Mays Family Tree - Person Sheet
NameRobert WISE 
6693
6693Birth Dateabt 1924
Residence DateMar 20166694
Residence PlaceClearfield, Clearfield Co., PA, USA
Residence MemoPike Township per the phone book
FatherFrank WISE
MotherVinnie SPENCER
Misc. Notes
Wise recalls memories of service in World War II
By Dianne Byers dbyers@theprogressnews.com
Jul 11, 2016
CURWENSVILLE — In 2010, Bob Wise of Curwensville had an article published in the magazine, The Flash, a publication of the 78th (Lightening) Infantry Division Veterans Association. The recent fish stocking in honor of 11 World War II military veterans who are living in and around Curwensville got him to thinking about the memories his article contained.
Wise grew up in Lumber City, a child of the late Frank and Vinnie Wise. His family’s farm was one of those purchased when the Curwensville Dam was built to provide flood control for the town of Curwensville and those living downstream along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. He attended Curwensville schools and graduated with honors from Curwensville High School and was his class’ salutatorian. He was drafted in 1943 and sent to Camp Butner, Butner, N.C.
Wise served in the U.S. Army as a wire chief in the communications department from March 1943 through December 1945. Wise said during his time in service to the U.S., his family was very supportive of his work. He told two stories of needing gloves and boots and his father rounded up all the available pairs he could locate and sent them to him. What Wise couldn’t use he shared. “I was very popular with my buddies,” he said.
He earned a bronze star given to military personnel for heroic or commendable service or action in combat against an enemy of the U.S. or helping an ally fight against against an enemy. He earned the medal for his work in military operations against the German Army during December 1944 through March 1945 for laying and servicing wire lines during the operations through the Seigfried Line and the capture of the Schmidt and Schammenual Dam and bridgehead operations east of the Rhine River.
In the citation received with his medal, it notes to accomplish his tasks, Wise exposed himself to the artillery, motor, machine gun and sniper fire. “Although he was hampered by enemy activities and adverse weather conditions, he succeeded in providing effective communicatons with all necessary headquarters and individuals and contributed immeasurably to the efficiency of the artillery in support of the infantry.”
Wise, in his article, said he was prompted by family members to send it in for print. He explained “This is not a hero story — just a person in the right place at the right time.”
He set the background by noting after Adolph Hitler and his armies were defeated at the Battle of the Bulge, they began retreating but hoped to regroup and make a “big stand at the Rhine River.”
At the time, there was little fighting just scattered skirmishes, Wise said he believed those small groups of soldiers were left as a diversion so that the Germans could get their troops back across the Rhine River. He reported that day his story took place, “There was very little fighting and we mostly just riding. This day we were a few miles ahead of our outfit. We had just pulled onto a cliff and to my surprise there was the (Rhine) river and the Ludendorff Bridge. We watched for a few minutes and there was no activity,” he stated.
Soon a train crossed the bridge. “After the train cleared the other side, after a short time there was a loud explosion and smoke and dust filled the whole valley.” Wise said he believed the explosion had severely damaged or at worst demolished the bridge. “When the smoke and dust cleared there sat the bridge. It did not fall.”
Wise said he told his radio man to contact their captain and inform him the bridge was still intact and usable. “We needed to get troops up there as quickly as possible so the German troops would not have time to finish blowing up the bridge.”
Wise said he was told to take his men and put a communications line across the bridge. “I went forward and there was no activity, so I started laying wire for a telephone.” He reported getting about half way across when he was ordered to turn around and get off the bridge as quickly as he could. “So I cut the wire and we left the bridge,” he wrote. Later that day when relaying to his captain what had taken place, Wise said he was instructed to take one man and go to a nearby boat dock at daybreak. He was told he would be traveling by speedboat and instructed to lay the wire on the river’s water. Wise said “I took a full reel of wire and a frame to load in the bottom of the boat.” He said it took some time but he finally told his supervisor he was ready to go. “He started up the board and told us to hold it from moving. He reved up the engine and said ‘Let her go.’ The Germans were firing at us with rifles but they must have not had training in hitting a moving target, especially one as fast as we were moving.”
Wise said they were almost at the opposite side of the river when he ran out of wire. “I said ‘Go back. I ran out of wire.’”
He said the officer turned the boat around and, without losing speed, headed back to the dock. Wise said he got a second reel of wire and spliced the wire to the first wire. “We repeated the whole thing over again and this time I had enough wire to get across the river.” Wise reported the phone wire was used to direct fire across the river and although the line shorted out the next day and he had to fix it this time he had some time to think about the repair and was able to fashion two boards with several wire connections on it so that they could move to the next wire if the working one shorted out. “Those three lines lasted until our outfit was able to move across,” he explained.
Wise’s brother Bill Wise of Ansonville said, “Had this bridge across the Rhine River been destroyed, it would have been necessary to put in a pontoon bridge and it would have changed the speedy outcome of World War II fighting.” He said because the German Army was not able to set up on the other side of the river, they had to continue retreating.
He said Bob did not talk about his experiences in the war until after Bill Wise served as a member of the Army’s 10th division and was able to travel through the same area where Bob fought.
Bob Wise mined coal when he was discharged and then was trained as a tool and die maker. He retired from Alcoa at Huntingdon and soon returned to Curwensville to be with his family.
Wise said he was honored to be one of those who had proudly served their county and to be recognized at the fish stocking. Fish stocking Coordinator Pat Domico of Curwensville said in an interview, following the fish stocking, “No one had ever paid tribute to these veterans before. Here are 11 of them living right here in Curwensville and they are all in relatively good health. It is just really something to have them here.”6695
____________
Robert was among 14 men to be presented plaques made of native Curwensville stone honoring them for their service during World War II. The event occurred on 4 September 2016 at the dediaction of the World War II Memorial in Curwensville, PA.4339
By Dianne Byers dbyers@theprogressnews.com
Jul 11, 2016
CURWENSVILLE — In 2010, Bob Wise of Curwensville had an article published in the magazine, The Flash, a publication of the 78th (Lightening) Infantry Division Veterans Association. The recent fish stocking in honor of 11 World War II military veterans who are living in and around Curwensville got him to thinking about the memories his article contained.
Wise grew up in Lumber City, a child of the late Frank and Vinnie Wise. His family’s farm was one of those purchased when the Curwensville Dam was built to provide flood control for the town of Curwensville and those living downstream along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. He attended Curwensville schools and graduated with honors from Curwensville High School and was his class’ salutatorian. He was drafted in 1943 and sent to Camp Butner, Butner, N.C.
Wise served in the U.S. Army as a wire chief in the communications department from March 1943 through December 1945. Wise said during his time in service to the U.S., his family was very supportive of his work. He told two stories of needing gloves and boots and his father rounded up all the available pairs he could locate and sent them to him. What Wise couldn’t use he shared. “I was very popular with my buddies,” he said.
He earned a bronze star given to military personnel for heroic or commendable service or action in combat against an enemy of the U.S. or helping an ally fight against against an enemy. He earned the medal for his work in military operations against the German Army during December 1944 through March 1945 for laying and servicing wire lines during the operations through the Seigfried Line and the capture of the Schmidt and Schammenual Dam and bridgehead operations east of the Rhine River.
In the citation received with his medal, it notes to accomplish his tasks, Wise exposed himself to the artillery, motor, machine gun and sniper fire. “Although he was hampered by enemy activities and adverse weather conditions, he succeeded in providing effective communicatons with all necessary headquarters and individuals and contributed immeasurably to the efficiency of the artillery in support of the infantry.”
Wise, in his article, said he was prompted by family members to send it in for print. He explained “This is not a hero story — just a person in the right place at the right time.”
He set the background by noting after Adolph Hitler and his armies were defeated at the Battle of the Bulge, they began retreating but hoped to regroup and make a “big stand at the Rhine River.”
At the time, there was little fighting just scattered skirmishes, Wise said he believed those small groups of soldiers were left as a diversion so that the Germans could get their troops back across the Rhine River. He reported that day his story took place, “There was very little fighting and we mostly just riding. This day we were a few miles ahead of our outfit. We had just pulled onto a cliff and to my surprise there was the (Rhine) river and the Ludendorff Bridge. We watched for a few minutes and there was no activity,” he stated.
Soon a train crossed the bridge. “After the train cleared the other side, after a short time there was a loud explosion and smoke and dust filled the whole valley.” Wise said he believed the explosion had severely damaged or at worst demolished the bridge. “When the smoke and dust cleared there sat the bridge. It did not fall.”
Wise said he told his radio man to contact their captain and inform him the bridge was still intact and usable. “We needed to get troops up there as quickly as possible so the German troops would not have time to finish blowing up the bridge.”
Wise said he was told to take his men and put a communications line across the bridge. “I went forward and there was no activity, so I started laying wire for a telephone.” He reported getting about half way across when he was ordered to turn around and get off the bridge as quickly as he could. “So I cut the wire and we left the bridge,” he wrote. Later that day when relaying to his captain what had taken place, Wise said he was instructed to take one man and go to a nearby boat dock at daybreak. He was told he would be traveling by speedboat and instructed to lay the wire on the river’s water. Wise said “I took a full reel of wire and a frame to load in the bottom of the boat.” He said it took some time but he finally told his supervisor he was ready to go. “He started up the board and told us to hold it from moving. He reved up the engine and said ‘Let her go.’ The Germans were firing at us with rifles but they must have not had training in hitting a moving target, especially one as fast as we were moving.”
Wise said they were almost at the opposite side of the river when he ran out of wire. “I said ‘Go back. I ran out of wire.’”
He said the officer turned the boat around and, without losing speed, headed back to the dock. Wise said he got a second reel of wire and spliced the wire to the first wire. “We repeated the whole thing over again and this time I had enough wire to get across the river.” Wise reported the phone wire was used to direct fire across the river and although the line shorted out the next day and he had to fix it this time he had some time to think about the repair and was able to fashion two boards with several wire connections on it so that they could move to the next wire if the working one shorted out. “Those three lines lasted until our outfit was able to move across,” he explained.
Wise’s brother Bill Wise of Ansonville said, “Had this bridge across the Rhine River been destroyed, it would have been necessary to put in a pontoon bridge and it would have changed the speedy outcome of World War II fighting.” He said because the German Army was not able to set up on the other side of the river, they had to continue retreating.
He said Bob did not talk about his experiences in the war until after Bill Wise served as a member of the Army’s 10th division and was able to travel through the same area where Bob fought.
Bob Wise mined coal when he was discharged and then was trained as a tool and die maker. He retired from Alcoa at Huntingdon and soon returned to Curwensville to be with his family.
Wise said he was honored to be one of those who had proudly served their county and to be recognized at the fish stocking. Fish stocking Coordinator Pat Domico of Curwensville said in an interview, following the fish stocking, “No one had ever paid tribute to these veterans before. Here are 11 of them living right here in Curwensville and they are all in relatively good health. It is just really something to have them here.”6695
____________
Robert was among 14 men to be presented plaques made of native Curwensville stone honoring them for their service during World War II. The event occurred on 4 September 2016 at the dediaction of the World War II Memorial in Curwensville, PA.4339