EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES
Bill Guthrie, right, a veteran of World War II, the Korean War era and Vietnam, was recognized for his service during a Saturday morning ceremony outside the Carnegie Building in downtown Bellefontaine. He received a flag — presented by fellow WWII veteran Wally Matthews — flown over the U.S. Capitol, Ohio Statehouse and Logan County Court Center and was greeted by friends, family and fellow veterans. An in-depth account of Mr. Guthrie’s time in the U.S. Army serving as an enlisted man and as part of the Criminal Investigation Division stationed in Germany, which was originally written for the 2014 Veteran’s Day edition of the Examiner, is available in it’s entirety below…
A Tale of 3 Wars
Local veteran reflects on WWII, Korean War era, Vietnam
By Reuben Mees
November 11, 2014
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Bill Guthrie, of rural Bellefontaine, holds the medals he won for service during a 27-year military career that spanned World War II, the Korean War era and a tour in Vietnam. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES) |
Whenever Logan County veterans are honored, Bill Guthrie makes his way to the front of the room to accept honors for his service in World War II.
But as his fellow WWII veterans leave the stage, Mr. Guthrie remains as the Korean War veterans come forward. He accepts the honor for serving overseas during that conflict, and again remains as the others shuffle back to their seats.
Next, the Vietnam veterans come forward to join Mr. Guthrie at the front of the room as he accepts a final honor for a 27-year military career that spanned four decades and three major wars.
“When I look back on all the stuff, I feel I am lucky as hell,” Mr. Guthrie said of his time in the service. “There are some things you see in combat you don’t ever want to talk about, but I feel like I had a good career.”
Mr. Guthrie graduated Bellefontaine High School in 1944 and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army to fight in World War II.
On New Year’s Day 1945, he boarded the RMS Queen Mary en route to Europe to join up with the 29th Infantry Division. By late February, he found himself fighting with the 115th Regiment on the march toward Munchen-Gladbach.
That winter saw Mr. Guthrie afflicted by frostbite on his feet and he was removed from combat for about a month to recover. He returned to Germany as the 29th Infantry held its position west of the Elbe River in advance of Germany’s surrender in May.
“The Germans were surrendering en masse at that point,” he said of the conclusion of the war in Europe.
As the war wound down, Mr. Guthrie was stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany, until October 1945.
He re-enlisted and remained in postwar Germany and France for 16 1/2 years, serving as a criminal investigator in the military police.
His wife Doris and two oldest children joined him in Germany in 1950 and they had four additional daughters born there.
During his time in Europe, the Korean War broke out, and although Mr. Guthrie did not go to Asia, he supported the U.S. efforts from afar.
“I wasn’t in Korea, but I worked cases in Germany that pertained to the Korean War,” he said.
As a criminal investigator, Mr. Guthrie investigated all manner of cases from petty larceny to murder, and trained German military police in criminal investigations.
In 1966, he returned to the United States to work as a recruiter out of the Army’s Piqua recruiting office, but did not take to that line of work.
“That’s the lousiest thing I’ve done in the Army — recruiting,” he said of the assignment. “I didn’t care for that at all.”
So in 1969, he asked for an assignment in Vietnam, where he led a military police platoon associated with the 101st Airborne Division. As a non-commissioned officer in charge, Mr. Guthrie oversaw younger soldiers and tried to be a mentor to them.
“I was more like a dad to most of them, I guess,” he said. “I think I had the best platoon there. We had five ‘Soldiers of the Month’.”
As part of that assignment, the platoon led a security detail for a Bob Hope show among other police work.
In December 1970, the career military man’s assignment in Vietnam ended and he retired from the Army on Feb. 1, 1971.
During his time in the military, Mr. Guthrie earned a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars and a Presidential Commendation, among other awards.
Upon returning stateside, he worked four years for the Miami County Sheriff’s Office before moving back to his family farm in southwest Logan County in 1975. He has worked briefly for Globe Security, the DeGraff Police Department and as an investigator for local attorney Levi Lile.
He served many years on the VFW color guard and on the Logan County Honor Guard, assisting with funerals of local veterans, until his age limited his ability to participate in those activities.
Although he says he has no regrets, the soldier was glad to put his military career behind him and settle back into a quieter life in Ohio.
“I think three wars was enough for me,” Mr. Guthrie said of his experiences.