Sgt. Edward Hugh Weik (my uncle) was born on July 18, 1909, in Leonardville, Riley, Kansas. Everyone knew him as Eddie. His parents were Otto Richard Weik and Rubie Jemima Pultz. He was the second child out of a family of seven.
He was a farm boy just like his brothers, Leo, Don and Merle. Their father Otto died at the age of forty-one in 1926. Rubie was now a widow, the head of the household and the mother of seven children. I remember my father telling me that he was only three years old at the time. So that left the three oldest boys to step up and help their mother with the farm chores, crops to plant and harvest, etc.
The oldest son Leo John Weik left home at the age of seventeen to start a life for himself and to get married. Farming was not the life he wanted for himself. So, then it fell to Eddie to be the head of the household along with his mother Rubie. My father would later tell me that Eddie became the father he never got to experience. Much of what my father learned during his early years was because of time he spent with his brother, Eddie.
Eddie put his life on hold to help his mother and siblings. Then on October 23, 1940 “Uncle Sam” came calling and he enlisted.
On June 30, 1942, thirteen men including himself were sent to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas for final physical exams. He passed the final exam and then went back home for two weeks so he could get his affairs in order. It also was a bittersweet time because he would be saying goodbye to his mother, siblings, friends and neighbors. To many farmers this would be their first time away from home. Eddie would see the world but not as a tourist but a representative of the United States Army. World War II by now was reality. President Roosevelt called on all citizens of the United States to participate in helping our troops at home and abroad.
Eddie was a farm boy from Kansas who had never been out of the state. I am sure it was a rude awakening for him. I am not sure where Eddie did his boot camp and I only have newspaper clippings to go by as to where he was located during WWII.
Eddie was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division of the of the U. S. Army and probably was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for his training. This Division was activated on July 15, 1940, and nicknamed, “Hell on Wheels“, Major General Charles L Scott along with Colonel George S Patton Jr. were in charge of the training. The soldiers training was very intense, and maneuvers were across Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas and the Carolinas.
Eddie was in a division that played a prominent role during WWII. November 8, 1942, the 2nd Armored Division participated in the invasion of North Africa, capturing Casablanca. The division then went on to join the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Later this division was moved to England to get ready for the Normandy invasion. Eddie landed on Omaha Beach three days later after D-Day. Eddie’s division fought at Carentan and contributed to the breakthrough at St. Lo. They advanced through France and went across the Seine River close to Paris. Moving onward through Belgium they crossed the Siegfried Line and into Germany.
During the Battle of the Bulge his division operated as a part of Montgomery’s Twenty-first Army Group and advancing to the Rhine River under heavy enemy fire.
Eddie’s division earned widespread recognition for its valor, receiving over 9,000 awards, two Medals of Honor and more than 2,000 Silver Stars. Eddie was in combat at least 238 days and his division had 7,348 casualties and 1,160 killed in action. Edward Hugh Weik had done his duty and serviced his country well. I have no information if Eddie received any medals for his service. It was time to return home to his beloved state of Kansas and become reunited with his family.
Once Eddie returned home from the war it was time to get back to his family and friends. He had to find a job in the private sector and begin to live again as a citizen of Kansas. During this time of readjustment to civilian life a woman named Grace McGuire caught his eye, he was now forty-two years old and Grace was thirty-seven years old. They were married on November 22, 1951, in Wamego, Pottawatomie, Kansas. After the wedding they traveled to Davenport, Scott, Iowa to see his brother Merle Otto Weik (my father) and his family.
I was a baby the first time I saw my Uncle Eddie and Aunt Grace, but as the years went by, I developed a great relationship with them. I would say they were one of my favorite aunts and uncles. They did not have any children, but all the nieces and nephews were treated as if they were their own. When our family went to Manhattan, Riley, Kansas each year for a vacation we always stayed with them. I remember that Uncle Eddie would set up the army cots for my brothers and I to sleep on while we visited. My absolute favorite thing Uncle Eddie did for us was to make homemade ice cream. I thought it was the best ice cream in the world as a child. He also was the person who made the homemade ice cream when the Pultz family reunion was held each year on Hunter’s Island. I enjoyed them for many years, but Uncle Eddie never really spoke about WWII and what he actually did during the war. He was like my own father in that respect and only spoke briefly about things that had occurred doing those times.
Edward Hugh Weik died on April 28, 1986, in Manhattan, Riley, Kansas at the age of seventy-seven years old. He was a quite giant who always had a joke to share with his mother or others including my dad.
Grace Mills McGuire Weik died on February 15, 2006, and she was ninety-one years of age. She was devoted to Eddie, and they did so many things together like fishing, traveling and in later years they spent winters in Texas.
On this Veteran’s Day I think about Uncle Eddie and my father who had stories they never discussed with others. They were different people when they returned home because of what they endured during WWII. This blog post is dedicated to all who served or who is serving today. We owe them our gratitude for protecting us in ways we can’t even imagine.
Thank you to all the men and women who served and are serving today.
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