Soldier's Bible

[siege1863]

As bibles go, this one is rather ordinary. However, it is the history that goes with it that makes it special. The bible belonged to the vet mentioned in many of my most recent posts. He arrived at Ft. Snelling, Minnesota, late on July 21, 1944. The next day he was sworn into service. In the week he was there, he took tests, was given innoculations, was issued his uniform, etc. The date inside the bible indicates he received it the day he left Ft. Snelling for basic training at Ft. Hood, Texas. The bible is well worn from use, but the vet managed to keep the original box.

 

 

The following comes from a letter written August 6, 1944.

 

"I am not sure if I told you but last Sunday on the train before noon I believe or maybe supper, the boys in our car were pretty wild and finally a few of them started doing what a couple of us were--reading our New Testaments. The chaplain at [Ft.] Snelling gave each man who wanted one a Testament. It is brown about the size of my little one I had and has a number of hymns in the front of it. Well, anyway we started singing these and pretty soon we had almost the whole group in the car singing along with us in each of their Testaments. It was really a good song service."

 

 

[siege1863]

This drawing was included in a letter from Ft. Snelling dated Sunday July 23. The vet attended services that morning. He also writes about the chaplain who was to give him the bible.

 

[Bob Hudson]

Thanks for sharing that.

 

Do a google search for the chaplain's name "Alfred Klausler" and "Alfred P Klausler" - he had quite career as a pastor/author/journalist until he died in 1991 at age 81.

[siege1863]

I did search Google and found the several references to his publications. Unfortunately, there is nothing on his WWII service. The one exception is an obscure Montana newspaper article dated August 22, 1944.

 

"Alfred P. Klausler of Dawson County [Montana]...became the first serviceman to vote under Montana's 1943 soldier vote law. His ballot was returned to Secretary of State Sam W. Mitchell today from Fort Snelling, Minn., by Klausler, who is in the chaplain corps."

 

Since posting I have determined that the box is not original to the bible. The logo appears to be that of the Globe Publishing Company. This bible was printed by the National Publishing Company. It would make sense that the bibles were handed out without boxes. It also explains the wear to the bible, which suggests it was carried in the pocket.

[siege1863]

Another related item from the same vet...

 

The pocket devotional Strength for Service to God and Country was first published in 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The pocket-sized volume contains a meditation for every day of the year. The original was in hard-back and was purchased by local churches and individuals to give to troops as they were deployed for Europe and Asia. According to a TIME magazine article dated April 1943, 500,000 copies were sold in nine months. Ultimately, over a million copies were sent to troops fighting in World War II from 1942 to 1945. When hostilities began in Korea, the book was republished and sent to troops beginning in 1952. Publication of the work ended in 1955. Since then, the book has been reprinted and is currently available to our troops.

 

 

From the veteran's letter written August 17, 1944...

 

“Greet the kids at church and tell Nick my ‘Strength for Service’ book is swell. I read it all the time and pass it along to those in our group who wish to read it. It really is a wonderful little book. It is surprising how many read it. There are a lot of fellows doing a lot of thinking these days.”

 

[Championhilz]

Here's one of my ID'D Bibles, it is hard to read the cover, but it says, "New Testament" and "US Army." This bible belonged to Carsie Z. Ballard Jr. from Coahoma County, Mississippi. He enlisted in January 1942 and served in the 353rd Bomb Squadron of the 301st Bomb Group. He was promoted to Sergeant on Feb. 25, 1944. I have had this bible for a couple of years and only recently got around to researching Ballard. Lo and behold, I found a picture of him on a site dedicated to the 301st Group.

 

 

[Championhilz]

And Here's the picture of Ballard - He is second from the right.

 

 

[siege1863]

Jeff---

 

What is the date of your bible? Is it a war date? What I noticed that is different is the place to record the "organization." Inside the front cover of my bible and "Strength for Service..." book there is a warning not to include information that may be useful to the enemy, i.e. unit, name of ship, etc. Clearly, your man has identified his BS and BG.

[Championhilz]

Mike,

It does not have a date anywhere that I can find - it was printed by the John C. Winston Company of Philadelphia.

[Championhilz]

Mike,

Here's the other Bible in my collection - even though it has the Army Air Corps Insignia on the Front, it belonged to PFC Duane G. Deaner who served in the 28th Infantry Division. I did some research on him, and the first notice I found about him in his local newspaper stated that he was arrested in 1940 at the age of 16 for stealing a car with two other teenagers! He enlisted on March 25, 1943, and I found another notice in his hometown paper when he returned to the US with his division in August 1945. he died October 11, 1996, and is buried in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APO472]

These are great. I thought that I was the only one who found these historic treasures interesting! "There are no atheists in foxholes" as the saying goes. Here is my favorite. It belonged to Benjamin Stoney (E/506th & HQ 2/506th...Band of Brothers) and he was carrying this when he was Killed in Action in Normandy.

[GLM]

Jeff---

 

What is the date of your bible? Is it a war date? What I noticed that is different is the place to record the "organization." Inside the front cover of my bible and "Strength for Service..." book there is a warning not to include information that may be useful to the enemy, i.e. unit, name of ship, etc. Clearly, your man has identified his BS and BG.

 

Here is the New Testament my father carried in the war while serving with 1st ID. It has the warning in the front fly not to add anything other than name. He went one step further and left everything blank.

 

Gary

[GLM]

This is my Uncle John's New Testament. He enlisted in the Marines in early January 1942, so I thought it not unusual to not have the name only warning in the front fly. Thumbing through it, I found the date July 22, 1943 in the back fly, so not all complied with the name only order. Uncle John died at Tarawa not quite four months later after signing his name and date in the back.

 

Gary

[Chap15]

Here is a metal plated Bible.

[Chap15]

The Outside of the Bible. (learning how to post more than one pic)