guess Cherokee bill thought about it for a while, and he eventually gave is not a star supposedly start Mason comments that Cherokee deals mother would not be very happy about the circumstances and that was one of things that convinced them to give up. But now he had another murder charge on the trial lasted three days and Judge Parker set the new execution date is March 17, 1896 on his execution date Cherokee bill show no sign of fear while standing on the gallows he was asked if he had anything to say in reply I came not to talk to today is bear not far from his companions, Jim Frace and the verdigris. His niece stated that Cherokee bill probably would have a different life if he had opportunity to get a better education very similar to the day where many people fall into a life of prayer and probably would have a different outlook on life got better education. Cherokee field is pretty much announces to Billy the Kid, but they've made guess somewhere in area 50 movies and Hollywood about leadership. There's never been a movie made about Cherokee deal but Cherokee bill became the most famous outlaw in the history of the Indian territory and terrific job on the storytelling by Monty Montgomery. Special thanks to RT Burton for sharing with us the story Cherokee bill. His book is Cherokee bill black cowboy Indian outlaw pick it up at art Burton.by the way, what a thing he managed with the bill cooking because it was the first integrated gang. We had black whites and Cherokees of mixed blood and pure all in the same place causing mayhem splits up and ends up in the end facing Judge Walker is found guilty of murder on execution day's final words were I came here not to talk the story Cherokee bill here. Our American stores