Corporal Paul R. Hale, Solider, Father, Grandfather

Wilma Price-Hale

Paul Raymond Hale, my grandfather was born 26 April 1923 in W. Prestonsburg, KY to Walter "Watt" and Wilma (Price) Hale.

He grew up in a very wonderful family where there was love in plenty but not without hardships. His father, Watt Hale was a local barber, among becoming know for telling stories with his sense of humor but my grandfather Paul was the firstborn.

When the 1930's came about, the hardships of the Great Depression brought about the CCC where the government help those families putting men to work and that was no exception for my grandfather as he joined and learn some skills that would help him later in life. He sent the money back to his parents to help out with what he could. By this time he had a sister born in 1926 by the name of Jean Carol Hale but as the Great Depression came out, his mother was with child and a little brother was born on the 8 March 1931, they named him Fredrick "Little Freddie" Vincent Hale. Sept of that same year at just six months old, Little Freddie left this world and left behind two broken hearted parents, an older brother and a little sister to grieve his passing.

My grandfather, Paul Hale finally went and joined the CCC on 14 of Oct, 1940 but stayed for just a little while in Hellier, KY and was given leave on 24 March, 1941 to enlist in the Army.

1942 in Huntington, W.Va he enlisted in the Army. During this time he met a young lady by the name of Annette Steele Powell and on the 25th of March, 1943 they were married. Soon, they both would leave Kentucky and was stationed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. War called him overseas as he would have to leave his parents, a newly bride and a child behind to fight for over a year and seven months in Northern France, Rhineland Germany and Normandy. From letters sent back home to his mother and wife we can glean a few little stories of his time in the war.



Paul R. Hale

In one letter he wrote from the inside of a tank where there was just a little light to see to write back home. Or the time where he learn to cut hair from a man he met, which later on he would use that skill many times on my head. He spoke of seeing some beautiful caves, cooking in the mess hall but also the sadness of seeing death and destruction. In many of the letters he did not want to worry his mother, so he kept things short and sweet. His sister told me how she would see her mother many times would not eat a meal or would be sitting down in a chair lifting up her apron wiping the tears from crying. Yes, it was hard on all of the family. Before he left to go to war, his parents would have a son, Charles Hale and a daughter, Kathryn Hale, so when he left, he left a lot of his heart back home leaving a older sister, a baby brother, a little sister, a wife, a son and his parents. The heaviness of war.

One point in the war he would become Corporal Paul R. Hale and be awarded the Bronze Star Medal for "heroic achievement in action on 28 July, 1944 in the vicinity of La Barberie, France." A cannoneer in a Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron distinguished himself in preventing the capture of his crew and assault gun when surrounded by the enemy for six days. during intense enemy shelling of his tank and supervised a vigilant guard of the weapon.  Upon relief from an armored infantry unit, Corporal Hale assembled his crew and fired direct fire support against enemy snipers.

From this war, he finally came home. He would use his skills from his father and the CCC to build him a little home in West Prestonsburg, KY. All together he and his young bride would have other children, Paul Jr, Sharon, Wilma (my mother) and Jan. Today, only two are with us. My grandfather would begin to have problems with his heart. He wanted to come to a hospital in our area to have come medical care but on the way he laid his head over on the window as if he was sleeping, without a sound left this world at the age of 53. His older sister would write in her bible these words, "Paul went to be with Jesus today." Yes he did.