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An AMERICAN HERO
Penned by Harry's Son, William Clare Hoy
Harry Schrader Hoy, PFC / Serial # 33835035 /
191st Quartermaster Laundry Platoon / 3d Field Hospital /
Killed In Action, 23 FEB 1945 at the Battle of Zig Zag
Pass / Olongopo, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
Harry Schrader Hoy descended from German immigrants
(Carle and Maria Eva) that came to America in 1751 on
the ship Phoenix (out of Rotterdam). Carle Heu
(German last name was quickly Anglicized to Hoy) and
his 14 year old son Albrecht took oath #180 at the
Court House in Philadelphia on 25 SEP 1751.
Carle was
married to Maria Eva Schaurer,
Albrecht (1737-1801) married
Susanna Snevely;
Philip (1765-1844) {1st Hoy born in
America}
married Anna Maria Gilbert;
Henry (1798-1859)
married Elizabeth Wiltrout;
Henry, Jr. (1836-1912) First Owner of the Hoy Farm, married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Albright;
Heister (1857-1942) married Clara Elizabeth Mengel;
Jay (1886-1959) married Stella Telisa Schrader;
Harry
Schrader Hoy (b. 19 JAN 1911) married
Evelyn Grace
Litwhiler (b. 17 OCT 1916) on 31 MAR 1934.
On 21 NOV
1942, William Clare Hoy,
the writer of these memoirs,
was born to Harry and Grace.
Harry Schrader Hoy was born on the Hoy Farm which is
located 2.3 miles east of Orwigsburg on Red Dale Road.
The farm still stands today. It was always a farm
that produced crops for sale at markets and food for
the Hoy family. This multi-generational Hoy farm was
tilled, in the rich red earth of Red Dale, by
successive generations of Hoys, until it was sold by
Jay Daniel Hoy at a farm auction, on SAT 8 DEC 1945.
The marriage of Stella Telisa Schrader and Jay Daniel
Hoy produced seven children: Florence Elizabeth
(b. 7
APR 1909); Harry Schrader (b. 19 JAN 1911);
Clifford Henry (b. 11 JUL 1913)
{Clifford is currently (2006) age 94 and is doing quite well.}
He was able to provide many of the details of
my father's life for this record.
{I really never knew my father except
for my first year of life. Having no personal
memories of him has greatly troubled me all of my
life.}; Calvin William (b. 3 MAR 1918); Clair Daniel
(b. 9 NOV 1921) {Clair served with honor in the
European Theater in the 9th Division in WWII.};
Helen Irma (b. 10 AUG 1924);
and Marie Dorothy
(b. 1 APR 1928).
Harry attended the Red Dale School (located .7 miles
west of the Hoy Farm - still standing 2006) for grades
one through six. While growing up on the farm he
enjoyed playing games with his siblings and school
friends. He especially enjoyed baseball activities,
playing tag with his family and friends, and playing
cards and checkers. He learned to play the accordion
and the trumpet, and enjoyed listening to music on the
radio. He loved outdoor activities and was an avid
hunter and fisherman.
When he became an age where it was expected for a
child to do farm chores, Harry did a great deal of
farm work. He learned to harness and handle a team of
horses which was used to plow and harvest the fields.
He had a working agreement with the farm horses, Dick,
Harry & Bill. The agreement was that he would give
the orders and they would do the hard labor. He also
had fun playing with the farm dogs, Nelly and Wimpy.
During the years after he quit school he continued to
labor on the Hoy Farm until at about age 16, when he
started to work at the Onyx Blouse Mill in Orwigsburg.
He worked there for a few years until about age 20,
when he started working for the Pennsylvania State
Highway Department as a truck and heavy equipment
driver. When Harry became a man he enjoyed league
bowling, loved to play cards with his friends, smoked
too many cigarettes and drank a few beers with his
pals. When he was about age 28 he started to work for
the Motor Freight Express Co. as a truck driver,
making local deliveries around the Orwigsburg /
Pottsville / Schuylkill County area. Harry's father,
Jay, and his brother, Clifford, also worked for Motor
Freight Express at the same time. This is the job he
had when he was drafted.
On 31 MAR 1934 Harry married his sweetheart, Evelyn
Grace Litwhiler (b. 17 OCT 1916). This union produced
a beautiful baby named Georgine Marie Hoy who was born
on 24 JAN 1938. By this time Harry and Grace were
living with Grace's parents, Owen Herbert Litwhiler
and Charlotte Beaver Litwhiler, on their farm (still a
farm today), 1.6 miles east of Orwigsburg on Rt. 443.
A few days after the beautiful, healthy and vibrant
Georgine was born, she was taken home to the farm.
Within a day or two she became very ill and was taken
back to the hospital where she quickly recovered from
the unexplained illness. She was taken home again and
the illness came back. Georgine needed to return to
the hospital, where she quickly recovered again. This
time Georgine was kept there for about a week until
she gained some weight and proved to be totally
symptom free. On 16 FEB 1938 she was taken back to
the farm once again. During the night of 19 FEB 1938
Georgine died. "May she rest in peace!"
In the days that followed, an investigation into
Georgine's death determined the cause of her
mysterious illness. Her death was ruled accidental
and the cause of her death was determined to be from
overexposure to coal gas coming from a coal burning
"Heatrola" that was placed in her bedroom to keep her
warm during the cold winter of 1938. Her family had
purchased the supplementary heating device and
installed it in Georgine's room because the farm home
did not have a central heating unit, only a kitchen
stove. The adults in the home, who slept in other
rooms, were not negatively impacted by the faulty
unit, but baby Georgine succumbed to the coal gas.
This was devastating to my parents and to everyone
that loved Georgine.
On 21 NOV 1942, I was born. By that time, my family
(the Litwhilers and the Hoys) had purchased a home at
229 South Warren Street, Orwigsburg, PA. It was
there, shortly after my birth, that Harry Schrader Hoy
received his draft notice. He was told to report to
the U. S. Navy. However, his mother (Stella Hoy) was
deathly afraid of water and she pleaded with him to
change his draft status from the NAVY to the U. S.
Army. Harry followed his mother's request and joined
the United States Army. He was encouraged by many of
his peer group to appeal his draft notice because of
his older age and the fact that he had a young child.
However, he wanted to serve his country and he never
appealed it. He left for Basic Training on 23 DEC
1943, two days before my second CHRISTmas. He was
placed in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps.
Harry Schrader Hoy was on his way to becoming
"An AMERICAN HERO"!
On 31 OCT 1982, an Army buddy of my father, Robert
Bromley (Trevose, PA) came to my Stroudsburg home to
meet me. Robert went through all of the Army basic
training with my father and stayed with him through
the night that my father was killed, 23 FEB 1945.
Robert told me that my father frequently talked about
Grace and his boy Billy. He said that Harry couldn't
wait to get home to us again. He was always looking
at the photographs he carried of his family. Robert
and my dad became great friends. Robert frequently
did things for my dad like carrying Harry's pack or
rifle. My dad was an "older" troop at age 34, while
Robert was age 18, and Harry greatly appreciated Bob's
assistance in carrying his heavy pack and rifle over
the rough terrain in the jungle heat. Harry was quite
good at giving his Army friends haircuts, a skill that
he learned on the Hoy farm while cutting the hair of
his father and brothers. Robert got many haircuts
from Harry. They developed a very strong bond and
Robert told me that, even today (2006), he frequently
thinks about Harry.
Robert always wanted to come to meet me but it was
very difficult for him to talk about his WWII
experiences. During his visit, Robert told me the
following information and gave me a handwritten letter
for me to keep, including four pages of maps of the 3d
Field Hospital area, which detailed the events that
led to my father's death.
Robert said that they left Camp Lee, Virginia and
traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana. There they
boarded a ship that took them to Cuba, then through
the Panama Canal and eventually, they arrived in New
Guinea. They served in New Guinea for awhile and then
they left for the Philippine Islands. They arrived in
Leyte and shortly shipped out for Luzon.
My handwritten notes, that I took from Robert
Bromley's words on 31 OCT 1982, read as follows:
(1)
23 DEC 1943 left for Indiantown Gap,
Pennsylvania for one week.
(2) Train to Ft. Lee, Virginia for a 5 month basic
training period.
Harry got home from Basic Training for a few
weeks in APR and MAY of 1944.
(3) Took a Train to New Orleans during AUG 1944
(108 degrees F.)
(4) Ship for 35 days to Cuba, Panama
for U.S.O. Show, through Panama Canal (including salt
water showers). Arrived in New Guinea (Finch Haven,
New Guinea). Were in Finch Haven (English) for about
one month and worked in a warehouse.
(5) Another ship
for 10-30 days - Liberty Ship
(6) Then to Hollandia
(Dutch), New Guinea with
the
5th Field Hospital
(7)
Landed at Leyte with 1st Field Hospital
over CHRISTmas
1944
(8) Went to docks and got on LST #695 that took
them to San Narcisco and landed with Tank Corps.
(9)
Then to Zig Zag Pass, Luzon in about one week.
Harry was killed during a night attack by the Japs
at about 0350 hours on 23 FEB 1945.
The attack started about 2 hours before daybreak.
It was wonderful to meet Robert Bromley. We both shed
a lot of tears. It was very important emotionally for
both of us to meet and share that time together. I'm
very grateful that Robert decided to make that visit.
Robert left me his handwritten letter that detailed
the events of 23 FEB 1945. He asked me to wait, until
he left my home, to read the following letter.
The following quote, in his own words, is the complete
letter written by Robert Bromley and given to me on
31 OCT 1982.
"Battle of Zig Zag Pass, Subic Bay, Philippines
The night before Harry was killed, him and I were
talking. He thanked me for taking steady guard duty
every night as he was scared. He knew that we were
all in a bad spot and said he never sleeps at night.
He stays awake all night as he wants so bad to go home
and see his boy. He showed me the picture he always
had with him of you. The night before this when I was
on guard some Japs came a few feet from me behind a
bush. I had a machine gun but didn't fire as sparks
from gun fire at night could bring Jap mortar fire on
us all. I quit steady night guard the next day, and
said that I would take it only when my turn as I
figured if I was there every night they could get me
and if I took my turn I may not be there that night.
The next night they raided us; and your father
probably saved all our lives as he stopped them by
being awake and loosing his life so they didn't get
into the center of our area. We all knew better but
Sergeant White, (later to become a Lieutenant) didn't
know better, the infantry should have been around us
but White said we were OK so the infantry settled
behind us and we couldn't get any help from them. We
buried your father the next day, had a service by the
Chaplain and we fired over his grave.
He was buried in the Philippine Islands in an Army
casket. In a Army Cemetery with many others and the
grave marked, you can be sure they sent home the
correct casket. Stout was also hurt bad, Shippey lost
an eye and a few others had shrapnel in them from Jap
hand grenades. Your father got a hand grenade direct
in his stomach and a knife or bayonet, he was fighting
hand to hand with the first Jap and the rest of them
threw the grenade and ran off as the others in Harry's
tent fired away at them.
We had to get all new tents the next day as there were
so many holes from hand grenades. Your father had a
lot of pain he moaned for about 10 minutes the Army
Ambulance drove from the hospital to his tent with
headlights on and worked on him immediately but his
wounds were to bad. He was one good brave Friend I
will never forget, he cut my hair many times. He
should have had a medal or a Silver Star or whatever
but nobody got to it as there was to much other action
going on. I know that he saved all our lives as we
were asleep and there were about 50 Japs who were trying
to get into the center of our area so we couldn't fire
except at ourselves.
It was a sad thing and I always told myself someday I
would come and see Harry's son. I hope that this news
makes you feel better and not sadder as Harry would
have wanted me to stop and say hello. I'm sorry I
didn't do this sooner but (I) never had the nerve to
tell anyone what really happened."
(Written by Bob Bromley, 31 OCT 1982)
Later on that fateful day, 23 FEB 1945, about 1500
miles to the North East the American Flag was raised
on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan.
Lt. Col. Irwin C. Schumacher, MC, MD, 3d Field
Hospital Commanding Officer, personally wrote a War
Journal, in his own hand, about the history of the 3d
Field Hospital. It contains the following information
that is integral to this document. His journal is
preserved at the National Archives, Modern Military
Records, College Park, Maryland. The Quartermaster
Museum at Ft. Lee, Virginia stores the overall history
of the Laundry Operations in both the European and the
Pacific Theaters. One should know that the 191st
Laundry Platoon was specifically trained to be a
laundry attached to a Combat Support Hospital. It was
a very critical part of the hospital's function. The
191st met up with the 3d Field Hospital in Luzon.
The following excerpts are just a small fraction of
the notes that Lt. Col. Schumacher
compiled in his
diary. He wrote:
" 21 JAN 1945 / I should say
that on our arrival at
Leyte we received 3 months mail
(secret and regular). This mail had been addressed to
us at APO 72 and was never forwarded to us at APO 713.
Much delay in correspondence resulted.
29 JAN /
Arrived Luzon.
30 JAN / (arrived) San Narcisco.
31
JAN / Last load of our equipment now on L.C.T. 68
standing off beach. Will unload tomorrow.
1 FEB /Ten truck loads from LCT 68 to our staging area.
3
FEB / Made reconnaissance of site above Olongopo
with
Lt. Col. Miller.
4 FEB / New area is outside Division
perimeter.
We were advised by Lt. Col. Hurst, Division
Headquarters Commandant that we would all have to set
up a (defensive) perimeter.
5 FEB / Finished
pyramidal tents; 35 for men;
9 for officers, set up
one toilet (8 holes)
for enlisted men. 191st QM
Laundry Platoon
(28 enlisted men as of 1200 hrs.)
6
FEB / Laundry Platoon arrived and set up on river bank
of Mabayowan River. Our hospital is located near
Subic, Philippine Islands. It covers about 25 acres
and lies at the foot of the nose of Salimpoyo Ridge,
in a rice paddy. Water is obtained from the river
after filtration and chlorination by a 3 man crew from
the engineers. Continued perimeter defense. Japs
dynamited water pipe from dam to Olongopo at about
1500 yards above our camp. Men very steady-no firing
but firing all around us.
9 FEB / Lt. Ward is
Security Officer and posts
perimeter guards.
11 FEB /Field Hospital bed status reported as 500 beds.
12
FEB / Last night 4 Cub artillery spotting planes
parked in the field 1000 yards below us were sabotaged
and burned. Our perimeter was quiet.
13 FEB / Last
night there was much small arms and
machine gun firing
all around us by both regulars and guerrillas. A
number of shots were fired through
our ward and
pyramidal tents.
Japs tried to get at artillery
planes again.
14 FEB / Bed status reported as 550;
occupied 498.
The Battle of Zig Zag Pass is over and
the road to Dinalupihan is presently open. At about
0200 this AM Japs infiltrated into our area in the
vicinity of supply and the motor pool. They set off
dynamite and picric acid bombs both under a truck and
near the supply tent. There were at least 5 Japs
involved. I notified Col. Patterson, XI Corps. He
said he would get us some protection.
22 FEB / Beds
occupied 394.
Quiet last three nights. Today we were
directed by Col. Patterson to clear the hospital
within the next two days and to break station
simultaneously to prepare for another mission.
23 FEB
1945 / A small band of Japs infiltrated area
of 191 QM
Laundry Platoon at 0350 using hand grenades and
demolition bombs. They caused only slight damage to
the installation but wounded five men as follows:
PFC
Hoy; died from injuries to chest.
Tech 5 Shippey, PFC
Stout, PFC Guiseppi and
PFC Marcum were admitted to
our hospital for treatment."
(Written by Lt. Col Irwin C. Schumacher)
Harry Schrader Hoy was the only man Killed In Action
(KIA) serving with the 3d Field Hospital in its entire
history in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
My mother and I received a visit by a Chaplain and
some other Military Officers on 28 MAR 1945 to tell us
about my father's death. I'll never forget the
agonizing emotions that poured from all of us on that
afternoon. We received the death confirmation
telegram from the War Dept. on 15 APR 1945.
Later, I
received four $100 bonds and
one $25 bond from the men
that served with my father from the
191st QM Laundry
Platoon and the 3d Field Hospital.
On 15 SEP 1948 my mother had my father disinterred in
Luzon and returned to our family cemetery in
Orwigsburg, PA . We had a Military Honor Service at
the Red Church Cemetery for my father on 16 OCT 1948.
Harry now rests peacefully alongside of his wife
Grace, his daughter Georgine, and Herb & Charlotte
Litwhiler (Grace's parents). May they all "Rest In Peace!
Following the death of my father, my mother and I
moved on with our lives. In 1949 she met a wonderful
man, John "Jack" Charles, and after two years, they
decided to get married. I was really looking forward
to having Jack in my life as a father figure and his two children, Jack and
Rhoda, as my step-brother and sister.
Two months before they were to get married
(Grace and Jack
planned to get married in Aug 1951),
and one week
after my mother received my father's Purple Heart, my
mother died suddenly from a cerebral accident on 3 JUN
1951, when I was eight years old. This tragedy
horribly impacted a lot of people that loved my mom
and our family. It was very very difficult for me!
I
had lost my parents when they were both age 34 years.
I lived with my mother's father, "Herb" Litwhiler, for
about 3 years until Herb died when I was age 12. He
was a wonderful man and we loved each other very much.
When Grandfather Litwhiler died, I went to live at
414 North Warren St., Orwigsburg, PA with my father's
parents, Stella and Jay Hoy, and my father's brother,
Clair Daniel Hoy and sister, Florence Elizabeth Hoy.
Thankfully the love bond for me was strong there too.
Florence became my mother figure and Clair became my
father figure, for the rest of their lives.
I thank GOD for them
and for all of my other extended family members.
In 1960 I graduated from Blue Mt. High School,
Orwigsburg. I attended Muhlenberg College, Allentown,
PA. In 1962 I transferred to East Stroudsburg
University and graduated from there in 1965. It was
at ESU that I met Pamela Ann Hoot. On 18 MAR 1967 I
married my sweetheart, Pam, and in 1968 we moved to
our home in Stroudsburg, PA. We both
are now retired elementary school teachers.
Our marriage has produced two wonderful children
(Harry & Grace's grandchildren).
William Clair Hoy was born on 30 APR 1974
and Daniel Wesley Hoy was born
on 14 MAR 1977. Bill is married to Dr. Caroline
DiPipi Hoy. He is a Technology Integration Specialist
in the
Bethlehem Area School District. Caroline is a
Professor at East Stroudsburg University. They have
two wonderful children. William "Will" John Hoy was
born on 24 OCT 2004 and Emma Grace Hoy was born
on 17 May 2006. Daniel lives in Manhattan, NYC and is a
professional opera singer. He is employed by the New
York City Metropolitan Opera.
In spite of the early deaths of Harry Schrader Hoy and
Evelyn Grace Hoy life does move on and their progeny
love them, respect them and miss them. I have written
this document as a tribute to the life of Harry
Schrader Hoy, "An AMERICAN HERO"!
William Clare Hoy
November 2006
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the following men
who have helped me to compile this brief history of an
"AMERICAN HERO / Harry Schrader Hoy".
They are: Robert Bromley, who served with my father
and shared his Army memories about my father with me.
He owns and operates Bromley Motorcycle, 635 Somers
Ave., Trevose, PA 19053. Robert is currently (2007)
active in his business every day and still rides his motorcycle.
Clifford Hoy, my father's brother, who told me his
memories about my father's life on the Hoy Farm.
A very special thank you goes to Edward Russell who
did a great deal of research about my father during
the past year. Edward visited my father's grave and
the Orwigsburg area, in order to gather information
about Harry. He also traveled to military archives
throughout the country to research additional
information. When Edward found out that Harry had a
son, he took the time and effort to find me.
On 27
SEP 2006 my wife and I met Edward
and we developed an
immediate friendship.
He shared with me some of the
information that I have provided in this letter.
Edward's gleaning of the Diary of the 3d Field
Hospital, by Lt. Col. Schumacher, has greatly helped
me to gain a perspective of the events of 23 FEB 1945
and a history of the 3d Field Hospital in the Pacific Theater.
Edward served (APR 1968 - May 1969) with the U.S. Army
during the Vietnam War. He was a Chaplain Assistant
and bodyguard to Captain James J. Corrigan and later
Major Luke F. Sullivan and was assigned to the
3d
Field Hospital in Saigon.
I'll close this tribute to my father with three
quotes. The first quote is by the Father of Our
Country, George Washington. He said,
"The
Quartermaster Corps is the department on which
all of
the operations of an army essentially depend."
The second quote is by Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.
He said, "The battle is fought and decided by the
Quartermasters before shooting begins."
The third one is from an anonymous source. This
statement is very profound and it sums up this tribute
very well. "Only two defining forces have ever
offered to die for you. One is JESUS CHRIST and the
other is the AMERICAN G.I. One died for your soul and
the other died for your freedom!"
May GOD bless the readers of this information and all
of the men and women who have served and are presently
serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
William Clare Hoy
785 Bryant Street
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania 18360
bluemt1960@yahoo.com
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