WORLD WAR II VETERANS CONCORDIA PARISH LOUISIANA
ARMY Cleveland Payne
EUROPE 3rd ARMY
514th Quartermaster Service Company Platoon Sergeant Truck Unit
Awards: Good Conduct Medal
European Theater of Operations Ribbon
I was born in Mississippi in 1922. Ferriday has been my home since 1931. I entered the service April 17, 1943 at Camp Beauregard near Alexandria, Louisiana. My basic training was at Fort Meade, Maryland and at Roanoke, Virginia. My trip to England began at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. We were based at Liverpool.
We were a service unit for General Patton’s Third Army. We were a few days behind the D-Day Invasion, and with the forces only five miles inland, we waited in the Channel two days before we went ashore. My Platoon had eight 2 ½ ton trucks, known as 6 by 6s. Our main job was to move Infantry Men to the front lines. This continued as General Patton moved across France and Germany. As we got close to Berlin, we had another assignment.
The Russians were also advancing on Berlin. The German soldiers did not want to be captured by the Russians. Some actually ran to the US forces to surrender. Our new job was to haul prisoners of war to the west. I left the military service at Camp Shelby, Mississippi December 20, 1945.
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