The Greatest Generation--truly William Julius Amann was part of that aptly named group. He grew up during times of the Great Depression, went to college, and went to war, without complaint. His is a story much like so many other men during this era. He started his life in a time of prosperity,
only to see his father lose his job because of the Great Depression.
But the families of that time found other ways to make a living. Max Amann moved his family to the country to work on a dairy farm. There, in Poteet,
Texas, William went to school, played football, graduated salutatorian in his
class, participated in plays, was vice-president of his class, and generally enjoyed his life.It was the year that he graduated that his life took one of two fateful turns. William was the risk taker of the family. He had decided he wanted to go to college. In order to make his dream come true, William needed to find a place to live while he went to classes. His high school principal told him of an opportunity to be the caretaker for the National Guard Armory. He would take care of the building in exchange for a free room. But in order to do so, he would have to join the National Guard. William quickly accepted the opportunity, and he started at Texas A&I, in Kingsville, Texas, the following fall where he majored in engineering. It was in Kingsville that he met Mardell Roper, a woman so beautiful that men's heads would turn as she walked by. The Ropers remember him as someone who was always laughing. When Delia Roper talked about him, she would describe his twinkling eyes and the way he could make the people around him so happy. One might say he was trying to live a lifetime in just a few years.
It turned out that William and Mardell would not have much time together. Europe was at war and in November of 1940, his National Guard unit was called up to active duty. They would be ready in case the United States went to war. They were bivouaced at Flato Park in Kingsville until it would be time for them to be shipped out. As it turns out, many of the National Guardsmen were students at Texas A & I, so many of them were picked to go to Officer Candidate School, and William was one of those. He and Mardell decided marry that November so that when he had to leave Kingsville, she would go with him. He went to OCS at Ft. Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. After graduating he was assigned to the 969th Field Artillery Battalion, Battery A. During World War II, black soldiers were segregated into their own troops and white officers were in charge. They were generally not used as combat troops but only for non-skilled labor. But the 969th Field Artillery Battalion would become a very well-known, decorated unit. The 969th did not have to go to Europe until 1944, so the newly weds were able to spend three years together. During that time, Mardell had a daughter born in 1941 and a son born in 1944. William was in Europe when his son was born but he did get to see a picture of him before he was killed in battle. Mardell remembered that he wrote telling her how proud he was to have two fine children.
The next fateful turn was after his battalion was sent to Europe. According to sources on the internet, the area in Belgium was a fairly quiet at this time and was used for troops to rest up and for replacement soldiers to gather before rejoining new units. Therefore, it was here that the German command planned to break through the Allied lines to cut off Allied supplies and replacements. The 969th Battalion was getting ready to move out when the fighting started December 16, 1944.
Bastogne was totally surrounded by Germans. From December 16th through December 26th, the 969th was instrumental in keeping them from breaking through the lines. According to remembrances of James Nash, Christmas Eve found William in a house sharing a fruitcake with three other officers. Twice during the night, however, the Luftwaffe conducted very damaging and lethal bombing sorties on Bastogne and the surrounding area. On this night, the four officers were taking turns checking on the guns. After James and one of the other officers left the building, bombers came in and one of the bombs landed on the house where they had been staying. James tells us that the building was demolished and there was no sign of the bodies of William and the other officer, Ray Chapple. Mardell would receive a telegram that as of December 24, 1944, he was considered missing in action. According to the Army, the date of his death was January 1, 1945.
The 969th was recommended for the Distinguished Unit Citation for the action it took around Bastogne. It reads, in part: "On December 21, the vicinity of Villaroux, Belgium, in spite of the fact that a field artillery batallion to its rear had been overrun and dispersed by enemy tanks, the 969th F.A. Bn. maintained its position, resulting in delaying the enemy until armored forces arrived to control the situation. The battalion was subjected to heavy enemy mortar and small arms fire resulting in many casualties. In this action the Battalion was credited with destroying 2 enemy tanks, 5 armored vehicles, breaking up 3 attacks by enemy infantry, the capture of 40 prisoners and the destruction of an enemy machine gun nest."
It goes on to say, in part: "During the period 24 through 25 of December, the Battalion was subjected to heavy enemy bombing which resulted in the death of two officers and four enlisted men." Those two officers were William Amann and Ray Chapple. In "The Golden Cannon A History of the 969th Field Artillery Battalion", Chapter Eight, Eugene Wayman Jones adds: "Entry in the Unit Journal: W.J. Amann, Captain, Field Artillery, KIA. So also, reads the Morning Report. It fails to mention that he was a soldier's soldier, or that his favorite song was 'Mother put the cow away, I cannot milk tonight...', or that he had never seen his baby son."
Ella Mardell Roper--she was
a true dichotomy. She seemed to have the confidence and the self-assurance of the
beautiful woman who is much admired, but she also suffered from problems of self-esteem due to her lack of education. Her awareness of the admiration that surrounded her allowed her to expand her boundaries but there was also a certain disquiet in that she might not quite "fit in". 
Connie Jo Roper Payne was born October 15, 1930 and was the youngest child of Farland George and Delia Elizabeth Myers Roper. She was born and raised in Kingsville, Texas and graduated from H.M. King High School in 1948. On March 18, 1949, she married Bobby Ray Payne also of Kingsville, Texas. Bobby was the eldest son of Courtney Ray and Mildred Elvira Gilger Payne. On January 11, 1950, Connie and Bob's first child was born and named Deborah Dee. Their second child would also be a daughter born on September 29, 1952 and named Julie Diane. Six years later a much anticipated birth of a son would take place on February 16, 1958 and he would be named Robert Courtney. Since Bobby worked in the oilfield, he and Connie moved around a lot and lived in the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Connie devoted herself to her husband and children providing a loving home wherever Bob's job would take them.