DUANE
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Duane's take
The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of Company G. Now, Scurry County isn't the kind of place you'd expect to look at and think, world power. But pull up a chair, because these National Guardsmen from right here in Scurry County went and rewrote that assumption not once, but twice.
Company G. Remember that name. They organized and fought in France during World War I, which is already a story worth telling around any fire.
But the story doesn't end there. Not even close. They reorganized in 1924, which means somebody looked at what they'd done and said, we're keepin' this together.
And when 1940 rolled around, Company G was mobilized again, this time as part of the 142nd Infantry of the 36th Division. The celebrated 36th Division. That's how the marker puts it, and celebrated is the right word.
Now, when you talk about the European front in World War II, there are names that carry weight. Salerno. Cassino.
Say those names to anyone who knows that war and watch their face change. Company G fought in both of those. The fiercest battles on the European front, the marker says, and it doesn't dress that up or soften it.
They also saw action in North Africa, in southern France, and in Austria. That is a map of sacrifice stretching across an entire continent. By the time it was over, Company G came home as a heavily-decorated unit, recognized as an important element in the Texan contribution to the Allied Forces.
From Scurry County to Salerno. That's not a boast. That's just what happened.
What the marker says
Composed of National Guardsmen from Scurry County, Company G originally organized and fought in France during World War I. Reorganized in 1924 and mobilized in 1940, Company G was part of the 142nd Infantry of the celebrated 36th Division during World War II. The unit fought in some of the fiercest battles on the European front including Salerno and Cassino. It also saw action in North Africa, in southern France, and in Austria. A heavily-decorated unit, Company G was an important element in the Texan contribution to the Allied Forces during World War II. (1984)