GARFIELD — Tony Asher Post 300 would like to recognize Vaughn Duncan.
Vaughn served in World War II for 23 months and 10 days, from March 17, 1944 to Feb. 6, 1946. Vaughn came out of service as a Tech Sergeant or E7 and was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He served under General George Patton as an Infantry Rifleman and carried his M-1 rifle all through Europe, usually with two 8 shell clips and two grenades along with his equipment. Vaughn was still in high school when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. When he graduated in 1943 Vaughn and five of his classmates joined different branches of the service. Vaughn joined the Army and spent the next six months in basic training. It was quite an emotional day when he shipped out for England then on to France and finally Germany.
A lot of his fighting was from a fox hole. Most of these fox holes measured 3x3x7, all dug by hand and were big enough to handle three men.
In one incident Vaughn was covering his buddy during a German attack and caught shrapnel in his shoulder. The most memorable even was when a German civilian approached his buddies and him. The German man was opposed to Hitler. He directed the American soldiers to a slate mine where they found a 150 gallon keg of Cognac and also a keg of red wine. Needless to say that was a warm evening in ice cold Germany for the soldiers.
When Vaughn came home it took him 11 days. Finally getting home he went to work for John Olson who had a machine shop.
In 1948 Vaughn married his sweetheart, Margaret Ruthee Robbins. They had three sons, David, Stuart and Steven, They also ended up with four grandkids and three great-grandkids.
In 2001 Vaughn lost his wife after 55 years of marriage and also lost one of his sons, Steven, at the age of 51.
During his working days ,Vaughn left Garfield for Garden City where he worked as a car salesman. They later moved to Pratt in 1956 and he worked as a roustabout. In 1968 he moved to Great Bend and worked for Bovard Supply Company as a machinist and a welder, rebuilding a lot of pumping unites. Vaughn retired in 1991 and continued to reside in Great Bend.
Vaughn had been a member of the Garfield Legion for 34 years and was there every Memorial Day to help with their ceremony of honoring past legionnaires. He would place the wreath on the Unknown Soldier for years.
The post has been blessed to have Vaughn in their legion.
Editor’s note: This story was originally intended to appear as a birthday wish to Vaughan Duncan, who passed away on Aug. 19. He was the oldest living member of the Garfield American Legion, and would have been 97 years old on Aug. 29. His obituary appears on page 5A of today’s Great Bend Tribune.
