S/SGT. CHARLES SLAY AND 104TH INFANTRY, THE TIMBERWOLVES
Dr. Patsy Barber
We know him as Tax Assessor, but Charles Slay grew up east of Pineville with wise parents, Charles Sr. and Louella Sillaman. After graduating from Buckeye High School, he joined the throngs of young men desperately seeking jobs in the 1930s. The only work around him wasmaking crossties for sale to the railroads from stolen timber. With war looming on the horizon, central Louisiana in 1940 became the largest military training area in the U.S. What a boon to employment. Charles helped construct Camp Livingston earning a whopping $150 monthly so he bought a 1941 Ford Coupe, as enviable as a Mustang today. "My friend, Haydon Lawrence, wanted us to join and get it over with. I was a little young and my dad had to sign for me. Dad said, 'You're making this good money, and you're going to be called up, anyway. Just wait.' Haydon went in and was in the Philippines when the Japanese struck and was captured. Tied to a tree, he was cut all to pieces and buried nearby. Mr. Denny found someone who knew the site; he was identified by his perfect, white teeth. He was re-interred in Bethel Cemetery down here." After a year, Slay went into the army and trained at Camp Adair, OR. The 104th Infantry Division, the Timberwolvesffimberwolf, was organized with Companies A, B, and C forming a front battle line, followed by D-heavy weapons, then cannon co. Slay rose to S/Sgt. in the latter. Maneuvering in CA and AZ, they ended at Camp Carson, 50 miles from Denver. Easter morning, 1944, everyone laughed at Slay due to his astonishment rmding snow. While there, they went up in the mountains for a kind of farewell party. The drinking brought out a rowdy bunch. Only the officers had their wives present, so the Captain told them to leave.. .just before a fight broke out involving the Division. The Captain ordered, "Load them up on the trucks. " "We were going downhill, swerved to miss a boulder, and the truck turned over slinging the men out on their heads, knocking them out. The truck following swerved to miss the wreck and broke down. The next morning everyone was on sick call." I came home in 1943 and married Elaine Sills. After the Normandy invasion, June 6, 1944, we landed in Europe; went into Belgium and Holland then into combat. In Cologne, there were orders to preserve the towers of the Cathedral; and that is where we went into combat. (7th Corps) The 1O4th was one of five divisions that crossed the LudendorlI bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen before it collapsed, March 1945. While encamped near there, friend Stockton, from TN, remarked that he had a brother across the river, whom he had not seen in five years and wanted to find him. "If you can get a jeep, I'll show you how to get over there." The next morning Stockton awakened Slay, they bounced into the jeep and drove 50 to 60 miles to the bridge. "What will we tell the guards at the bridge?" "Let me do the talking." Directed to drive 100 mph across the bridge (it would fall very soon), we pulled up to a truck. Stockton said, "I'm looking for a guy named Stockton." "I know right where he is. Let me ride in that jeep with this mail." We drove until someone came out of the bushes holding a rifle on us and commanded, "Park that thing. This is as far as you go." Brother Stockton was on a long ridge going down to the river. Germans were on the next ridge. We crawled down and woke up his brother and stayed with him most of the day. Germans were lobbing bombs down the road, and as we watched we bet if moving trucks would be hit. It was dark when they returned to camp and found the company lined up and loading on trucks. The Captain inquired, "Where you been, Charley Slay?" "You won't believe it, but Stockton and I stole a jeep, and we've been over" He was curt, "I don't have time to listen to a d--- lie." "Yessir." We crossed on one of the pontoon bridges just laid. In late ApriVearly May, the war was coming to an end. We were moving as rapidly as possible that night to cut the Russians off. About 3:00 or 4:00 o'clock, it was raining on us in the back of the trucks so we pulled over for the rest of the night. Peter's Place, a big nightclub was there, so we went in. Everybody got drunk; you wonder how we won the war! I'll never forget that night as long as I live. We came to Bitterfield after German guards fled the POW camp. A truck load of new combat boots were delivered-the task of turning in old ones and issuing new ones I turned over to Corp. Bartell. When I returned, he reported that the prisoners, now free, came by with almost no footwear and took every pair of used boots. He bemoaned, "I didn't have the heart to tell them that could not have them." He continued, "A fellow gave you this letter to send home." It was from Grady Kelly (who would be Sheriff of Rapides Parish): I HAD FREED GRADY KELL Y FROM PRISON! Dad delivered the letter to Grady Sr., and he never forgot me. Actually they had marched long distances fleeing the Russians and had almost nothing to eat. Even road kill went into a nightly stew. Some were in bad shape. You meet some of those Germans, and they were nice people. Right after Germany surrendered, Stockton, Red Kettleman and 1 went up on a hill to a school, like our one room schools. Looking for a P-38 pistol or loot, we disturbed two fellows over on straw. I asked in German, "Are you a Polak soldier?" "Nien, Deutsch." They were proud Germans. They put their hands over their heads; "You don't have to do that." They asked for a cigarette. Well, 1 had a pocket of that overcoat filled with them. I pulled out a pack and gave it to one of them. He took one cigarette and gave it back to me. "No, no. You keep it." He was so surprised that I would give him a pack. I gave the other fellow a pack, also." About five miles back, Americans put up a fence enclosing 100 acres for prisoners. We arrived with the two Germans who wanted to surrender. There were numerous kitchens where they could eat, after registering. "I'll have to leave you now." He caught my hand, "I want to wish you the best in life." We lost Captain Gregory and a few men. A, B, and C line companies may lose 92% of their men. However, we weren't in the Battle of the Bulge but a mile away. A German woman told us that the Germans were moving in, and no one listened to her. When firing began, each side was firing 1800 rounds a minute. Ben Baker, of Alexandria, was right in the middle of the Bulge. Stockman and I would get a jeep and go rabbit hunting which we gave to villagers. They were starving, too, and had no weapons with which to hunt (Hitler seized all guns). I came back to the states early, en route visiting home, then on to San Luis Obispo, CA, to get a camp ready for Cannon co. We were scheduled to be in on the invasion of Japan, but fortunately they surrendered. When I got home, I went to work in the Rapides Parish Tax Assessor's office under the gentleman Trent James. Trained as a sugar chemist, he became Assessor in 1917. He knew everybody and did a lot of good things for the people and the parish. For example, Cotile Lake would not have been constructed and supported with parishwide tax, had he not called in influential leaders and presented the situation. It passed. Mr. Trent was a close friend of Huey P. Long. After the assassination, Mrs. Long came to him inquiring if Huey had given him anything to hold for her. "Yes, I have a newspaper he gave me with instructions to give it to Rose; it is in Guaranty Bank. Let's go there and get it." Handing it to her, she found $10,000 in it that day in 1936. Trent James died in office; as chief deputy I ran in a field of eight opponents and won. I served on the School Board 27 years and became president when Morgan Walker went off. During the early '70s, I was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Renowned attorneys Camille Gravel and Christ Roy sat on either side of me; Gov. Edwin Edwards didn't put a lot of pressure on us. We had three children: Charles III, Irene and Belinda who have given us eight grandchildren. I've had a full life of service to my country, community and beloved family and enjoyed it.
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