Captain Henry T. Waskow

Captain Henry T. Waskow (1918-1943) of Belton was a company commander in the 36th Division. He joined the Texas National Guard, Company I, 143rd Infantry, 36th Division in 1935 and was called into active service in 1940. Beloved by his men, Waskow died in combat on Mount Summucro, near San Pietro, Italy, on December 14, 1943. Wartime correspondent Ernie Pyle won a Pulitzer Prize for his report on Waskow's courage in the face of death, and on the reaction of the soldiers to the death of their captain. Robert Mitchum's character in the film The Story of G.I. Joe, is based on Waskow., Born to Frank and Mary Waskow, Henry was one of eight children, five boys and three girls. Henry graduated with top honors from Belton High School in 1935. He became a lay pastor at Taylor's Valley Baptist Church outside of Temple and attended Temple Junior College, with the goal of becoming a teacher. In 1937, after graduating from Temple Junior College, Henry transferred to Trinity University where he graduated in 1939. He was offered a teaching position at Belton High School, but turned it down because he had joined the Texas National Guard 36th Division and expected military duty would call him away., In 1941, Waskow was awarded a Lieutenant's commission and transferred to Company B, First Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment. He earned the second bar of Captain in late 1942, and in April 1943 his division sailed to North Africa. It spent the summer in Africa, training for combat, before landing at Salerno as part of the Allied invasion of Italy in September. On December 13, 1943, after months of brutal combat against German forces, Waskow's battalion was ordered to capture Hill 1205, the high ground north of San Pietro. Waskow was killed on December 14 when a piece of shrapnel hit him in the chest. Three nights later, under the cover of darkness, his men brought his body down the mountain on a mule and placed it to be picked up for burial. After watching the Captain's men walk past his body, each pausing to express their grief and affection for a fallen leader, war correspondent Ernie Pyle wrote his most famous and endearing column. Waskow was one of 14 officers and 125 enlisted men killed in what were ultimately deemed successful operations at San Pietro. A memorial service was held in Belton for Henry on February 22, 1944, and a marker was placed for him in Belton North Cemetery, but his body was laid to rest in the American National Cemetery in Italy. , Waskow of Belton, who was known as a "friend to everybody" and an officer who "took the little man's case" became immortalized as one soldier's story, which could have been any soldier's story., Captions , Lower Left: Captain Henry T. Waskow, ca 1942 , Gift of Mary Lee (Waskow) Barr-Cox and Selma (Waskow) Barr, sisters of Capt. Waskow, 2011, When this photo was taken, Waskow was a Lieutenant. He had never had a formal portrait made after he got his promotion to Captain. His sister, Mary Lee, gave her brother's picture to a photographer in Temple who airbrushed the second bar of a captain next to the single leutenant's bar on Waskow's cap after his death., Upper Right: The newspaper clipping above is the story of the death of Capt. Waskow, which garnered the Pulitzer Prize for War Correspondent Ernie Pyle., The 36th Infantry Division "T-Patch" shown at the right, was first used during World War I. The Division was composed of men from the Texas and Oklahoma National Guards. The T-Patch is in the shape of an arrowhead to symbolize Oklahoma and sports a large "T" for Texas., Lower Right: Captain Henry T. Waskow (second from left) relaxing with his "beloved men in camp in Louisiana before joining the military theater in Europe. Ca 1942 Gift of Mary Lee (Waskow) Barr-Cox and Selma (Waskow) Barr, sisters of Capt. Waskow, 2011, Lower Right: This board has been provided by the generous gift of the Belton VFW Henry T. Waskow, Post No. 4008., 1. Courtesy of Bell County Museum , 2. Excerpts from "Appointment at Hill 1205: Erie Pye and Captain Henry T. Waskow" by Michael S. Sweeney, Ph.D. , Courtesy of Texas Military Forces Museum, Camp Mabry, Austin, TX