Warren 'Woodpecker' Davis' actions make him a local hero worth remembering
Veterans Day is to honor those living who served in our military. Memorial Day is to remember our veterans who have crossed that great spiritual river.
Today I must humbly beg an exception for Warren "Woodpecker" Davis, whose story needs to be told.
Mother, dearDo not fearI’ll remain in eighth gradefor another year
That’s a verse Woodpecker would recite after failing that grade.
His life, however, would be filled with amazing accomplishments, heroism and service far beyond this failure.
I sat and talked with Mary Ann Eichelberger (Davis' daughter) and Joe, her husband, about Woodpecker’s life.
He was born in Fairplay on Jan. 8, 1922, one of eight kids.
When World War II erupted, he tried to enlist in the Marines but was turned down. Walter McGinley, his preacher at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church who served on the draft board, helped him get drafted in 1942, and off to war he went, carrying his tiny childhood Bible.
Woodpecker would be assigned to the 405th Infantry Regiment of the 102nd Ozark Division. He became a tech sergeant because of his leadership skills.
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His awards and feats of courage and heroism are something movies are made of. It was heroes like him who were the basis for Tom Brokaw’s "Greatest Generation."
On Nov. 22, 1944, Woodpecker found himself in Germany near Gelsenkirchen and the Wurm River. The battlefield was filled with German mines.
A downpour the day before had turned the fields into mud holes that rendered the advancing tanks vulnerable.
On this day, Woodpecker’s infantry unit came under heavy German assault and was pinned down on the outskirts of the village of Beeck. His courage and leadership were traits you didn’t learn in the eighth grade; his tiny Bible was near.
He was called to action by some inner voice only heard by heroes.
As Davis' company was under attack by intense artillery mortar, machine gun and small arms fire, he responded and "single handedly" neutralized that German assault position while taking 10 German prisoners.
For this heroism, his country awarded him the Silver Star for gallantry, the third-highest military combat decoration.
However, Davis' unit lost 173 of 200 men during this battle.
The next day Davis himself was wounded by machine gun fire to the stomach and laid for 18 hours on the battlefield, and many thought he was dead.
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As he lay bleeding in that mud-caked field, I wonder if he might have recited that verse from the 46th Psalm: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
He did not die this day. He was found and remained in a hospital until Dec. 14, 1945, when he was honorably discharged from the military.
For these and other wounds, Woodpecker also received two Purple Hearts.
When he came home from war, those nightmares of pain, horror and bloody scenes came with him.
In 1947, Woodpecker met Amelia "Pansy" Mose at a local carnival. Not long afterward, he married his favorite gal and they remained together for 52 years.
During the early years of that marriage, Woodpecker’s mental anguish of war would torment him and he would live alone out of his car for months, away from family and friends, to escape his agony.
Today, the military calls this condition Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.
He would later recover from this silent enemy with the help of a Dr. Sizemore.
Woodpecker Davis' heroism is well documented, but his service to mankind after the war was equally impressive.
He became active in the Boy Scouts of America.
In Sharpsburg, he served as the fire chief for some 14 years.
After a small kid was seriously injured in a fire on Snyders Landing Road and transport was not available, Woodpecker worked to establish the first ambulance crew for Sharpsburg.
After Marty and Bean Gay’s house burned down in a Dargan fire in the mid-1960s, he worked with Raleigh Ingram to help establish the Potomac Valley Fire Co.
He worked for the railroad in Hagerstown for 44 years.
My daughter Amy fondly remembers her walks in Sharpsburg and his gift of a glass of lemonade. She enjoyed the subsequent talks with Woodpecker and Pansy.
When one speaks of grit — courage and resolve, strength of character — Woodpecker’s life experiences would establish a gold standard.
When one talks of service to family and community, you might find him in a Rockwell painting.
Remembering Warren "Woodpecker" Davis life on this Veterans Day is a great privilege for me.
I remain in awe of his life and good deeds.
And I salute all veterans today, who served to keep us safe.
Lloyd "Pete" Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: WWII veteran's deeds on, off battlefield worthy of honor
