Denise Slattery, P.E., CFM, CPM
Former caregiver to my mom, Patricia Slattery (1943-2018)

Her eyes were wide open. She looked scared, lost and confused. This was my mother, in the summer of 2018. I had put her to bed (it was about 9 p.m. or so), but she had woken up a little bit later, adamant about going home to be with her kids.
She stopped recognizing me as her daughter some months before. She was getting agitated and my frustration was definitely not helping. We had gotten into an argument, and she started walking away from the house, along the curb. I tried following her, but she yelled at me to stay back. While we were passing a neighbor’s house, he recognized my mom and had called 911. A fire truck had come, with only the lights on (the siren was too loud and it very well could have scared my mom even more).
They started talking to mom in a gentle caring voice. I brought my car near to where mom was sitting on the step of the fire truck, and the firemen helped her get into the passenger seat. I was standing some distance away with the neighbor, hesitant and scared of my mom’s reaction to me. Would she recognize me? Would she still be angry?
After a bit, the fireman ‘introduced’ me to her as her daughter and motioned for me to come forward. Walking towards her, with the sun going down, I could just barely see her eyes and they reflected her emotions then: scared, lost and confused. When I came closer to her, and said Hello Mom in a gentle voice, she recognized me and hugged me. She was not agitated and felt so happy to see me.
This is just one of many stories I could tell you about giving care to my mom who had dementia for about 4 years, before she died from its complications in late November of 2018, just five days shy of her 75th birthday. Giving care to a loved one who has dementia is not an easy road at all; it can deplete you of all that is you. You are no longer his or her spouse, child, sibling or friend; you are a caregiver. If you are just starting down this road, or you may suspect your loved one has dementia, here are few do’s and don’ts to follow:
Don’ts:
*Don’t stand over the person in dominance. Instead, talk at their eye level.
*Don’t raise your voice. Keep your voice gentle and calm.
*Don’t correct, disagree or argue. Try not to think logical as you would normally. Their world is no longer the one we see but the world they see. Try to ‘enter’ that world and be with them.
*Don’t invade their space, but don’t be afraid of touching. A gentle touch on their hand can be reassuring.
*If you offer to stay with the person who has dementia in order for their caregiver to have some time for themselves or for them to run a few errands, please adhere to this. Don’t say that you would love to help, but then rescind your offer when they ask you because you have an errand to run or an appointment to keep. If you say you want to help, please mean it.
Do’s:
*Do establish a routine. The more you can set a routine throughout the day-to-day activities, the more you both will know what to expect, and the smoother your days will run. This helps provide stability for your loved one and doesn’t add to their confusion. This also includes upending their lives, by moving them from their home into yours. If this something that has to be done, please understand that your loved one will be angry or upset for some time; you are creating chaos in their world and because they can’t tell you how they feel, they react by being angry or agitated.
*Be patient, kind and flexible. Caring for someone with dementia is like riding a wave; go with it. Meet them where they are mentally and emotionally at any given moment. It will change constantly, and it is best to expect nothing else. And try to always remember: your loved one is still your loved one; it’s the dementia that is causing them to act this way.
*Allow as much independence for your loved one as long as possible. For instance, if they want to wear sweaters in June, then let them. Allow the person to keep as much control in their lives as possible.
*Try to spend some time for yourself. Take breaks, call a friend, or go for a walk if you can. Find a caregiver support group meeting by calling the national Alzheimer’s Association number at 1-800-272-3900 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
*Encourage a two-way conversation for as long as possible. If the conversation dies, then engage the person in an activity such as coloring or perhaps looking through a photo album.
People tend to often see only the memory impairment of someone who has dementia, but that is not the only symptom. There are many more: the person finds it difficult to make decisions or solve problems, they put things in unusual places such as the iron in the fridge or socks in the pantry, they can’t complete everyday tasks we usually take for granted: putting clothes on the correct order or how to prepare a meal, they can’t think of words to say and cannot follow a conversation so they become more withdrawn. In the later stages of dementia, the person may become incontinent, their eating patterns will be affected and they may not recognize you anymore or know your name.
As a caregiver you want to give your loved one the best care possible, and part of giving this care is getting to know more about this disease and its symptoms in all stages. Always remind yourself that your loved one is not being difficult; they have lost the ability to tell you how they are feeling, so they act out. By trying to figure out what it is they are trying to tell you can help resolve the problem quickly and helps keep your loved one calm. There are many websites to learn from and books to read from, but, in my experience, the best resource is The Alzheimer’s Association. Find your local chapter by calling 1-800-272-3900 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week, and look into what resources they have that might help you and your loved one.

Former Governors Share Experience, Wisdom During Fireside Chat

Story and photo by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh, age 96, recalled listening to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous fireside chats as a child.
Nigh and former Gov. Brad Henry both got to participate in their own “fireside chat” before an audience recently at the Masonic Temple in Guthrie. The event was a fundraiser for the Oklahoma Territorial Museum which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023.
Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state. Additionally, short term vacancies in the governor’s office twice resulted in Nigh assuming gubernatorial duties while serving as lieutenant governor.
In 1950, at age 23 Nigh became the youngest member of the state legislature when elected to the House of Representatives from Pittsburg County. In 1953 he introduced the bill that made “Oklahoma!” the official state song.
“As a kid in school, I listened every week to Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chat before hardly anybody in this room was born,” Nigh told audience members which included students from Guthrie Junior High, and hardly ever did he attack somebody personally, hardly ever did he call (someone) a dirty word or anything, but he talked about how things were. He basically brought the country through the Depression. Then he brought the country through World War II, and he died shortly before Japan surrendered in 1945. He was not the dictator, he was not the emperor, he was not the king. He was the president. He was an executive. And he led personally and motivated this country.”
Henry, who was the last Democratic governor of Oklahoma, said Nigh was a mentor to him.
“I want to say that he is literally and figuratively my mentor,” Henry said. “When I was a sophomore in college, he allowed me to intern in his office. But it was not your typical intern experience. One of my jobs was every morning to get there a little early, go through the main newspapers and cut out any article that related to the governor or the Legislature, legislation pending legislation, things of interest to the governor’s office. I would copy them all and make it packageable. George would come in and sit down with me while I was reading the paper, and would just visit with me about the day’s news or whatever was on his mind. As you can imagine. It was just absolutely fascinating.”
Henry said Nigh served as a role model for him deciding to run for public office.
“I just had to recognize my friend and mentor George, because he’s a big part of my quest and my decision making and my drive to serve people,” Henry said. “I love the way he puts it. I absolutely agree with him. It’s not about politics, it’s not about being a politician, in my view, it’s about public service.”
Henry said he comes from a public service family.
“I grew up in a family of public servants and I wanted to serve the public,” he said. “My mother was a school teacher. My aunt and grandparents were school teachers. My father was a state representative and a county judge. My uncle was a county judge. My cousin Robert Henry, who you all probably know was state representative then later Attorney General and on and on. I just always wanted to serve.”
Henry initially tried to recruit other Democrats to run for governor, but was persuaded to give it a try.
“The bottom line is I looked back to the service of George Nigh and Henry Bellmon,” he said. “It wasn’t just a Democrat or Republican thing; it was a servant thing. I met Henry Bellmon when I was working for George and became very close and good friends with Henry. I think George and I and Henry are two of the greatest governors that this state has seen. Those two individuals really inspired me to take that risk, take that step.”
Henry told the audience that you sometimes have to take risks for something you believe in.
“I think it’s important to be willing to take a risk to put yourself out there, to be willing to fail,” he said. “Because if you’re not willing to fail, if you’re not willing to make a mistake, you’re never going to make it be successful. And that’s what it boils down to me.”
Nigh said he knew at an early age he wanted to become governor.
“When I was in the ninth grade, I took a vocations class at McAlester,” he said. “You wrote down what you wanted to be when you grew up, this was before Pearl Harbor in 1941. I wrote down that I wanted to be governor, and then you discussed that for the semester.”
Nigh has given commencement speeches across the state and around the country hoping to motivate young people to go into public service during their lifetime.
“I’ve made hundreds of commencement speeches, and what I want to tell these students is you cannot be drafted to be a legislator or governor or President,” he said. “You have to offer yourself. Be involved in serving the people. Yeah, be a politician. Take out an ad, shake hands, kiss a few babies, make a speech, but then be a public servant. And that’s why all 77 counties are important to Oklahoma, not just the one you come from. I want to encourage everyone to get involved.”

John Kilman: 100 years old. John Kilman of Oklahoma City will be 100 on October 11th. Family and friends gathered this weekend to celebrate. John served in the US Army during WWII. He had a career as a typesetter, retiring in 1986. Looking back on John’s 100 years of living, there have been many memorable changes in technology, automobiles, computers and telephones.

Terry Underwood: 100 years old. Terry Underwood volunteered for St. Francis Hospital for 53 years and 32 years for the Red Cross. Words of wisdom for us today: Don’t Ever Give Up; Keep Saying You Can Do It; Be Nice to All Even if They Aren’t; Count Your Blessings; and Be Grateful for What you Have.

Paul Max Dudley: 100 years old. WWI Army Air Corps Veteran, Paul Max Dudley of Bixby retired as Deputy Fire Chief after being with the Tulsa Fire Department for 40 years. Words of wisdom: “Be respectful to others, be humble, be thankful for the opportunities you have, listen and learn!”

Marjorie Anglen: 100 years old. Marjorie Anglen of Broken Arrow had a career as a Drill Press Operator for McDonald Douglas, was an Eastern Star, loved to travel and still loves anything sweet!

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit https://centenariansok.com and download and submit our form.

The Metropolitan Library System is proud to offer the Library By Mail program to help Oklahoma County residents 65 years or older who are homebound get access to library materials.
The Library by Mail program provides materials (like books, CDs, DVDs, and more) by USPS at no cost to library customers who are homebound or are otherwise physically unable to visit one of our 19 library locations. Recipients can simply request materials through the catalog or by phone, and Metro Library will mail them. When the guest is ready to return the materials, they’ll put them back in the bag they received them in, and send them back to the library with no postage required.
Library by Mail also offers monthly newsletters with suggested titles from the Library by Mail collection.
Now, with the integration of Metropolitan Library System’s upgraded catalog (starting Nov. 1), customers will be able to select “Library by Mail” as their pickup location to have their material(s) mailed to them.
To access this service, guests can visit metrolibrary.org/LBM and log in with their library card number and last name.
Interested recipients who are 65 years or older and reside in Oklahoma County can call 405-606-3295 or 405-606-3297 or email askalibrary@metrolibrary.org to consult with a staff member to determine eligibility.
About Metropolitan Library System: The Metropolitan Library System provides library services for more than 800,000 residents of Oklahoma County with 19 physical locations as well as 24/7 access to our digital resources at metrolibrary.org.

By Nick Thomas

In her new book, “Connecticut in the Movies” released in October, actress Illeana Douglas explores Hollywood’s long love affair with the Constitution State.
“The book features movies from the silent era to modern films that were either shot in Connecticut or featured the state in some way in the storyline or production,” Douglas told me when we met at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, this past summer.
“On the one hand, you’ve got country-living comedies like ‘Christmas in Connecticut’ (1945) and ‘Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House’ (1948),” explained Douglas. In the latter, a New York businessman (Cary Grant) builds his dream home in rural Connecticut, but the remodeling goes horribly wrong in a costly yet hilarious way.
The book’s subtitle, “From Dream House to Dark Suburbia,” alludes to the other more edgy themes and darker storylines in the collection.
“Films like ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ (1947) and ‘The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit’ (1956) have dark suburbia at their core,” said Douglas, referring to movies that deal with anti-semitism and disillusionment in the postwar generation, respectively. But it was back in the 80s after viewing “The Swimmer,” a 1968 film set in Connecticut, that she first developed an interest in films connected to the state.
“Connecticut cinema began to percolate in my head and when COVID hit, I had time to sit down and focus on more Connecticut films,” she said. “I simply fell in love with my subject.”
So much so, Douglas uprooted herself from Los Angeles and moved to Connecticut, near where she grew up in Old Saybrook. This allowed her to not only travel the state while researching and photographing its Hollywood links, but to also purchase a 19th-century house near her childhood home where she completed the book.
But complications of ironic proportions soon arose, linked to the “Mr. Blandings” film. Like Grant’s character in the movie, who relocates from the bustling city to rural Connecticut and purchases an old home that becomes a money pit, Douglas discovered her new home was desperately in need of major repairs – far more than she anticipated. Plumbers, electricians, and builders became her constant companions for the past 2 years!
An actress in her own right appearing in such big-screen hits as “Goodfellas” and “Cape Fear,” Douglas is also a producer, director, and writer, and has appeared as a movie host and interviewer on the Turner Classic Movies network (see www.illeanadouglas.com). However, her personal ties to Connecticut uniquely qualify her as the ideal author to discuss the Hollywood-Connecticut link.
A thoroughly researched book with over 300 photos, Douglas is hoping it will not only appeal to residents of the Nutmeg State and film fans, but will also inspire filmmakers.
“I’ve demonstrated the diversity of films that have been made in Connecticut,” she says. “I hope the book is a blueprint of a renaissance of filmmakers returning to Connecticut.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama and spent this past summer traveling throughout Connecticut and Maine. He writes features, columns, and interviews for newspapers and magazines around the country. See https://www.getnickt.org/.

by Greg Schwem

I recently received a concise text message that, depending on your affection for canines, was adorable or unbelievable:
“Sorry, I can’t meet tonight. I have a swim class…for my dog. She is spoiled.”
“She” and her owner are exactly the types of travelers Harvest Hosts CEO Joel Holland has on his radar.
Holland, 38, purchased the 13-year-old travel membership network from its original owners in 2018. Aimed at “self-contained” travelers (aka campers and RV-ers,) Harvest Hosts partners with thousands of farms, wineries, breweries and other unique destinations only too happy to host camping vehicles ranging from your basic fifth-wheel to your tricked out Airstream, for a night. Occupants, and their pets, pay no camping fees; instead they are sort of on the honor system to purchase products — perhaps a wine club membership or a bottle of homemade bourbon — their gracious hosts are selling.
“We recommend a $30 purchase. But it’s not a requirement,” Holland said. People are very generous and tend to spend $50. That turns into $50 million that goes back into these small businesses.”
Harvest Hosts takes none of those profits; participating properties pay a fee to join the program and get listed on its site.
So what about those guests who just can’t leave their beloved pooches at home? Harvest Hosts recently found 52% of travelers base their routes, and destinations, on pet-friendly camping locations. If that location contains a body of water for dogs to show off their swimming skills, all the better. Holland estimates a quarter million Harvest Hosts travelers, mostly over 55 and empty nesters who consider a dog their “new kid,” take their pets along for adventures.
“We learned early on that we needed to have a filter that said ‘pet friendly,’” Holland said. “In the process of recruiting hosts, one of the things we angled for were pet friendly locations.”
Swilled Dog, a distillery of bourbon and cider in Upper Tract, West Virginia, has proven to be the perfect Harvest Hosts partner. Currently slammed with campers taking advantage of fall colors that complement their day hikes to Spruce Knob, Seneca Rocks and Smoke Hole Canyon, the property hosts up to four RVs per night.
Once parked, dogs have free reign.
“ Dogs are allowed to relax alongside their owners in both our cider tasting room and whiskey room or even play a game of cornhole outside,” said Lauren Hagman, Swilled Dog’s operations manager.
Upon hearing this, I texted my friend and asked if her dog was currently enrolled in cornhole lessons. I have yet to hear back.
Most guests abide by the aforementioned honor system, purchasing bourbon or cider for family and friends, Hagman said. The distillery also donates a portion of its profits to various dog rescue and adoption programs.
Holland, a seasoned traveler who believes “there is something fun to do in every state,” is only too happy to share his unique adventures, which include getting a massage from an 84-year-old nun, a proprietor of Heartland Farm, an Alpaca ranch in Pawnee Rock, Kansas. Although not listed on the property’s website, massages are a legitimately offered service.
“I learned it’s OK to be naked in front of nuns in the right context,” he chuckled.
With post-pandemic travel restrictions easing, Harvest Hosts business is booming as travelers opt for wide open spaces so they, and their pets, can roam freely. Holland says he’ll continue running the business, and seeking new dog-loving sites, “as long as it’s fun.”
What could be more fun for a dog than to belly up to a bar and join their owner in a glass of locally produced wine?
Particularly if the dog has completed Wine Appreciation school.

(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at https://www.amazon.com/. Visit Greg on the web at https://www.gregschwem.com/.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at https://www.gregschwem.com/)

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

The Santa Market Craft Show, December 1-2, in the Pavilion Building at the OKC Fairgrounds, is Oklahoma City’s premiere free, two-day showcase for one-of-a-kind, Christmas-themed creations benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma.
As one of Oklahoma’s most extensive free-admission, nonprofit arts and crafts shows, the 192 carefully chosen, creative vendors will sell their products during the 14th annual festive shopping experience. The show offers free parking, a silent auction, and more. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Handcrafted items are available for all of the shoppers’ seasonal gift needs at an event that raised $44,000 last year for Alzheimer’s work.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their children to get free photos taken all day with Santa at Oklahoma City’s most prestigious Christmas market each year.
“We work on this show all year,” organizer Molly Nye said. “It is a true labor of love and helps all of us by doing something positive to combat Alzheimer’s. If anyone would like to be involved by volunteering, donating an item or service for the auction, or an item for the Alzheimer’s booth, please contact Joan Clarke at 405-314-1033. Be sure to get your free picture with Santa, Del Humphreys and visit with the lovely Mrs. Claus, Linda Turner. I also have it on good authority that The Grinch himself will be there this year.”
Shoppers are treated to home decor, homemade arts and crafts, boutique and holiday items, jewelry, children’s clothes, books and food goodies. The first 1,000 visitors receive free shopping bags sponsored by local businesses.
Joan Clarke, Molly Nye and Megan Nye began the event in 2010, after Joan’s husband died of Alzheimer’s in 2007, to support the charity addressing one of America’s most challenging diseases.
“Molly and I had been selling items at craft shows for years, and we decided to start our own event. We booked a small room in a hotel and started with 17 vendors,” Clarke said. “By the time our third year began, we realized how much work putting on a quality show involves, so we decided to make it a fundraiser. Molly immediately suggested Alzheimer’s since Joan lost her husband and Megan lost her father to the terrible disease.”
All funds raised through The Santa Market further the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
“Our excellent vendors make this show what it is each year. We are one big family; everyone helps promote the show, advertise, and find new vendors. They donate to our cause, monetarily and with their products, even though it’s voluntary,” Clarke said. “They help with set up, clean up and everything in between. We have three vendors that have been with us all 14 years. Countless more have been with us for 5, 8, or even 10 years. One vendor named it ‘The Greatest Show on Earth,’ and it truly is.”
The organizers limit the number of crafters assigned spaces. Clarke says It is not about turning away new vendors but only allowing a limited number of each type of vendor. They wish they could take everyone, but having a variety makes for a better shopping experience, and the vendors have a much better chance of success.
Clarke says some vendors see the event as an opportunity to make sure their favorite charity receives as much as possible from their craft world and them personally. By writing personal checks to the Alzheimer’s Association when The Santa Market rolls around, these vendors do their part to help. They also donate products and gift certificates to the Alzheimer’s auction and the Alzheimer’s booth.
The Santa Market promoted the show at the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s that occurred on October 28 in downtown OKC. This year, the event saw 1,431 people walk in 290 teams at Scissortail Park to help raise awareness and funds for care, support and research. The event exceeded its $625,000 in donations goal.
Clarke and her family have walked every year since 2003.
National presenting sponsor Edward Jones helps to make the walks the world’s largest event to fight Alzheimer’s. The Santa Market was one of three Impact Sponsors this year and fielded a team for the walk.
This year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved LEQEMBI, a prescription medicine treatment for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. This newly approved drug in the US targets amyloid proteins and reduces existing amyloid brain plaque.
In a large, 18-month study, treatment with LEQEMBI was proven to slow the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease. It helped people remember, solve problems, and complete daily activities for longer.
The organizers say the successful 13 years of The Santa Market Craft Show could only be done with the help of quality vendors, loyal customers, volunteers, sponsors, and donors. They call it The Santa Market Family and hope everyone will attend to make it a success again this year. This year, Steve Eldridge, Senior News & Living and Oklahoma Nursing Times publisher, is a Diamond Sponsor. For more info, see: www.thesantamarket.org.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

Born on a cotton farm near Bessie, Oklahoma, Ivan Evans Jr. married his Dill High School sweetheart Erma J. Sallee and was drafted right after graduation to become a decorated infantryman in the U.S. Army during the last year of WWII in Europe.
After only 16 weeks of U.S. Army basic training in Texas, he sailed as a replacement soldier to rainy, fierce fighting in early November in the rugged forested terrain of the French Vosges Mountains. The mountains served as a seemingly impregnable fortress for German troops determined to hold the last barrier between the Allies and the Rhine.
Trained quickly to be a replacement soldier in the infantry because seven out of ten infantry soldiers suffered casualties in WWII, Evans became a light machine gunner.
Evans, now 98 and a 23-year resident of Spanish Cove Retirement Center in Yukon, saw more action in his almost year on the front lines in Europe than many in the whole war. He is proud that his fellow Spanish Cove residents celebrate and honor American veterans for “their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.”
He paid careful attention in his abbreviated training, earning a Bronze Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart as his proud 100th Infantry Division conquered more enemy territory with fewer casualties than any other division in the war.
“About my Purple Heart, a German did that—nothing I could do about it,” Evans said in a recent interview about the fierce fighting taking the Maginot Line.
The only time Evans was not at his light machine gun on the front lines attacking was the seven weeks in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit and recovery from being shot in the arm.
He explains his complete recovery was based on luck as he was moving through triage waiting for surgery when it was the only neurosurgeon on duty’s turn. So, Evans received the most skilled surgery available to repair the damaged nerves in his arm and ensure he was pain-free and capable for the rest of his life.
His full recovery meant soon he was back in the line, earning more respect from his fellow soldiers in his platoon.
Evans has now seen 77 Veterans Days honoring his patriotism and service. He is still quick to tell people his survival on fire-swept terrain in WWII was based on mere seconds and inches. He escaped death several times in the world’s largest and most violent armed conflict. Sixteen million American men and women served in uniform during the war. More than 400,000 lost their lives.
His 31-lb Browning 30 caliber light machine gun was a “crew-served weapon.” Evans was the gunner serving with an assistant gunner who carried the tripod and loaded the weapon and two ammo carriers.
Evans spoke about how the 45 caliber M1911 Colt semi-automatic pistol he was issued as a light machine gunner was not enough protection when the fighting got in close. He received permission to carry a M1 carbine rifle.
“My Bronze Star medal was my act of bravery, disarming a German and capturing him in hand-to-hand combat when he attacked me in a bayonet charge while I was in my foxhole,” Evans said. “In the middle of a pitched battle and heavy shelling, I recognized the form of a German soldier appear before me and reached back to grab my carbine lying behind me. So when he thrust his rifle with bayonet affixed at the center of my body, I was turned reaching back, and he just missed me by sliding his weapon across my chest.
I stopped reaching for my carbine and grabbed his rifle before he could pull it back to stab at me again. The force of his forward motion gave me just enough leverage to catch him off balance and turn him as I struck a blow that stripped him of his rifle. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, I got control and captured him as my friend in our foxhole did the same to another German. We were both awarded Bronze Star medals for gallantry in capturing these two enemy soldiers.”
Evans returned to wait for the next attack after marching them to the rear to turn in as prisoners. He fought across France and into Germany as part of the 398 Infantry Regiment to the war’s end.
Deep into one of the coldest winters in recent European history, it was often a severe struggle to dig foxholes with smallish entrenching tools through snow and a foot of frozen ground before reaching softer earth.
Evans says once he narrowly escaped death by leaving his foxhole.
“The heavy shelling had just stopped, and the guy in the foxhole with me said the cooks promised to bring up a hot meal,” Evans said. “The guy said I’m going to go get that meal. I said I’m not because the Germans will likely begin shelling again soon. I’m going to stay right here and eat my K ration.”
So the soldier got up and left.
“I don’t remember what made me decide to leave that foxhole after he left,” Evans said. “Soon, I was walking about 75 yards back to get behind our fortified area of the line when I heard a big explosion behind me. I realized it was close to my foxhole, so I ran back, only to find our foxhole was a big shell crater. I had to be reissued all my gear and a new machine gun.”
“And that’s how God took care of me because I wasn’t planning to get out of that foxhole,” Evans said. “I was going to stay there and eat my K ration. God and a promise of a hot meal saved us that day.”
Evans humbly says his performance was typical in the well-disciplined, effective fighting force of the 100th Division taking the battle to the enemy. He said he was proud when it was life and death and surviving as a unit; they all pulled together.
The chaotic fighting to take the strongly fortified Forts Freudenberg. and Schiesseck of the Maginot Line northwest of Bitche, France, from December 17th- 21st, 1944, was some of the fiercest fighting in the war. While farther north, the much-heralded Battle of the Bulge was receiving the lion’s share of the world’s attention.
Evans often moved over open terrain in the leading elements to set up his machine gun to fire on pill boxes under direct enemy observation. These brave men were subjected to artillery, mortar and sniper fire while keeping the assault moving forward.
The 100 Division fought on after liberating Bitche. They fought to cross the Rhine River into Germany, and then battles in crossing the rivers Neckar and Jagst. They attacked Heilbronn to pursue the enemy forces until April 21 near Stuttgart and became a unit in the Army of Occupation of Germany after VE Day restored freedom to Europe. Evans served the reestablished freedom near Stuttgart for seven months after the war.
Evans then returned to his wife in Oklahoma. Together, they attended Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, now OSU. Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in education, while his wife earned a degree in business education with honors and later a master’s degree in the same subject.
They both taught high school students for the rest of their careers. Evans retired from a 40-year education career as a coach, teacher, and high school principal.
Married almost 69 years, Evans and his wife, who died in 2013, had one son, two grandsons, and three great-grandchildren.
“I wouldn’t be here talking to you if God hadn’t got me through,” Evans said. “I’ve lived a good life. If God were to tell me he’d give me a new life, I wouldn’t take it. I wouldn’t change a thing. I can’t explain how important freedom is; sometimes people do not realize how fortunate they are to have the freedoms they have.”