Anniversary of D-Day is Reminder
Of Oakdale Man's War Experience
 Paratrooper Was Highly Decorated
By Dorothy Lejeune Town Talk Correspondent

   OAKDALE Tommy Home of Oakdale already was in the Army when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and brought the U.S. into World War II. And in the spring of 1944, the cocky young paratrooper was in England preparing for the great invasion along the French coast at Normandy.
   When the invasion forces began to leave England late on June 5, Home spoke briefly with a friend, Lt. Col. Wesley T. Leeper while waiting to board plane. " Leeper later described that conversation: ' "Underneath his 'war paint,' (Home) was a fine-looking young man, built like an ox and possessed of a keen sense of humor. He knew my hometown well and even had a few friends in common with me. As he prepared to board the plane, I gave him a slap on the shoulder and shouted to him, 'Happy landings, soldier!'"
   Home's reply was quick. "Some of us won't come back, Colonel, but we're going to win! They can't stop us!"
   Home's Oakdale home is filled with reminders of the battlefield, his regiment and the British, Dutch and French friends he found in the midst of battle. Among his battle ribbons, the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and other trophies, Home has a small strip of the parachute, which dropped him safely into Normandy, and a small Bible, which became waterlogged when he landed in a flooded field. There are many medallions, pictures, letters and other items of interest in Home's collection. He has an autographed copy of "The Longest Day," Cornelius Ryan's book about the Market-Garden operation in Holland. Home's name is listed in Ryan's book. Home enlisted in the Army as a private in 1939 and rose to sergeant before his discharge in 1945.
   During the war, he served with the 508th Parachute Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Home doesn't mind talking about his adventures, but points out, "There were 16,000 men in the division and 16,000 stories. This is just mine."
   When the 82nd Airborne paratroopers began dropping from the skies, the Germans had flooded the fields in an attempt to slow down the invaders. Home landed in water over his head. When he jumped, the paratrooper carried with him 150 pounds of weapons, ammunition and landmines. Many of the paratroopers drowned in the fields, but Home was able to cut himself free of the clinging lines and get out of the water.
   He narrowly escaped death again when he refused an invitation to spend the night in a nearby home, choosing to dig a foxhole for the night. A short time later, a brief firefight with German forces erupted and the house burned.

 The French family was able to slip two wounded soldiers out a window and escape the Germans. Several others were executed by the Germans, Home said.
   On a visit to the area last fall Home learned that the young daughter of that family, now Adrienne Alexandre, made her wedding dress from one of the parachutes pulled from the water after that drop.   After Normandy came Market-Garden. That jump was made on Sept. 13, 1944 [sic] in Nijmegen and Beek, Holland. Home fractured at least one vertebrae when he dropped to ground on a Dutch dairy farm. Three days later, he was wounded.
   Thirteen men jumped from Home's plane, but he added matter-of-factly, "I never saw but about three of them after we jumped." The division losses were heavy and Home's regiment claimed 2,-470 casualties.
   Although the regiment carried members of the underground with them, they did not learn until after the drop that a German Waffen S.S. armored division had moved into the area two days before.
   Through the years, Home has kept in touch with many of his Army buddies and has attended a few reunions. They often talked about going back to Normandy some day. Last fall the talk became action.
   Home and five others Don Jakeway of Johnstown, Ohio; Chester Stephens of Port Angeles, Wash.; Ralph Busson of Doylestown, Ohio; Don Blum of Cleveland, Ohio; and Art Riedel of Hays, Kan. met at Jakeway's home to begin their journey. In London, they renewed their first long-ago friendship.   As a youngster, Dave Pike was befriended by the paratroopers when he hung around their base camp at Wollaton Park. Now Pike would be their driver for their tour of the battlegrounds.
   Highlights of the trip included a visit in Holland with Dutch writer Margot Van Boldrick. Mrs. Boldrick used Home's picture on the jacket of her newest book, "In Water and Fire: The War in the Nijmegen Salient." The book covers the years 1940-45. That same picture also appeared on the covers of five American magazines during the war and has been included in a museum exhibit.
  In Normandy, the group retraced their steps across the battleground. On Hill 30 at Picauville [sic], they found still-lethal shells, grim reminders of the battles they fought. One of their hosts, architect Hasley Lucien [sic], called attention to the outside wall of his home during their visit. There, carved in stone, were scenes of the paratroopers dropping through the skies into the French countryside. The crash of one of the planes is depicted and the names of some of the American soldiers including Tommy Home also are carved there. Home, ever the paratrooper, talked about modem parachutes and added, "I would like to jump just one more time..

[The Oakdale Journal, Oakdale, LA, 03 Dec 1992, Thu, Page 2]

Tommy Home Is Safe in England'
   A recent report from the War Dep-artment to the effect that Para- trooper Tommy Home was missing in action since June 6, invasion day, turned out to be an error, to the utter most delight and joy of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Home of Oakdale, and to his many relatives and In a letter written to his parents on July 18, Pfc. Horne assured them he was then back in England, safe-and well, having been flown there from the front lines, where' he landed by parachute on "D" Day.
   Evidently young Home was cut off. in some way, from his outfit. which probably prompted the War Department in notifying his parents he was missing.

{The Oakdale Journal, Oakdale, LA, 03 Aug 1944, Thu, Page 1}

THOMAS HORNE

   Services for Mr. Thomas "Tommy" A. Home were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 24, 1992 in Ardoin Memorial Chapel with Reverend Leland McCullough officiating. Burial followed in Oakdale Cemetery under the direction of Ardoin Funeral Home.
   Mr. Home, 71, of Oakdale died at 4:55 p.m. Sunday, November 22, 1992 in Rapides General Hospital. He was a native of Oakdale.
   He enlisted in the Army in 1939 and served as a paratrooper with Co. H of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division until his discharge in 1945. He served in the invasion of Normandy and the Market Garden operation in Holland.
   His picture appeared on the cover of Dutch writer Margot Van Boldrick's book "In Water and Fire: The War in the Nijmegen Salient." The same picture also appeared on the covers of five American magazines during the war and has been included in a museum exhibit.
   Mr. Home is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Presidential Citation, Combat Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge, and many other medals and awards for his outstanding service to his country during World War II.
   He is survived by his wife, Dorothy A. Home of Oakdale; three sons, Houison Home of Winnfield, A.L. Home of Alexandria, and Gary Home of Oakdale; one brother, Bill Home of Oakdale; one sister, Judy Witaker of Baton Rouge; and 4 grandchildren.
   Pallbearers were Billy Butler, James Luedecke, J. Murphy Johnson, Bob Furman, Chris Fitzgerald, and Danny Hind-man

(courtesy of  Charles T. Baggett)

Grave marker of Thomas A. Horne in the Oakdale Cemetery, Oakdale (Allen Parish), Louisiana.

Thomas registered fo9r the draft in Oberlin, LA.  His record date of 23 July 1945 reflects his discharge date. He was inducted into the Army  on 31 Oct, 1939.

On 129 October 1943, Sgt Horne was transferred from  Hq 515th PIR, Fort Benning, GA to Company H, 508th PIR.

Pvt Horne made the jump into France on D-y, 6 June 1944.  Like many others, he was apparently dropped far from his intended LZ and he was listed as Missing In Action until 11 June.

T5 Horne was wounded in action on 20 September 1944.  He described the event as, “I was trying to get in close enough to get a grenade in [to a house] when something hit me in the throat, I thought.  This numbed my left arm, but feeling my throat with my right hand, I could find no blood.  I started firing again and this guy in the back of me said, ‘My God, you have a hole through your back!'  The bullet had hit me in the left shoulder and cut a ligament.  This is what had given me the sensation i was hit in the throat."