Calvin Hightower

ASN:34235247

PVT Calvin Hightower - 1942

­Calvin Fortson Hightower registered for the draft on July 1, 1941. Born June 20, 1920, he was from Summerfield, Louisiana and a student at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, Louisiana. 

Enlisting in the army on March 11, 1942 at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this twenty-one-year-old was 6-0’, 150 pounds with a light complexion, blue eyes, and blonde hair. He listed wearing glasses as a physical characteristic to aid in identification.

PVT Hightower trained at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, in 1942 while the 319th was a Field Artillery Unit. (see photos below)

Photos courtesy of Buster Norris

In August 1942, the 82nd Division was designated as an airborne operation and intensive training was conducted at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Now, Corporal Hightower was assigned as a gun crewman.

As a member of the 319th Glider Field Artillery, A-Battery of the 82nd Airborne Division, he was deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and sailed with the battalion from Staten Island, New York, aboard the SS Santa Rosa to North Africa arriving in Casablanca May 10, 1943.

Company Morning Reports

Company Morning Reports were produced every morning by the individual Army units to record personnel matters. The following events for Calvin Hightower were reported:

  • Octobr 17, 1943, from duty to absent sick hospital, line of duty. Station: Naples, Italy.

  • January 18, 1944, from duty to furlough 9 days. Station: Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland.

  • January 27, 1944, from furlough to duty. Station: Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland.

  • February 8, 1944, appointed Sgt. from Corporal: Station: Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland. Duty 539, glider mechanic.

  • July 19, 1944, from duty to furlough 5 days to Manchester, England at 0600. Station:  Papillon Hall 4 miles west of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England WF 1406.

  • July 24, 1944, from furlough to duty. Station: Papillon Hall 4 miles west of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England WF 1406.

  • March 6, 1945, from duty to absent sick, 195th GH APO 513 (on-battle casualty) 0900. Duty 539 (Glider Mechanic). Station: Camp Suippes France, VT 6863, Nor D’Guerre.

  • April 20, 1945, from absent sick to line of duty, General Hospital APO 513 (non-battle casualty). Station: Camp Suippes France, VT 6863, Nor D’Guerre.

  • June 11, 1945, promoted to Staff Sgt. Station: Lubtheen, Germany RT Nord DeGuerre.

  • June 23, 1945, transferred to A- Battery, 681st Glider Field Artillery Battalion. Station: Lubtheen, Germany RT Nord DeGuerre.

He fought in the major campaigns of Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Normandy, Holland, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.

While stationed near Bizerte, Tunisia, Corporal Hightower wrote home and spoke “of doing quite a bit of swimming and would like this place fine. I have a pretty good sun tan and almost as brown as these Arabs around here.” He recalled, “ I think I will go fishing in a day or so if I can dig up some fishing tackle….the Arabs are catching fish around here but they are blasting them out.”

In October 1944 the 319th occupied Naples, Italy after weeks of combat in the mountainous area above Maiori, Italy. In a letter to home Corporal Hightower talked of being hospitalized for 7 days and hoping to receive packages from home before Christmas. And heavy rainfall creating terribly muddy conditions during the fighting near the Volturno River.

see Army censored V-Mail (Victory Mail) letters and photo below

Photos/Images courtesy of Buster Norris

While bivouacked in Northern Irleand Calvin Hightower was promoted to Sergeant, February 8, 1944. The battallion then moved to a new station, Papillion Hall near Lubenham, England in February 1944, in preparation for Normandy D-Day Invasion.

While on furlough SGT Hightower posing (photo below - far right) with a group of other unidentified 319th soldiers in London, England.

During the final weeks of the war the 319th was stationed near Ludwigslust, Germany. Below, SGT Hightower poses with an Army piper cub plane (left) known as a “Grasshopper” and an enemy observation aircraft. (right)

Photos below taken near the Wobbelin camp, Ludwigslust, Germany, May 1945.

Above photos courtesy of Buster Norris and Joseph Covais, author of BATTERY

A-Battery gun section - Calvin Hightower (kneeling 2nd from left) - Germany - 1945 - photo courtesy of the Casimir Sobon family

The Adjusted Service Rating Score (ASR) was a system the U.S. Army used at the end of the war to determine when soldiers were eligible for discharge. While waiting for further discharge orders the 319th was bivouacked in Epinal, France.

The Chief of Sections photograph below was taken in June 1945. He also appeared in the A-Battery group photo taken June 20, 1945 in Epinal, France.

Standing (L-R); Tom Ludwick, Arno Mundt, Al Hein, Marvin Ragland, Charles Sartain, Calvin Hightower, Ed Spencer, Victor Buinowski - Kneeling (L-R); John Girardin, Sal Covais, Bob Rappi, Dave Stelow, Harold Peters, Thurman King, Marvin Fellman, Thomas Legg, unknown - Chief of Sections, Epinal, France

SGT Hightower was one of many “High Point” soldiers with a score over 85 points who returned to the USA arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on September 14, 1945. He returned to civilian life and honorably discharged September 21, 1945.

His service was awarded with the Good Conduct Medal, Distinguished Merit Badge with Oak Leaf Cluster, European/African Middle Eastern Service Medal Ribbon with 6 Bronze Battle Stars, 4 overseas Service Bars, one bronze Service Arrowhead.

In the post war years he lived in the State of Louisiana and was employed with the USDA as a grain inspector.

Proudly posing at home with his family in January 1946 in Summerfield, Louisiana (below)

…and with his wife Claire in 1960 and their 1954 Ford Fairlane. (see photo below)

Calvin Hightower, 75, died August 5, 1995. God Bless this hero.