SEXT Seniors Resource Guide

2016

Seniors resource guide

Last of the Greatest Series Charles Henson WWII

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I believe that even the smallest act of compassion can have a large impact.

We believe that every moment matters. Maybe that’s why so many families believe in us when it comes to choosing a hospice provider. For more information or to receive our free DVD, “Hospice and Your Loved One,” call 409-212-0020.

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The Seniors Resource Guide is designed to provide news, information, and resources for seniors across Southeast Texas.

It is a companion to our online magazine SETXSeniors.com which publishes over 400 local articles each year for Golden Triangle seniors.

The printed magazine features large fonts and an easy, comfortable “digest” size.

Each edition features our signature series “Last of the Greatest” featuring interviews with Southeast Texas World War II Veterans.

This edition’s hero is Charles Henson. He has the distinction of serving in three branches of service during World War II: The Merchant Marine, The Army, and The Coast Guard. In addition, he served as a home town hero with the Beaumont Police Department Motorcycle Unit.

If you’d like to reach Golden Triangle seniors 55+, we’d love to have you as an advertiser.

Daryl Fant, Publisher (512) 567-8068 Publisher@SETXSeniors.com

PO Box 2131 Village Mills, TX 77663 To Advertise Call (512) 567-8068 Today!

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Five Fun Places to Take Your Grandkids in Southeast Texas For many of us, time with our grandchildren is precious. We’d like to get them away from their video games, cell phones, and iPads and out into the world. This issue, we have selected five fun things you can do with your grandchild right here in Southeast Texas.

Night Hike at The Big Thicket The Big Thicket Visitor’s Center plans lots of fun activities each month, many with kids in mind. One that is particularly memorable is their night hikes. Guides will take you down trails and educate you about the creatures that live in the night. You could see raccoons, possum, bats, deer, glowing mushrooms, and lightning bugs. Their day hikes and classes are also great to share with grandchildren. Call the Visitor’s Center for more information: 6102 FM 420, Kountze, Texas 77625 Phone: 409-951-6700

Spindletop Gladys City Museum Walk the old boardwalks, see the old barber shop, and visit the print press of days gone by. Get a feel for the early days of the oil boom at Southeast Texas’ very own Gladys City Museum. Plan a day to visit with the grandkids when they blow the gusher for a throwback experience to 1901. Tip: Check their website for family fun days that feature games, crafts, and live actors.

5550 Jimmy Johnson Blvd.

Lamar Beaumont Campus 409-880-1750 Spindletop.org

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Fire Museum of Texas Enjoy the Fire Museum of Texas right here in downtown Beaumont with the littlest firemen (and women!) in your life. There are antique fire engines, memorabilia, and a great kids’ activity area. The Fire Museum of Texas has the coolest photo op in the area – right in front of the giant fire hydrant! Create a great memory for the young & young at heart, it’s one for the scrapbooks or your next family Christmas card.

FREE. 400 Walnut Street Downtown Beaumont (409) 880-3927 FMOTAssn.com

KOA Brookeland Create a memory of catching that first fish with your precious grandkids at Lake Sam Rayburn. Spend a day outside like you used to when you were young and pass your love of the great outdoors to the next generation. Hike, canoe, bird watch, and more. Check out great camping facilities (tent, RV, cabins) at KOA Brookeland for a weekend.

Don’t forget the marshmallows.

505 Co Rd 212, Brookeland, TX 75931 (800) 562-1612 KOA.com/Campgrounds/Brookeland

Shangri La Nature abounds in Southeast Texas! Orange, TX offers world class flora and fauna for all ages. Tours, classes, and events are offered throughout the year for a rich opportunity to explore native SETX! Your kids can learn to identify animal tracks, trees and plants, and watch migratory birds from the bird blind. Plan an outing while the grandbabies are visiting and show them a “whooping” & “hooting” good time!

2111 West Park Avenue in Orange.

(409) 670-9113 StarkCulturalVenues.org Are you looking for more great ideas on activities to share with your grandchildren? Pick up a copy of The Southeast Texas Kids Directory Magazine at over 400 locations across Southeast Texas including Chic-fil-A, all local libraries, medical offices and hospitals, and the children’s play area in Central Mall.

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Southeast Texas

Houston

For many of us, road trips are cherished memories of time spent with our parents, our spouse, and our children.

I remember when it seemed like a grand adventure to drive from Beaumont to The Grand Canyon or New York City. As I get older, I like most of my road trips to be a little shorter.

Today we’re looking at a comfortable road trip destination – Houston.

We have compiled some ideas for a quick weekend getaway: 1. Houston Zoo. How long has it been since you visited a zoo? Don’t be surprised if the experience is more than you expect. For many Southeast Texas seniors, the sights, sounds, and smell of the zoo can transport you back in time to your own childhood. HoustonZoo.org.

2. Waugh Drive Bridge. To the BAT CAVE, make that the bat bridge.

Witness 250,000 bats come out at dusk to wage war on the mosquito population. Watch from a platform by the bridge or take the luxury XS D QRWFK YLD SRQWRRQ ERDW WRXU %X൵DOR%D\RX RUJ 3. Space Center Houston. We may have missed our shot at being astronauts, but Space Center Houston really gives you a feel for the experience. Includes behind the scenes tours and a look at real astronaut training. SpaceCenter.org.

4. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion or Miller Outdoor Theater.

There is something magical about watching a concert or play under WKH VWDUV +RXVWRQ R൵HUV WZR JUHDW RSSRUWXQLWLHV &DWFK D QDWLRQDO touring act, Houston symphony or ballet, or cultural program.

WoodlandsCenter.org. MillerOutdoorTheater.com.

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Where to eat?

For Houston Nostalgia, Prince’s Hamburgers or Houston’s Restaurant.

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Prince’s Hamburgers. Serving burgers and fries since 1935, Prince’s has added a heart healthy menu for seniors looking to relive the good old days. PrincesHamburgers.com.

Houston’s. Steaks, salads, and seafood prepared from scratch FRPELQHG ZLWK D UH¿QHG DPELDQFH HQVXUH D PHPRUDEOH PHDO Hillstone.com/Houstons

Are you looking for more ideas?

Visit HoustonSeniors.org for more information on senior friendly entertainment across the Houston area.

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The Last of the Greatest Charles Henson

Charles Henson was fifteen years old in 1938.

He’d grown up during The Great Depression and around him the local Port Arthur job scene looked bleak. He enjoyed going to the old drawbridge over the Intercoastal Waterway near Pleasure Island in Port Arthur. He’d eat jelly beans and watch the ships go by. They were a child’s actions, but he had a man’s yearning for the sea.

The family moved to Beaumont, and he no longer could see the ships. The smell from the Magnolia Refinery reminded him of them, until he could not take it anymore. He told his mom he’d like to go to sea, and they talked to Commander Scott with The Coast Guard. At fifteen, Charles was not eligible for service, but Commander Scott allowed Charles’ mother to sign an affidavit that he was sixteen. He was assigned the lowest rank in the Merchant Marine “mess man”. With good jobs hard to find, there were lots of older, more experienced men also looking for work on the ships. He went to the hiring gate every day for three months before getting a position on the S.S. Aurora with a salary of $60 per month. Henson was in love with the ship and the romance of life at sea. He soon figured out he was really a glorified maid essentially performing housekeeping duties. Typical assignments were peeling potatoes, cleaning the officers’ state rooms, and other odd jobs. He didn’t care. His dream of being a seaman was coming true. On his first voyage, his ship sailed right past the old drawbridge where he used to eat jellybeans and watch others live a life of adventure.

From 1938-1940, Henson sailed around the world with the U.S. Merchant Marine. The Port Arthur boy who had never been anywhere soon found himself in New York, Aruba, and the Congo. In the Congo he remembers seeing giant crocodiles in a river where African children swam nearby. He wondered why they children did not fear the crocodiles. He also remembers hearing jungle noises at night that brought to life the Tarzan movies he’d watched on the screen just a few years earlier. Charley also visited the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, Nagasaki Japan, Sumatra, Borneo, and several Russian cities.

Henson has a vivid memory of his Merchant Marine convoys to provide war supplies to the Russians who were already well into their deadly conflict with Germany. The Merchant Marine Convoys were taking supplies to the Russian cities of Murmansk, Vladivostok, and Arkhangelsk. Their convoy was assembled in Reykjavic Iceland, which he remembers being, “as far north as a sailor can go with nothing there to tempt a sailor”. The convoys typically contained bulk carriers and tankers. Twenty to one hundred ships would travel together. In a convoy, all ships travelled at the speed of the slowest ships which made them easy prey Say, S Say ay y, “I “ s sa saw aw it i in n SE S SETX TX X Se Seniors en nio io ors rs Gu G Guide” ide e”

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for German submarine “wolf packs” and Stuka dive bombers. Some of the ships were armed.

Henson’s ship had a five-inch cannon on the stern and a 3.5-inch cannon on the stern. They also had four 20mm cannons, two on each side. Charles was assigned to one of the 20mm cannons.

About half way across the Atlantic, the German Stukas could be counted on to appear. The Merchant Marine gunners did not have much chance of hitting the attacking dive bombers but were told they could, “keep them from effectively making their dive”. On one convoy trip, six Stukas attacked. Henson and the other gunners were unable to hit any of them, but they were successful in keep the bombers from hitting any of the ships in the convoy. This is one of many days when Henson remembers giving prayers of thanks. Henson did say that he and the other gunners had never heard of earplugs back then and remembers being unable to hear for thirty minutes after the encounter, and he is 80% deaf today.

One of his last ports in this portion of his time with the Merchant Marine was Shanghai in China. It was in Shanghai that Charles had his next brush with World War II. Henson’s ship was supplying oil to China (they were also still selling oil to Japan at this time), and any study of the Japanese motivations in the early part of the war includes the importance of oil. Japan both wanted oil and wanted to prevent their enemies from having oil. Henson had a friend in Shanghai named Lucy Wong. He asked her what would become of her as the war intensified and she said, “One day the Japanese will come and then there will be no more Lucy Wong”.

Japanese dive bombers were actively bombing Chinese towns and cities. Henson’s ship the India Arrow was ten miles upriver when they got an order to sail immediately as news broke that the US and Japan had broken diplomatic relations. The India Arrow was stopped on its way down the Yangtze River to the sea by a Japanese Destroyer. After several minutes of silence during which the Japanese presumably communicated with their command for instructions, the Japanese destroyer turned and vanished into the night. Charles wondered later if they’d been let go so Japan would not tip the hand of their pending aggression. The India Arrow actually stopped at Pearl Harbor for a couple of days to refuel before heading back to The US. In 1941, the world changed with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Henson was drafted into the United States Army. He was not destined to leave the sea he loved, however. A colonel came into training and requested all of the men that had Merchant Marine certifications. Henson was transferred to a brand new part of the U.S. Army, the landing craft division at Camp Edwards. Henson was assigned to a high powered patrol boat with twin gasoline engines and a top speed of forty miles per hour. The boat had a .50 caliber machine gun in the front and a .30 caliber machine gun in the back.

The German submarines were sinking 2-3 ships a day from Corpus Christi to Maine, leading to another new initiative, the Liberty Ship campaign. Henson’s Merchant Marine certifications were again valuable, and he was transferred back to The Merchant Marine under The US Coast Guard. He was transferred to Beaumont and assigned to a tanker ship. His team refueled 2-3 ships per day for 18 months in the South Pacific. During this portion of his career, Henson saw the US Navy Tanker Salinas blown up by a torpedo that narrowly missed the ship he was serving on. Henson remembers refueling the mighty British Battle Ship King George. The next day they received word that the King George had been sunk. He saw a Texaco tanker that had been sunk by German subs when the Germans attached the refineries at Aruba. Henson To o Advertise Ad A dver errtis e tiise ise Call is Calll ((5 Ca (512) 512)) 56 5 567-8068 67-8 7-8 7-8068 806 06 068 68 8 Today!

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and his ship arrived the day after the attack. One of the German subs surfaced near them and followed them for a half an hour before turning away. Henson and the crew believed the Germans had used all of their torpedoes and ammunition in the Aruba refinery attack and were waiting for resupply. His brother was nearly killed when the SS Ario was sunk

by German subs off the coast of South Carolina. Charles’ ship passed the wreckage of his brother’s sunken ship shortly after.

Henson applied for a transfer back to the Army. Initially it was refused due to the importance of the refueling mission, but it was finally approved by Admiral Land. When he got to the Army, a whole new series of adventures awaited him.

He was assigned to the 382nd Military Police Battalion in Europe. Under Captain Klein, Charles saw a wide range of duties. One that made a tremendous impression on him was assisting with depositions during the Nuremburg War Trials. His commanding officer, Captain Klein, spoke fluent German. He brought in two Jewish ladies to tell their story at treatment under the SS. They were prisoners in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. In one incident, they were stripped naked and Nazi officers rode them around like horses with a whip until they collapsed from exhaustion. In another incident, one of the girls was again stripped naked and Nazi guards sat on her while a female German concentration camp guard defecated on one her face and made her yell, “I am a Jew, a filthy stinking Jew”.

He also assisted in attempting to restore some normalcy to the German city of Bremen that had been 90% destroyed by allied bombing and by fighting between the Germans and Allied Forces. He pulled German bodies out of the rubble and assisted with grave registration for the Germans. He was assigned as a motorcycle escort under General Wainwright, a posting that would benefit him later in civilian life.

There was a soft side and a hard side to the military police job. On the soft side, one day on patrol several elderly German ladies were taking coal from the supply station. When asked by a new recruit what to do, the officer said, “Not a damn thing – let them have it or they will freeze” On the hard side, some of the cooks and truck drivers were deserting after the war ended and taking up with local German girls. One was involved in an incident in which a child was killed. The deserter fled through a carnival crowd and locked himself in a bathroom stall.

When he refused to come out, the same officer used his Tommy gun to make an “X” in the door, killing him.

The motorcycle patrol portion of the job sometimes put the MPs at odds with officers from other branches and from Allied forces. There were a number of accidents due to unsafe speeds, and Charles and his partner were told to strictly enforce the speeding policy. On one patrol, a black Mercedes was speeding excessively and Henson and his partner chased them for 2-3 miles before the driver would pull over. When they finally got to the vehicle, Henson was confronted by a senior officer who was in charge of the US Navy base in Bremerhaven.

The senior officer was angry at being pulled over and yelled, “Who do you think you are.”

Charles calmly answered, “We know who we are, who are you?” The furious naval officer even tried to get them arrested. Captain Klein backed them up and the officer was prosecuted for excessive speed and evading arrest. The drama did not stop there. Henson and his partner later arrested a Russian Major and a British Captain.

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In a lot of the movies we see today about World War II there is a lot of strong language. That was not Charles Henson’s experience in World War II in any of the three branches he served in. There was not much cursing by Germans either, in fact they did not seem to have curse words in the way we do. If they were angry, their big insult was “pig dog”.

Not only did Charles Henson see with world, he also met a “who’s who” of World War II leaders including Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Omar Bradley.

Back in the US after the war, Henson was assigned to the Fourth US Army at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. He served under Four Star General Johnathan M. Wainright who was a survivor of the Bataan Death March. Henson was then a Staff Sergeant with the 62nd Military Police Platoon.

When Charles and his MP partner came up for re-enlistment, Henson opted to leave the service and return to the US. His partner reenlisted and was killed in Korea.

One of Henson’s final assignments with the Army was to assist in an eighty vehicle convoy.

When a fellow MP was hit by a drunk driver, Charles was sent to Beaumont to get a statement.

Beaumont PD Chief Pollock was impressed with his uniform and highly shined leather. He told Henson that he wanted him for the Beaumont PD. Henson joined the Beaumont PD, serving for eight years on motorcycle patrol. The pay back then was $190 per month. They worked six days each week with no overtime pay. Henson once shot a car thief in the foot to prevent his escape. house before p One dayy he went byy his partner’s p a shift to tell him that he was going in early to have his radio worked on. When he got to the station, he received word that his partner had been killed shortly after on the way in when his police motorcycle was hit by a drunk driver.

After the police department, Charles moved to Mobil Oil in the plant security department.

He served there for four years until the department was outsourced. He then served with the air ambulance team in Beaumont.

If you see Charles Henson out in the community. You’ll recognize him. He has made himself a uniform that honors the branches of the service he served in during World War II – Army, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine. He wears it proudly and is always happy to share his experience and pride at being a US veteran

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2016

Seniors resource guide www.SETXSeniors.com