The Life of Harold

By Harold Thaxton

I was born in Pueblo, Colorado on November 1, 1921, the year of the flood of Colorado. At that time, my father was a farmer living on the plains of the Arkansas River south of Pueblo. Dad then went back to being a carpenter. We lived on Grand Avenue in north Pueblo. From there we moved to Tyler Street in south Pueblo. From there we moved to an apartment house that my parents owned on C Street. From there we moved to a ranch 20 miles southeast of Pueblo. From there we moved to a house on 4th Street. Then we moved to 310 Broadway. I attended school at Carlye, a rural school in Pueblo country, Keating Junior High in Pueblo and in the county, Centennial High School and Pueblo Junior College. 

It was while attending Junior college that I met my future wife, Ruth Beatty, who was introduced by Reese Thompson. After finishing college, I worked one summer as a "Gandy Dancer" for Santa Fe railroad. After the summer, I started working as a chemical lab assistant at CF&I steel company.

On July 13, 1941 Ruth and I were married at Trinity Methodist Church. My sister, her husband, Ruth's brother and his wife, my mother and father were at the wedding. I had 2 whole days off from work. We returned to 310 Broadway and lived in an apartment over my folks. In September, 1942 I was drafted into the army, with my induction at Fort Logan, Denver, Colorado. From Fort Logan I was sent to basic training in Abilene, Texas. After basic training I entered officer's candidate school at Abilene, Texas. After 90 days I was graduated as a Second Lt. Medical Administrative Corp. Ruth came down to Texas with Georgia (her sister-in-law) for training. On completion of graduation leave, Ruth, Eileen and I departed for Warner Robins Field, Macon, Georgia. The first place we lived in was a one room cabin on Houston Lake. I was sent on a 2 week training session in Florida. When I returned to Warner Robins, and rode the bus and walked to the cabin to find it empty. The neighbor told me that Ruth had found an apartment in a plantation and she drove me to the place. We were there about 3 months when I was alerted to overseas shipment. My mother, father and sister, Arlyne, and her husband managed to scrounge enough gas tickets to drive to Macon. They towed my car and all 6 drove back to Pueblo where Ruth and Eileen got an apartment next door to Mom. I was sent from Georgia to Camp Kilmer for 4 days and boarded the Queen Mary for a trip to Scotland where our unit boarded a train for Bishop Storford, England. From there we moved to a base outside of Redding, England. Then to an embarkation site and off to France. We were stationed just below St. Lo. From there were moved to Rheims, France and then to Germany. After the end of the war in Europe, we returned to France for shipment back to the US by liberty ship. On arriving in the states, my unit was assigned to Hill Field in Utah. I went to Hill Field while the rest of our unit was placed on leave in 1945. After signing in at Hill Field, I went on leave and rode the train to Grand Junction, where my sister and her husband drove me to Pueblo to see Ruth and Eileen. After my leave was up, Ruth, Eileen and I drove to Ogden, where we found a place to live. Later, a house became available in Layton, Utah about 2 miles from Hill Field. Our son, Harold Duane, was born in 46, in Ogden. We spent about 3 years in Ogden when I was transferred to Alamagordo, New Mexico. We spent about 6 months in Alamgordo, where Lesley was born in the base hospital. She was born just about the time I was alerted for shipment to Germany. I cleaned the house, was inspected and boarded the car with Eileen, Duane and drove to the hospital and loaded Ruth and Lesley in the car and started for Pueblo. We ran into a snow storm outside of Walsenberg and drove through the storm to Pueblo. Was supposed to have arrived at 9 PM, but didn't make it until 2 AM. I had about 36 hours to report for shipment to Germany. Ruth, Eileen, Duane and Lesley lived in a garage that had been converted into an apartment at Mom and Dad's. 

I reported in to Wiesbaden in 1947 and was assigned to Rhein Main Air Force Base. I lived in a BOQ at Buschlag. Because of the age of Lesley, Ruth had to wait until she was 9 months old before she could come over. She received notice just before Christmas and went to New York where she boarded the ship. The family arrived in Germany right after Christmas. I met them in Frankfurt and we spent several days in the BOQ before we were assigned quarters at 14 Wildishburg, our son Doug was born at the 99th General Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany, Nov. 1950. In 1951, my mother became ill and we were sent home on emergency leave. We spent 1 month in Pueblo and then I had to report to Massachusetts for reassignment. I stopped in New York to pick up our car and found out I was assigned to Lowery. In the meantime, Ruth and the family moved to Grand Junction to live with Ernie while Arlyne was taking care of my mother. We finally found a home at 7520 22nd Ave and Ruth and Duane and Lesley and Doug joined me, while Eileen finished school in Grand Junction. We were stationed at Lowery until 1954 when I attended Medical Maintenance school in St Louis, Mo. At the completion of school I was assigned to the St Louis Medical Air Force Liaison Offices. We moved and lived at the Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. I was on a traveling assignment and spent about 3 weeks on the road and 1 week home. From St Louis I was transferred to the Liaison Office in Louisville, Ky. We originally had a small home in Louisville and then moved to a new home nearer to the base. From there I was transferred to the Surgeon General's Office in Washington, DC. We lived on Lincoln, Oak and Grand Streets (really West Street) in Falls Church. We spent 4 years in DC. Then I was transferred to Langley Field, Va. where I spent 3 years. Was retired from the Air Force in 1964 and returned to Denver to the house we bought in 1951 and rented our while we were gone.