Walter Lot GLON

27 MAY 1914 - 29 MAR 1948

• BIRTH: 27 MAY 1914, South Bend, IN
• DEATH: 29 MAR 1948, Milwaukie, WI

• MARRIAGE: 1943, St Joseph County, IN

1.  Lorraine Ann GLON
2.  Walter GLON

INDEX

[N10108] Source Don Scherpereel

Walter "Lot" GLON was born on May 27, 1914 in South Bend, IN. He died on March 29, 1948 in Milwaukee, WI. Died from tuberculosis. He was one of the first people to receive Streptomycin. In a letter he wrote to his sister on Wed. 19, 1947 he said , "First of all I am getting to feel better every day. I got 108 shots of Streptomycin up until now. Sis, I am not to bad off that I will die right away. But their is one thing, don't let no one tell you about Stripto, cause the doctor's here don't know themselves. They are only in experimental stage, one thing they do know is it will stop TB. When I came in here I was in very good shape only I had a little stuff in my left lung. But it spread so fast to my right. ( Please don't tell no one about my condition.) When my blood went to heck. I think everything went bad. This Strepto makes us very dizzy. I feel like I am drunk all the time. They check our Kidneys-blood and our hearing once a week. The Doctors watch us 11 guys very close. Sis I will close I am so dizzy. Excuse my writing. God Bless you all. Give my best regards, to ma. I gained 4 pounds last week. Bro Lot."

He wrote another letter to Antonia around Christmas: "Dear Sis, I am sending you $12 now and I will send $10 later. So you can buy Xmass presents for my wife and children. $5 for each kid and buy 3 pears of nylon socks for Sophie's birthday and the rest buy her a Xmass present such as in clothes. I hope you can understand. How is Bill and Joan and yourself. Isure hope you are in good health. Did you move yet. I must close, God Bless, you all. Love Bro. Lot" He served in the military joined the army in November of 194. Lot was part of the 489th Ambulance Company which was activated at Fort Dix N.J. in May of 1943 as Company F of the 343rd Medical Regiment. In July the company moved to Madison Barracks N.Y. where basic and unit training were taken. The company commenced a five month period of field work divided between the West Virginia Maneuver Area and the Louisiana Maneuver Area. In April they were sent to Camp Van Dorn Mississippi and entered barracks for the first time since leaving Madison 5 months earlier. They left Mississippi in August arriving in Scotland and traveling to England by rail. In September they landed in France, assigned to the 9th army. November found them in Belgium and a small portion of the company was in operation evacuating casualties from Engineer and Field Artillery battalion aid stations. From the time of there arrival in England the unit again returned to living in the field but in early December it moved to Holland where quarters were provided in private homes -- all on one street with a cafe at the corner serving as kitchen and headquarters. This ideal condition lasted only two weeks for when Van Runstedt launched his counter offensive in Belgium the unit was rapidly moved to that area and became attached to the 1st Army. During the period of the Bulge Battle the 489th evacuated casualties from the 82nd Airborne Division the 3rd, 7th and 9th armored Divisions as well as the 30th, 75th and 106th Infantry Divisions. This was the first major operation in which the unit was engaged and in spite of severe conditions due to ice and snow and enemy action over 7000 casualties were evacuated in a period of about six weeks. An ambulance company is capable of evacuating casualties from as many as three infantry divisions at one time or from all three combat commands of an armored division and during the bulge battle the 489th was always in support of at least two and sometimes three units. Following the close of this engagement the company returned to the 9th Army and when the crossing of the Roer river was made the company was engaged in evacuating all three combat commands of the 5th Armored Division during this operation. For the Rhine river crossing the company operated with the 35th Infantry Division. Other units supported included the 8th Armored and the 29the Infantry Division and the 7th armored Division with which organization they crossed the Elbe river and continued on to the Baltic Sea. Following the defeat of Germany, the 2nd Armored division was ordered to prepare for the occupation of Berlin and the 489th was selected to support them. However, redeployment plans made it impossible for them to remain with the 2nd Armored and they withdrew to prepare for shipment home. ----- The ambulance drivers from this company evacuated over 12,000 casualties and drove a total of 1,200,000,000 patient miles without a serious accident. This report comes from The Camp Swift Baron, Camp Swift Texas, Wednesday, August 15, 1945. He served in the military.