Hinton Record News: August 26, 1945

RETURNING VETERAN EMPLOYED HERE

It was “Staff Sergeant Odis W. Crowder” last January on the Seigfried 
Line in Germany when he got his feet frozen and now it just plain 
“Odis Crowder”, who with his wife and daughter, Glenda Kay, age 2, 
and son, Wayne Hugh, age 10 months, wish to become permanent 
residents of Hinton provided they can find a suitable home to rent 
or purchase here.  Crowder is employed at the Davison Motor Co., 
and is driving back and forth from Binger where be and his family reside.

Crowder left Germany May 28, 1945 arriving in the United States June 
17, was honorably discharged June 27 on the point system (having 
attained 116 points), and went to work in the parts department of 
a motor company here at Hinton Monday, July 16.

He work on “forward observation” which is ahead of the line of 
fire and considered dangerous in modern warfare; was In the 
outfit that jumped the Ruhr, the Rhine, and the Elbe rivers 
in amphibious operations on the other side of the Seigfried 
Line and is credited with action in four major battles.

Crowder was inducted in Selective Service Board No. 2 Caddo County, 
January 31, 1941, took his boot training at Fort Sill in the Field 
Artillery four weeks; spent several months at Camp Barkeley, Texas.  
Shortly after Pearl Harbor he went overseas and spent 18 months 
In Panama on jungle guard duty, after which he spent 13 months at 
Fort Ord, California.

On July 25, 1944, he sailed for England and after spending one 
mouth there landed In France on Utah beach and joined the battle 
of Brest with his outfit and later went across France, Belgium, 
and Holland to the Seigfried Line with the Ninth Army to meet 
the Russians within 45 miles of Berlin.

“No, I had no great desire to see - Berlin,” said Crowder,  
“I really wanted to get back home as soon as I could.”

Near Waurike, Germany, on the Seigfried line in January 1945 
Crowder’s feet froze which put him in the hospital for thirty 
days.  He said many of his buddies lost their feet from freezing 
in the cold weather.