From the March 7, 2021 Trib Live "World War II veteran from Freeport ready to celebrate 100th birthday" by Julia Felton.
Mr. Early served in George Patton's Third Army, 80th Infantry Division where he was assigned to the 905th Field Artillery Battery C.
He saw President Roosevelt while in Basic Training and went across the Atlantic Ocean on the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary, leaving July 4, 1944. His group landed on Utah and Omaha beaches about two months after D-Day.
According to his son, 'He had a lot of close calls and harrowing experiences during the war. he was blown out of a foxhole one time by artillery. He wasn't injured, but the shell landed so close it blew them out of their foxhole."
Early moved through France before fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.
"He was an artillery spotter," according to his son. "He and his officer, they'd get in a jeep and go very deep into enemy lines and radio back to their artillery to show them where to fire."
Early's service earned him several awards, including a Bronze Star.
He was discharged in September 1945 and traveled home on the USS Breckinridge -- which was fitting because he lived in Breckenridge at the time.
--GreGen
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