Franklin Guy Worley (1909-1964)

Pvt. Guy Worley, stationed at Ft. Knox, Ky., accompanied by his wife, spent the week end here with his parents, the Frank Worleys, and his brothers and sisters and families. On Sunday, about thirty family members gathered at the home of the J.L. (Bee) Worleys for a family dinner and day of visiting. Pvt. Worley left that night for Ft. Knox and his wife returned to Chicago.

Ft. Knox, Ky. -- Special -- A picked group of technicians from armored units all over the country was enrolled today in the Armored School for a course in tank mechanics. These men will be trained for the important task of keeping the army's tanks in fighting trim.

Among the new students is Pvt. Franklin Guy Worley, son of the Frank Worleys, Lowell.

The Armored school, commanded by Brig. Gen. P.M. Robinett, is one of the world's largest technical institutions. It turns out each year many thousands of specialists for service with the hard-hitting armored divisions and separate tank battalions.

The tank department gives students a detailed knowledge of engine, power train, suspension system and other elements of the complex tank mechanism. In addition to trouble-shooting and repair, much emphasis is placed upon preventive maintenance. The men have an opportunity to study engines in action in a half-million-dollar live-engine test building where they work on both Diesels and gasoline engines actually operating under load.

Spent Week With Parents

Pvt. Guy Worley, stationed at Ft. Knox, Ky., was here over Sunday with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Worley and other relatives and friends. On Sunday a family gathering, with thirty-two present, was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Worley south of town, where a most enjoyable day was spent. Guy's wife and daughter were here from Chicago to spend the week-end with him and other family members.

Arrives Safely in France

The Frank Worleys have received a letter from their son, Pvt. Guy Worley, that he has arrived safely in France. He was feeling O.K. and getting along fine when he wrote.

Pvt. Guy Worley, with a tank battalion of the 9th Army in Belgium, writes his parents, the Frank Worleys, that he is getting along fine and is O.K. He said the country was very pretty there, especially at night when the moon was shining. Houses there are all large, made of stone and brick and some of them, like the one in which he is now staying, have walls about three feet thick. When he was in Holland before moving up to the present position, Guy said the people he stayed with reminded him of his own father and mother. In another home in that little country where the boys stayed for a good time, the people were extremely good to the boys, serving them pie and coffee every night before they went to bed.

The following article, written by Russell Jones, Stars and Stripes Staff Writer, was sent to the Frank Worleys of Lowell, by their son Pfc. Guy Worley, who is a member of this division:

With the First Army, Jan. 28 -- St. Vith, the German's last stronghold of any consequence on the First Army's sector of what once was a "bulge," was recaptured today by the Seventh Armd. Div.

Tanks and armored infantry drove 1,000 yards into the key road hub early in the afternoon. After a house to house battle which lasted three hours and 45 minutes, the forces under Gen. Bruce C. Clark, of Syracuse, N.Y., had cleared it of the enemy.

The Seventh Armd.'s attack started at 2 p.m. with simultaneous drives by task forces under Lt. Col. Richard Chappius, of Lafayette, La., coming down the Malmedy-St. Vith road, and under Lt. Col. Marvin L. Rhey, of Chicago, coming down from the patch of woods 1,500 yards north of St. Vith.

The task forces, made up of tanks and armored infantry backed by parachutists commanded by Lt. Col. Richard T. Seitz of Leavenworth, Kan., pushed into the outskirts of the town in the face of small arms fire from Germans dug-in on the eastern edge and with artillery fire hitting them from the vicinity of Wallerode, 4,000 yards to the east.

Another Stars and Stripes staff correspondent writes:

St. Vith, Jan. 23 -- The Seventh armed infantry was back in town tonight, one month to the day from the night they evacuated after holding five days--three days longer than they had been ordered to--and knocking the German break-through so far off schedule that other First Army units were able to get farther west, where they stopped the threat.

The last Seventh Armd. outfit to pull out of St. Vith that cold night of Dec. 23 was an armored infantry battalion under Lt. Col. Richard D. Chappius, of Lafayette, La. Today Chappius commanded the task force that spearheaded the attack on the town.

A letter received by the Frank Worleys from their son Cpl. Guy Worley, with Hodge's mechanized forces in Germany, says they will soon be shaking hands with Russian soldiers whom they expect to meet soon. The letter, dated April 8th, said he did not cross the Rhine on the Remaghen bridge, but saw the crossing, and that he had been in the city of Bonn recently. He was feeling fine at the time he wrote.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Worley have received word from their son, T/5 Guy Worley, who is stationed in Germany. Guy was in the 9th army for a time, transferred to the 1st when they were in the worst of the fighting, then back to the 9th and now to the 7th army. He told about some of the boys having their feet frozen, but said he was lucky and only had his ears frozen on one occasion when they had to move out so fast he didn't have time to pull his helmet down. Once when he was on guard duty they were allowed only four shells for four hours. He said it might be bad to have rationing at home, but when shells have to be rationed at the front it is worse.

Mrs. Guy Worley and daughter, and her niece, were here from Chicago from Tuesday until Sunday, guests of her husband's parents, the Frank Worleys, and other relatives.

The Fourth of July was a happy one at the home of the Frank Worleys when all their children and families, with the exception of Guy, who is with the U.S. forces in Germany, were home to spend the day. On Sunday, the Worleys' daughter, Mrs. Ernest Ebert entertained her parents and her brothers and sisters and families at the Eberts' farm home east of town. A most enjoyable day was spent by family members at both events.

T/5 Guy Worley is just back from Germany and received his discharge at Camp Grant on New Years day. He, with his wife and little daughter will come to the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Worley this week-end.