Name: Walter Clay Cox, Jr.
Dob: November 9, 1922
Hometown: Lancaster, Ky
Drafted: No
Year: 1943
Unit: Camp Wolters, Tx
Medals: Bronze Star, Army commendation medal, Battalion Citation medal
History: Like a lot of other colleges, the University of Ky was a land grant college that required 2 years of military and then if you wanted to go on to advanced ROTC, you applied and were accepted if your grades were good. I was accepted and spent one year in advanced and then they took us into the army and sent us to Basic Training at Camp Wolters Tx for 17 weeks. After that we were supposed to go to Ft Benning for Officers training which we did after about 6 months which time was spent back in college training ASTP students. I graduated from Benning Aug 8, 1944 and reported to Leonard Wood on Aug 18, 1944. I was assigned by Capt Eugene Sisson to the 3rd platoon and trained my men until we were shipped overseas. We were exposed to enemy fire in Leonard Wood by having mortars drop on top of the 2nd and 3rd Platoon in a live ammunition training program. Several men were wounded. You all know the rest of the story but my platoon did a job (opened the door of the church at Wingen} and let all the prisoners out. After that we were called to relieve Company C on a hillside outside Phillipstal. I still had 38 men and that's all that was left out of Co C. After one day, we withdrew to straighten the line and my platoon, a machine gun squad, an antitank squad and Major Paul Durbin were left behind to delay the Krauts if they found out we were withdrawing. Lucky me, they did not know we were withdrawing and we rode in trucks all the way back to the line. In February after the push, I was made Company Commander and stayed there until the end. I was transferred to the 1st Battalion 7th Infantry 3rd Division and was made Battalion adjutant where I stayed until the return home in June 1946. After that I went back to college at Univ of Ky and finished Law School Aug 1948. I fathered two daughters, Mary Eugenia, and Rebecca Lee who have given me 3 granddaughters Katherine Wakefield, Sarah Wood and Charlotte Wood. My 1st wife died in 1975 and I remarried Pam in 1988. My son Clay was born Jan 23, 1995 and is now 10 years old. I practiced law in Lancaster for 3 years and was elected Police Judge and then was recalled from the inactive reserve and was sent to Korea. After Korea, I practiced Law in Lexington until I retired in 1988. I am a Real Estate Broker, an estate attorney and I represent the City in economic development in addition to playing golf. So far, I have been Vice President East of the assn and Kentucky coordinator for the past 10 years. I hope to attend all future conventions.