My father was Sgt. Fred Ivan Thomas and was with the U.S. Army 5th Army, 339th Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, 2nd Battalion, Company F.

He fought in Tremensouli, Italy, at the beginning of “Operation Diadem, “The Big Push.” I have been told that on May 11, 1944 they were moving toward the battle of Mount Cassino. It was told to me that he was leading a patrol in the early operation and got trapped in a minefield and was killed on May 12, 1944. He is buried with his fallen buddies at Florence American Cemetery, Florence Italy.

My mother mentioned very little information regarding his service. The picture shows my mom, Erma Lucille and Dad together while he was home on leave and before he shipped out. There were some stories, albeit brief regarding his basic training, location, his buddies, his seeing me, his shipping over, his time in North Africa, and then the involvement moving up the boot of Italy, until his death. I am told that my father saw me once while on leave sometime in October or early November just before he shipped over on December 24, 1943. I was 8 months old when my father was KIA during WWII in Italy.

It was very rare that my Dad was ever discussed, and I regret every day of my life that I didn’t ask my Mother more, before she died. My Dad is shown on the right in this picture with his buddy, William Lambert on the left. They met in basic training in Hattiesberg, Mississippi and served together form then on until Dad was killed. William was in proximity to my Dad being killed. William married my Mother two years later after the war ended.

Sadly, they did not have any pictures taken Dad and I. The last picture shows me with my Uncle Leland Thomas, my father’s youngest brother and was taken at my Grandparents Thomas farm in 1944 or 1945. You can see my grandmother’s Gold Star banner in the window.

I had years of exploration in many venues and came to a resolution (to some degree) when in 2006 my youngest daughter gifted me a trip to Italy. I went to visit his grave in Florence, Italy, where he is buried at Florence American Cemetery. I came to know that the word “closure” is vastly overrated and over used. Resolution is the best I can come up with.

There is a group of us called AWON, American W.W.II Orphans Network for those of us that lost our Fathers. There were approximately 183,000 of us by the end of WWII. My involvement and connection with AWON members has helped me enormously. The reason is because I found I was not alone with these feelings of being an “orphan”. There were and are others who know how I feel.
~ Evelyn Kay Thomas

Special thanks to Evelyn for sharing her story with Comes A Soldier’s Whisper where we are all connected.

FOLLOW US:
www.facebook.com/ComesASoldiersWhisper
www.instagram.com/soldierswhisper24/
twitter.com/SoldiersWhisper
www.JennyLasala.com