Wilton J. Landry
Biography: Wilton Joseph Landry “Dee” was born on June 30, 1916, in Port Neches, Jefferson County, Texas. He was the son of Hazard Pierre Landry and Eunice Marie Hebert and attended St. Catherine Catholic School and graduated from Port Neches-Groves High School. He continued his education at Southwestern Louisiana Institute, studying Business Administration from 1934 through 1936.
After leaving school, he worked for the Texas Company in Port Neches, assisting a surveyor as a rodman and chainman as well as creating drawings using drafting tools. For a two month period in 1942, he attended Sheet Metal National Defense School in Beaumont, TX. With the onset of WWII, the U.S. Government began a program they called the National Defense Vocational Training Program, which was designed to expedite the training of a large civilian workforce for defense-related industries.
On April 12, 1941, Wilton married the former Ada Frances “Vick” Vickers who was born in Winnsboro, Wood County, TX and was the daughter of Charles Sumner Vickers and Mary Lorus “Mollie” Napier. The new couple would make their home in Port Neches.
Service Time: Wilton entered active service on March 3, 1942, at the Houston, TX Induction Station. He was then sent to Camp Hood, TX, for his basic training and was noted as receiving a “Very Satisfactory” rating. He was then assigned to the 648th Tank Destroyer battalion and probably the Headquarters Company since he served as a section leader in charge of one of the unit’s reconnaissance cars, along with two jeeps and their crews. Their responsibilities included reconnoitering enemy territory to find position of targets and identify enemy strengths. They had received special training in scouting and patrolling techniques and were thoroughly familiar with hand weapons as well as the heavy machine gun, rocket launcher and antitank gun. Wilton additionally had qualified as a Sharpshooter with the rifle on November 17, 1943. The 648th trained in tank destroyer tactics and participated in the Tennessee Maneuvers in preparation for combat.
The 648th sailed on December 10, 1944, to Gourock, Scotland, on the Queen Mary. They arrived six days later on Dec 16, 1944. In England, they received new equipment and prepared it for combat. They landed in France on January 26, 1945, and were attached to the 70th Infantry Division on February 16th, during the fight for Saarbruecken, Germany. The unit was equipped with 3-ich towed guns and while attached to the 70th, they provided direct and indirect artillery support for the infantry by knocking out pillboxes and armored vehicles. They also shelled areas of heavy enemy resistance as well as providing pre-attack barrages.
The 648th was detached from the 70th on March 30, 1945, and made their way north, crossing the Rhine on a pontoon bridge at Bingen, Germany. They arrived in the Ruhr region of Germany to relieve some of the units fighting in the Ruhr Pocket. On April 15, 1945, they started making their way toward southern Germany, going into towns and villages that the fighting had by-passed, disarming citizens, taking POWs, and arresting any Nazis they found. The war ended several weeks later and took up occupational duties. In June, he was stationed in Zirndorf, Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany but by October he was in Regensburg and serving as a Military Policeman.
Wilton was awarded the EAME ribbon with credit for campaigns in Rhineland and Central Europe. He also received the American Theater Ribbon, the WWII Victory Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal and the Army of Occupation Ribbon. He shipped home on January 1, 1946 and arrived back in the U.S. on the 8th. He was discharged on the 16th at Camp Fannin, TX. He left the service at the rank of Sergeant.
Wilton arrived home to Port Neches to Ada and his new baby son Donald, who had been born while he was away in 1945. Wilton found work back at the Texas Company and continued to work there for there for the the next 42 years. In his spare time, he enjoyed playing golf. He was also a member of the local VFW Post 4820 and the St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Nation Honors Veterans Article
Wilton passed away on April 29, 1998, and was buried in the Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches, Jefferson County, TX. I want to thank Wilton’s son Don for providing the information and photos used in this tribute.
