HiblerAmzyE2

Brownwood Bulletin               May 27, 1985              Brownwood, Texas

Family Seeking Veteran’s Past
by Harriette Graves
Bulletin Staff Writer

     Today is Memorial Day and Randy Hibler is visiting his aunts, Vera Thomas and Mamie England, in Brownwood and little by little, family members are finding out just where and how Hibler's grandfather, T-5 Amzy Hibler died and where. All the family knew up to a few months ago was that he had died on May 5, 1945 somewhere in Germany.

     A faded newspaper photograph of the soldier with his company and division barely legible surfaced as from out of the past. It had been stored away in a drawer at one of his aunts’ homes. Apparently a Bulletin photographer during World War II had given the family the photograph after it ran in the newspaper. The photo had been made by the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was sent to the Bulletin. It shows Hibler wrapping primacord around two blocks of TNT which was to be used to detonate charge of TNT within a disabled enemy tank at Apweiler, Germany.

     This little crumpled article was to play a major role in Randy Hibler’s life, and although it’s still too soon to say, it may inevitably help answer some questions.

     After the notice of Amzy Hibler's death, there was no further communication for about four years. It was in the early spring of 1949 that the Hibler family in Brownwood requested the return of Amzy Hibler’s body. The request was granted and on April 24, 1949, the soldier was reburied at Blanket Cemetery.

     The two aunts of Brownwood as well as Randy’s father, Ernest Wayne Hibler, also of Midland, and Harold Gen Hibler plus a son Amzy Hibler, have wondered through the years about the events that led to Amzy Hibler’s death. There was no information other than the death notice.

     Randy Hibler always knew that his grandfather was an army man, but he wanted to learn more. Somehow he felt that his grandfather had been a hero and he wanted to know everything. All the family knew was that the soldier had died shortly before the war ended.

     As young boys, Randy and his brother Amzy Hibler (named after his grandfather) of Midland, just wondered. But as they grew older, their interest in the past became more intent. But Randy pursued it even further. And after he married, his interest in the past mushroomed. He and his wife, Debbie, are expecting a baby soon and the family want the new child coming into the world to know about its great-grandfather and his part during World War II.

     Bit by bit the pieces began to fit together. Randy started the ball rolling in August 1984 when he wrote to the St. Louis Hall of Records. There was no reply. Later he made a telephone call – again nothing.

     Finally, he made a call to the office of Casper Weinberger, Secretary of Defense. He was referred to another office and then to another until at long last he was referred to another office in Washington, D.C. where he began to find what he was looking for. He was told that although it was an unusual request after so many years, at attempt would be made to secure additional information about the death of Amzy Hibler.

     It wasn’t too long before he received official forms from John Slazinik of the hall of records in St. Louis which verified that Hibler died in Tangermunde on May 5, 1945 shortly before V.E. Day.

     Less than a month ago, Randy Hibler was surprised when a package arrived from the United States Army. When he opened the box, there lay medals and a pin that had all these years been dormant and waiting to be given to the right person.

     Still wrapped in their original cellophane wrappers were the World War II Victory medal, European-African-Middle Eastern campaign, Purple Heart, and an honorable service lapel pin. Other documentation in the package showed that he had been attached to the 327 Combat Engineers and that because of a fire at the record center in St. Louis, MO, the records had been destroyed.

     There’s more! As the family studied and re-studied the photograph given to them so many years ago by a Bulletin photographer, the other pertinent information as to where he served came to light.

     With an armload of medals, papers, and other information, Randy Hibler went to the army recruiter in Midland who handed the young man an Army Times magazine and he noticed that the 102nd Infantry was having a reunion in Dallas. This is why a grandson of a war here is going to Dallas.

     "Even though I don’t know exactly what happened, I feel better and I am proud to have the medals that my grandfather earned," Hibler said. "When I go to the reunion I am going to find out more and talk to these men who were with my grandfather," he said. "Then maybe I will find out everything I want to know."

T he above newspaper article in PDF format


"When I talked to my grandmother, she told me that in order to prove that the body found was Amzy's, they had to request his enlistment records from the States and they used dental records to confirm it was my grandfather. Then my grandfather's sister told me that Amzy had an eye tooth that was skinny and sharp like a tooth pick, so with both of them saying what they did just helps confirm that was my grandfather. My grandmother did not have the body sent back right away because with him being MIA and then KIA she was not sure that it would have been his body they brought back. It was not until 1985 and the information I learned that she finally accepted that it was my grandfather's body, so she lived with doubts for over 40 years."



Letters and documents from Randy Hibler's research...
January 30, 1985 Assistant Chief, Memorial Affairs & Casualty Support Division, Department of the Army U.S. Army Personnel Center sends copies of "Individual Deceased Personnel File"		Report of Death June 2, 1945


Report of Burial May 19, 1945		Disinterment Directive August 4, 1948


March 7, 1985 Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel Actions, Department of the Army, Office of the Adjutant General - Letter regarding Purple Heart & authorization for remainder of awards		DA Form 1577 Awards Authorization


September 27, 1985 Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel Actions, Department of the Army, Office of the Adjutant General - Letter regarding Purple Heart and Purple Heart First Oak Leaf Cluster

If you have recollections about the May 4-5, 1945 night mission
across the Elbe River in the vicinity of Tangermunde
from which Amzy did not return, please contact

Randy Hibler
61 Glen Abbey
Abilene, TX 79606

Phone: (325) 695-7557

Email:
randy_82362@suddenlink.net
randy62780@aol.com
randy62780@yahoo.com

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