A Name Engraved in Stone

By Judith S. Lienhardt

This is a story about a young man who had to grow up in a hurry. Forest Shelburn Nelson was a soldier in World War II, an aerial gunner in a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber aircraft. He fought the war in the sky. This young teenager, who was competing in sports at high school, was now a man shooting down enemy planes. This young man's life tragically ended at the tender age of twenty.

His letters were very romantic, thoughtful, and loving. It's difficult to witness the man, his plans, his hopes, his dreams, to just disappear in such a short time. War's tragic consistent legacy remains that there is little more than a few medals on his chest, letters, or pictures to remember Forest by.

Forest's feelings about World War II; but I am sure he put every ounce of his being into fighting for his beliefs. It makes no difference which war a loved one has fought in, there always someone who knows him or her a "DEDICATED SOLDIER." Whether your loved ones are dead or live, you are not alone! We each have our private wars that we endure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 17, 2002
• ISBN: 9781475902396

Judith S. Lienhardt

Judith S. Lienhardt lives in Roanoke County, Virginia and works at a local College.

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© 2002 by Judith Simpson Lienhardt

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher.

Writers Club Press an imprint of iUniverse, Inc.

For information address:

iUniverse, Inc.

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Lincoln, NE 68512

www.iuniverse.com

Front Cover—Forest S. Nelson and Sabra Musgrove Nelson

ISBN: 0-595-23270-1

ISBN: 978-1-4759-0239-6 (ebook)

This book is dedicated to my parents, Clyde James (now deceased) and Sabra Musgrove Nelson Simpson; Forests brother, Staples; and his sister, Gerlene; and friend Greg Roseberry for guiding me in the right direction.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1

Meeting The Boy

CHAPTER 2

New Beginning

CHAPTER 3

North African Theater

CHAPTER 4

Home

CHAPTER 5

South Pacific Theater

Epilogue

About the Author

References

Preface

My name is Judith Simpson Lienhardt and I was born in Alleghany County, in Virginia Appalachian Mountains. I grew up in a little community called Low Moor. At the tender age of nineteen, I then moved to Roanoke (about an hour away).

During my childhood I always heard my mother, Sabra Musgrove Simpson, talk about her first husband, Forest S. Nelson. Forest was a young soldier who served in World War II as an aerial gunner. Since he died at an early age, I feel there is a need to tell about his short life. Even though his body is not in the family plot in Radford, Virginia there is a headstone at his parent’s feet, a marker that his life had meant something.

So many human beings have died in wars and their names are engraved in stone all over the world. These stones are cold and gray, just as the state of their bodies. The stones do not show the love, the caring, the emotional side, no children left to say, This was my father! It was one little girl’s dream to meet a man face to face. I have had the pleasure of meeting most of his family over the years, and even today we still keep in touch with each other.

Since Forest cannot tell his story, I wanted to tell it for him. Most of the information in this book is true, as are the names and places Forest visited. The private thoughts of Forest are from my imagination. I had to use my judgment and heresy from his family and my family. I have drawn my knowledge of Forest from several places. They’re letters that he sent to my mother, his diary, my great-grandmother’s diary, and information from the Office of Air Force History at Bollings Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

This is a story about a young man who had to grow up in a hurry. Forest Shelburn Nelson was a soldier in World War II, an aerial gunner in a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber aircraft. He fought the war in the sky. This young teenager, who was competing in sports at high school, was now a man shooting down enemy planes. This young man’s life tragically ended at the tender age of twenty. His letters and his families’ stories show a boy who lived his life to the fullest.

Reading Forest’s letters to my mother was one of the hardest assignments I had in getting information for this book. The letters were very romantic, thoughtful, and loving. It’s difficult to witness the man; his plans, his hopes and his dreams, to just disappear in such a short time. War’s tragic consistent legacy remains that there is little more than a few medals on his chest, letters, or pictures to remember Forest by.

I do not know of Forest’s feelings about World War II; but I am sure he put every ounce of his being into fighting for his beliefs. It makes no difference which war a loved one has fought in, there always someone who knows him or her a DEDICATED SOLDIER. Whether your loved ones are dead or live, you are not alone! We each have our private wars that we endure.

JSL

Acknowledgements

Historical Department at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

Military advisor, T/Sgt. Barry L. Spink, Bollings Air Force Base, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C.

Robert W. Thorndike, Commanding Officer and the pilot of the plane Forest was in at the time of his death.

All other information supplied to the author was from Roy S. Nelson, Gerlene Nelson Baker and Sabra Simpson.

A Name Engraved in Stone

CHAPTER 1

Meeting The Boy

On August 15, 1924, Forest Shelburn Nelson was born in a small town called Radford, in southwest Virginia. The second son of Harrison Shelburn and Pearlie Mae Sutphin Nelson, he had three brothers, Roy Staples, Sherman and Shirley Ray (twins) and one sister, Gerlene.

Forest met Sabra Uldine Musgrove (my mother) on October 31, 1941, a Friday night, during a Halloween Dance. Sabra had won a prize for best dressed; Forest was attending a wrestling match between Radford High School and Auburn High School.

Sabra was small-framed; with ash blond hair accompany long oval face. She was five-foot five-inches tall with a perfect figure, weighing around 110 pounds. Her smile showed her high cheekbones, small nose and deep sparkling blue eyes. Sabra was witty, lovable, always polite and very shy.

Bill Roop, a friend of Forest’s drove him to Sabra’s house so Forest could ask her father’s permission to date her. Mr. Musgrove told Forest he could come over on weekends.

Forest gave Sabra a locket for Christmas 1941, and he first kissed her on January 4, 1942. Their future together had just begun, three weeks after America entered the war.

Forest was a seventeen-year-old senior at Radford High School. Forest stood five-feet nine-inches tall and weighs around 144 pounds. Forest had dark skin, brown hair, piercing brown eyes with high cheekbones. He loved life, enjoyed shooting guns and was strong-willed. In less a month to graduate from high school, Forest quit and joined the United States Army Air Force. In his diary, dated May 21, Forest says, Left home and embarked upon a military career, God only knows what the future will bring.

He arrived in Richmond on May 23 and passed the entrance examination. At 5:30 P.M. he was then sent to Petersburg, Virginia, where the recruits were taken by bus to Camp Lee. He was assigned to Company C, 1303 School Unit. After eating and getting their bedding, they settled down to a nice shower and sleep. May 24: Chow at 5:30 A.M., got clothing and say Butch (nickname Forest gave Sabra) we spent the day drilling with a tough sergeant. Then he called his mother and asked her to send him some spending money.

As basic training started, Forest tried to get into the routine of being a soldier. Marching mile after mile he had plenty time to think about life, the military and getting through basic training.

After church on the 25th, he went to a show, also wrote to Sabra. On 26th, he went to Petersburg to pickup the money order and a few letters from home. May 27, Bill Parker, Julian Wright, Joe Pugh, T. Bryant, Jose Lapins, and Forest got together and went into town. Going to a bar was a highlight of their evening. Since Forest was just seventeen