Notes for: Delton Winfield Cox
FORMER WW II PRISONER OF WAR TO CELEBRATE 95TH BIRTHDAY
Dalton W. Cox was born April 5, 1919, on Isaac's Fork, near Pullman.
He grew up on the family farm and walked many miles to attend Pullman High School, where he participated in sports, Vo-Ag, the boys' glee club, and other activities. He graduated with the Class of 1938.
Cox served in the United States Army from May 1942 until October 1945. He was a tank driver with the 750th Tank Battalion, which left the United States on the troop ship USS Wakefield in September 1944.
Deployed to the European battlefront, they subsequently fought in the famous "Battle of the Bulge" in the Ardennes region of Belgium and France during December 1944 and January 1945.
He and others in his unit were captured by the Germans around Dec. 30, 1944, and were marched through the bitter winter snow for more than a week to the prison camp at Bad Orb, Germany, where he remained until liberated May 1, 1945, by Allied forces.
Two years ago, Cox suffered a stroke, which left him unable to walk, and since that time he has resided at the Veterans Medical Center in Martinsburg.
His memory is great and he enjoys reminiscing about his younger activities while living in the Pullman area.
Turning 95-years-old is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone, much less a former prisoner of war held by the Germans in the notorious Stalag IXb prisoner of war camp for four months in the winter of 1945.
Let us remember this former Prisoner of War (POW) on his special day, or any day, with a card, letter or note of thanks for his service to helping secure the freedom we enjoy today.
Cards, letters and other notes may be sent to: Dalton W. Cox, Ward 5C, Veterans Medical Center, 510 Butler Ave, Martinsburg, WV 25405.
(Pennsboro News, April 2, 2014, p. 4A)