Father and Son War Repeaters—
Veterans of World War No. 1 Have Sons in Service Now
Reporter Finds Nine Such Combinations—May Be More.
By Don Pinkston.
Like father, like son, even unto war and the defense of democracy.
Uniforms are somewhat different—smarter looking these days, the legionnaires of ’17 and ’18 admit—the army rides more, the air arm is more important and a few others things have changed. But there’s many an American father today can look at his son and know his thoughts.
Dad went through it, back in another day when the United States went to war against an aggressor in the world.
Since world war No. 1 and world war No. 2 came only a generation apart, never before in American history have so many soldiers and sailors had veteran-fathers back home.
Sioux City has its quota of those father and son patriots and undoubtedly will have more.
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[excerpt]
Roy Fox, 2221 S. Judd street, running his grocery store at 701 W. Third street, remembers his world war experiences while his son, Melvin, 18, is away in the new war, located with an armored division in Kentucky. His father served in the famed Rainbow division, which went through the Argonne. He was wounded once slightly and gassed considerably.
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3. Roy Fox, veteran of the famed Rainbow division, and his son, Melvin Fox, new in an army armored unit.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, January 11, 1942 (photos included)
School Friends Serve in Same Tank; Discharged
Melvin Fox and Erwin Gould have been just like brothers for the last three years, fighting side by side in the same tank while serving with the First armored tank division of the Fifth army in the European Theater. They were recently discharged from the army with the accredited 118 points.
“We were always dependent on one another. When I would miss he’d help me and then I’d do the same for him.” That is the statement made by Melvin Fox and Erwin Gould, two Sioux Cityans who, after fighting side by side in the same tank for more than three years in the European theater agree that friends can be closer than brothers.
“Our friendship began while in school,” they said, “and continued through West Junior School and Central High School.”
After graduation the two boys, still sticking together, enlisted January 21, 1941, just following Pearl Harbor.
On May 10, 1942, they were sent overseas from New York City with the First armored tank division of the Fifth army where they were assigned to “STUD” their tank. After stopping off in Northern Ireland and England they participated in the invasion of North Africa. Later, they saw action throughout Italy as far as Brenner Pass.
It was not much later that Cpl. Gould and Sgt. Fox, now 21, were ordered back to the States wearing seven battle stars with the European theater campaign bar. They were discharged recently from the army with an accredited 118 points.
The two Sioux Cityans each have a brother overseas, Pvt. Lyle Gould is serving with the Ninth armored division in Germany and Pfc. Eugene Fox is with the First armored division in Germany. The Gould brothers are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. George Scott, 2005 W. Horne Avenue and the Fox brothers parents are Mr. and Mrs. Roy Fox, 221 S. Judd Street.
Source: Sioux City Journal, July 15, 1945 (photo included)
