Theodore “Ted” Simpson

ASN: 37619918

Theodore “Ted” Simpson enlisted in the service July 22, 1943, at the Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri.

Single without dependents at the time, his record reflects four years of high school and a student at the University of Missouri. A WWII Registration Card identifies him as Theodore Oliver Simpson, 4664 Pershing Ave., St, Louis, Missouri. Born March 9, 1925, he registered on his 18th birthday. He is described as 6’1”, 160 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes and light complected. Dr. C. O. Simpson was noted as someone who would always know his address.

Fort Bragg Training

Private Simpson received training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and later assigned to the A-Battery, 319th Field Artillery Group, 82nd Airborne Division. Following 13 weeks of training he shipped out to Europe from the Boston harbor on the SS Manhattan arriving in England on May 21, 1944.

Company Morning Reports

The Army produced Company Morning Reports (CMR) every morning in all units relating to personnel matters. The A-Battery CMR of June 7th, 1944, included a list of 52 new soldiers joining the unit (June 2, 1944) from the 18th Replacement Depot APO 872. Private Simpson was one of those replacement soldiers. Those new depot soldiers officially joined the unit in Market Harborough, England on June 3, 1944. But the full division had already departed their base camp on May 29th to the Membury Airdome for the Normandy D-Day mission. The combat echelon returned from Normandy in July.

Private Simpson appears in the CMR of July 25th, 1944, on furlough in Birmingham, England, with nine other soldiers. They returned from furlough on July 30, 1944. No further references were made to his name in the Morning Reports. He remained with the A-Battery of the 319th and fought in Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.

Conversations with Ted Simpson

Theodore “Ted” Simpson was one of several A-Battery soldiers I had the honor of speaking to. It was 2006 and he was living in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida beach with his wife, Sally. Ted was very personable; someone you quickly became friends with. He instantly recalled my father, William Bonnamy, the first time we spoke. They were assigned to the same gun section and good friends.

In my first conversation with Ted Simpson, I told him about dad’s photograph. The handwriting on the back of a “Bulge” photo said, “Ted Simpson Missouri.” Ted then told me about a short story he wrote entitled, “How One Boy Grew” (Click Link) and eventually mailed me a copy. It’s a great story of his life and time in the service.

I mailed Ted some of dad’s photographs and on June 27, 2006, he wrote me his first letter, “So, you never thought 60 years after these pics were made that you would talk to one of those guys, eh?” ……. I wonder how many of us posing youthfully in these same pics are still eating, burping, and bathing? Well, I’m 82 now, one arm lighter, 3 unpronounceable cases of cancer behind me, also heart bypass, appendicitis, peritonitis, 2 new knees, 2 broken arms and 1 leg and still going strong. A shade weaker. It’s got to be the good genes plus a never ceasing grasp for good Vodka and Rum.”

Ted was an interesting guy, I could have talked to him for hours. In the letters he mentioned recently speaking with Captain Sartain as well as Joe Covais, the author of BATTERY. 

He humorously noted certain men in the photo below and their idiosyncrasies. For example, “Ten cold and dead tired troopers in the Bulge. God, it makes me cold all over again just to look at them. Also, my favorite because I’m in it!  What else!  Still recognize Radosh, your dad, Okie and Bob Carte. Typical sad puss on Carte. He was occasionally uproarious, but usually melancholy. I always figured West Virginia made one wear this expression most of the time. His (Bob Carte) favorite expression which I still remember; Somebody, anybody was grinning like a barrel full of possum head, great eh.” 

The photo of Bonnamy before he died, Ted commented, “your dad sure grew up looking a lot different than he did in the Army.”  

More Information and Photos

Standing (L-R): John Hardin, “Doc” Dibble, Bob Carte, Ted Simpson, Fred Harsh, Ralph “Red” Radosh, Kenneth Hanne. Kneeling (L-R): William Bonnamy, Hjalmar “Okie” Olkonen, Fred Fitzke. Battle of the Bulge. A-Battery in position below zero temperatures near Froidville, Belgium, December 27, 1944, fired 360 rounds in support of an attack by the 508th Parachute Infantry this date.

I kept up our correspondence and Ted wrote me (see letters below) indicating he received my letter noting it had to follow him to his home in France. Ted spent a good share of his summers there and France was really home as well. He was delighted that I found his memories entertaining, but they weren’t much fun at the time. Ted was adamant I should follow through on a trip to Normandy with my son and not let the trip slip away.

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We talked about Operation Holland and asked if he recalled his glider landing. He commented: “I can’t give you a clue where our gliders came down, didn’t take a minute to check the maps since there were rifle shots, mortar rounds and light artillery shells in that small field simultaneously. You’ll probably find my damp shorts still in the same field.”

Below, Private Simpson and other A-Battery soldiers combat ready at the Barkston Heath Airdome awaiting their glider mission into Operation Holland. (Sept 3, 1944) Ted Simpson also appeared in the A-Battery group photo taken June 20, 1945 in Epinal, France.

In May 1945, CPL Simpson participated in the liberation of Wobbelin. On August 1, 1945 he was appointed to Corporal and assigned to occupational duties in Berlin, Germany.

War Decorations

For his service CPL Simpson was awarded 4 Bronze Battle Stars, Bronze Arrowhead, the Good Conduct Medal, Belgian Fourragere, Presidential Unit Citation Badge, Victory Ribbon and European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre Ribbon. He returned to the USA on December 30, 1945, and separated from the service on January 3, 1946.

Report of Separation and Honorable Discharge

Ted and I spoke briefly over the next few years, though his health was failing. On September 20, 2011, I called him and a caretaker answered the phone stating Ted was pretty sick. She wasn’t sure if he could talk on the phone, but I could hear him in the background. He asked who was on the phone and when she said “Bill Bonnamy” he insisted on talking to me. His voice was so faint, “Bill, thanks for calling, I’ve got lung cancer and I’m dying.” I could hardly hear him but his words took me by surprise. I told him it was an honor to know him and to hang in there. “Thanks for calling,” he said, “I will always remember you, your dad and the 82nd Airborne,” his last words as he hung up the phone.

At 86 years of age Private Theodore O. Simpson’s “wild and wooly trip to preserve democracy” came to an end, he died October 19, 2011.

God Bless this hero.

Photos and images courtesy of the Simpson family and the Mahlon Sebring family