Harlan Bottles, Cpl. U.S. Army
Story by Rose Connolly
Harlan was 18 when he was drafted into the Army.
There were 33 boys in his school and 31 went into the Service. Six of them died in the war. Harlan liked being called "Pops" and his favorite food in the service was catfish and chips. His least favorite food was old mutton that was served in the mess hall. Other foods served were K-Rations, Spam, and powdered eggs. Pops still has his military uniforms but he like so many others say, they just don't fit anymore. Harlan's grandson served in the Army and his Grand father served in the Civil War and his father served in World War I in France.
His military duties consisted of Company Clerk on a medical train between Southern England to Edinburgh Scotland. He was responsible for correspondence processing for furloughs, passes, and he even helped arrange for a proxy wedding between a nurse on his train and a soldier in France. One of his responsibilities was mustering the troops back from the Pubs in town in the evenings. The thing he missed about the military was his friends who were like brothers. One of his most lasting memories was of riding the POW Trains to Camp Grant near Rockford, Illinois and visiting the cannon factories. He spent time in Arkansas and Peoria's Camp Ellis. After the war "Pops" went directly into the farming business without any big welcome home and fanfare. The thing Harlan would like to pass on to future generations is "get right with God" and stressed respect for good old fashioned Americanism, God and Country. I showed him my necklaces with a cross and an American flag and "Pops" said "Yes, I noticed that with gleeful eyes and pride."
To view Harlan "Pop" Bottles' images, click here »