Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer City, Texas. He was a handsome and very popular guy. Played quarterback on the high school football team. Orsie had an older brother, Selby Johnson. When they were in their teens they would come and spend the summer with my parents. Since my father was always joking and pulling pranks on them, I got the same treatment from them later.
I am blank on whether Orsie was drafted or joined the U.S. Army. He wound up in the infantry and fought all the way from the D-Day landing to the Bastogne Forest. His brother, Selby was in the army and was a sergeant who was part of the Red Ball Express. Since they could not write to each other, they would send a letter home to their parents and the parents would forward it to the brother.
One time as they advanced through France, Selby wrote to Orsie asking why they had to blow up everything. Orsie wrote back saying, “You come up here and you will see why we are blowing up everything!”
Orsie said later after the war was over that once he came upon a French Chateau. He went up and opened the front door and there facing him was a dirty, filthy soldier who was pointing a Tommy gun at him. He fired a burst and ran. After a few minutes, he went back and opened the door again. There was a full-length mirror that had been shattered by his gun’s blast!
And at another time he was passing another Chateau and fell into the ‘honey hole’. At first, he was trying to get out, but then he realized it was warm, so he was so tired and deprived of sleep he just lay back and took a nap!
He was one of the troops who was overrun by the German Panzers and said they were firing flame throwers at the U.S. troops. Orsie said he was in a foxhole that had about a foot of water and ice in the bottom. His uniform had caught on fire and he was able to put it out with the ice and water in the foxhole. He was hit a time to two and had to cut the phosphorous out of his clothing. Then a shell hit a tree nearby and that was all he remembered until he woke up in a French hospital!
It was some time before his family got word Orsie was alive and in a hospital in France. He later came home to a big homecoming. Sometime shortly after both Orsie and Selby were home, they decided to come down and visit Dad and Mom. They arrived around 11:00 and we spend the rest of the night listening to stories.
It wasn’t a month later that we got word that Orsie was working as a derrickman on a drilling rig. The rig was trying to get the drill pipe unstuck and pulled the derrick down, killing Orsie! Here he had fought all the way from the D-Day landing until the last major attack by the German army and survived it. Only to come home and die in an oilfield accident! A sad twist of fate! Just Sayin…RJS
Robert J Samples wrote:
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer City, Texas. He was a handsome and very popular guy. Played quarterback on the high school football team. Orsie had an older brother, Selby Johnson. When they were in their teens they would come and spend the summer with my parents. Since my father was always joking and pulling pranks on them, I got the same treatment from them later.
I am blank on whether Orsie was drafted or joined the U.S. Army. He wound up in the infantry and fought all the way from the D-Day landing to the Bastogne Forest. His brother, Selby was in the army and was a sergeant who was part of the Red Ball Express. Since they could not write to each other, they would send a letter home to their parents and the parents would forward it to the brother.
One time as they advanced through France, Selby wrote to Orsie asking why they had to blow up everything. Orsie wrote back saying, “You come up here and you will see why we are blowing up everything!”
Orsie said later after the war was over that once he came upon a French Chateau. He went up and opened the front door and there facing him was a dirty, filthy soldier who was pointing a Tommy gun at him. He fired a burst and ran. After a few minutes, he went back and opened the door again. There was a full-length mirror that had been shattered by his gun’s blast!
And at another time he was passing another Chateau and fell into the ‘honey hole’. At first, he was trying to get out, but then he realized it was warm, so he was so tired and deprived of sleep he just lay back and took a nap!
He was one of the troops who was overrun by the German Panzers and said they were firing flame throwers at the U.S. troops. Orsie said he was in a foxhole that had about a foot of water and ice in the bottom. His uniform had caught on fire and he was able to put it out with the ice and water in the foxhole. He was hit a time to two and had to cut the phosphorous out of his clothing. Then a shell hit a tree nearby and that was all he remembered until he woke up in a French hospital!
It was some time before his family got word Orsie was alive and in a hospital in France. He later came home to a big homecoming. Sometime shortly after both Orsie and Selby were home, they decided to come down and visit Dad and Mom. They arrived around 11:00 and we spend the rest of the night listening to stories.
It wasn’t a month later that we got word that Orsie was working as a derrickman on a drilling rig. The rig was trying to get the drill pipe unstuck and pulled the derrick down, killing Orsie! Here he had fought all the way from the D-Day landing until the last major attack by the German army and survived it. Only to come home and die in an oilfield accident! A sad twist of fate! Just Sayin…RJS
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer Cit... (
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Slow hand Salute for Orsie. Thanks for sharing this great story Robert.
Hack 🇺🇸🍺🍺
Billycrap2
Loc: Mason county,W(BY GOD) Virginia, 🇺🇸🦅
Robert J Samples wrote:
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer City, Texas. He was a handsome and very popular guy. Played quarterback on the high school football team. Orsie had an older brother, Selby Johnson. When they were in their teens they would come and spend the summer with my parents. Since my father was always joking and pulling pranks on them, I got the same treatment from them later.
I am blank on whether Orsie was drafted or joined the U.S. Army. He wound up in the infantry and fought all the way from the D-Day landing to the Bastogne Forest. His brother, Selby was in the army and was a sergeant who was part of the Red Ball Express. Since they could not write to each other, they would send a letter home to their parents and the parents would forward it to the brother.
One time as they advanced through France, Selby wrote to Orsie asking why they had to blow up everything. Orsie wrote back saying, “You come up here and you will see why we are blowing up everything!”
Orsie said later after the war was over that once he came upon a French Chateau. He went up and opened the front door and there facing him was a dirty, filthy soldier who was pointing a Tommy gun at him. He fired a burst and ran. After a few minutes, he went back and opened the door again. There was a full-length mirror that had been shattered by his gun’s blast!
And at another time he was passing another Chateau and fell into the ‘honey hole’. At first, he was trying to get out, but then he realized it was warm, so he was so tired and deprived of sleep he just lay back and took a nap!
He was one of the troops who was overrun by the German Panzers and said they were firing flame throwers at the U.S. troops. Orsie said he was in a foxhole that had about a foot of water and ice in the bottom. His uniform had caught on fire and he was able to put it out with the ice and water in the foxhole. He was hit a time to two and had to cut the phosphorous out of his clothing. Then a shell hit a tree nearby and that was all he remembered until he woke up in a French hospital!
It was some time before his family got word Orsie was alive and in a hospital in France. He later came home to a big homecoming. Sometime shortly after both Orsie and Selby were home, they decided to come down and visit Dad and Mom. They arrived around 11:00 and we spend the rest of the night listening to stories.
It wasn’t a month later that we got word that Orsie was working as a derrickman on a drilling rig. The rig was trying to get the drill pipe unstuck and pulled the derrick down, killing Orsie! Here he had fought all the way from the D-Day landing until the last major attack by the German army and survived it. Only to come home and die in an oilfield accident! A sad twist of fate! Just Sayin…RJS
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer Cit... (
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Sending a SALUTE for ORSIE also from a 101st AIRBORNE Veteran Thank you for your service Brother RIP 🙏🇺🇸🦅
Thank RJS 🙏🇺🇸🦅
Robert J Samples wrote:
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer City, Texas. He was a handsome and very popular guy. Played quarterback on the high school football team. Orsie had an older brother, Selby Johnson. When they were in their teens they would come and spend the summer with my parents. Since my father was always joking and pulling pranks on them, I got the same treatment from them later.
I am blank on whether Orsie was drafted or joined the U.S. Army. He wound up in the infantry and fought all the way from the D-Day landing to the Bastogne Forest. His brother, Selby was in the army and was a sergeant who was part of the Red Ball Express. Since they could not write to each other, they would send a letter home to their parents and the parents would forward it to the brother.
One time as they advanced through France, Selby wrote to Orsie asking why they had to blow up everything. Orsie wrote back saying, “You come up here and you will see why we are blowing up everything!”
Orsie said later after the war was over that once he came upon a French Chateau. He went up and opened the front door and there facing him was a dirty, filthy soldier who was pointing a Tommy gun at him. He fired a burst and ran. After a few minutes, he went back and opened the door again. There was a full-length mirror that had been shattered by his gun’s blast!
And at another time he was passing another Chateau and fell into the ‘honey hole’. At first, he was trying to get out, but then he realized it was warm, so he was so tired and deprived of sleep he just lay back and took a nap!
He was one of the troops who was overrun by the German Panzers and said they were firing flame throwers at the U.S. troops. Orsie said he was in a foxhole that had about a foot of water and ice in the bottom. His uniform had caught on fire and he was able to put it out with the ice and water in the foxhole. He was hit a time to two and had to cut the phosphorous out of his clothing. Then a shell hit a tree nearby and that was all he remembered until he woke up in a French hospital!
It was some time before his family got word Orsie was alive and in a hospital in France. He later came home to a big homecoming. Sometime shortly after both Orsie and Selby were home, they decided to come down and visit Dad and Mom. They arrived around 11:00 and we spend the rest of the night listening to stories.
It wasn’t a month later that we got word that Orsie was working as a derrickman on a drilling rig. The rig was trying to get the drill pipe unstuck and pulled the derrick down, killing Orsie! Here he had fought all the way from the D-Day landing until the last major attack by the German army and survived it. Only to come home and die in an oilfield accident! A sad twist of fate! Just Sayin…RJS
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer Cit... (
show quote)
Oh my, my grandmother always said “life isn’t fair”, live it while you’re able.
Robert J Samples wrote:
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer City, Texas. He was a handsome and very popular guy. Played quarterback on the high school football team. Orsie had an older brother, Selby Johnson. When they were in their teens they would come and spend the summer with my parents. Since my father was always joking and pulling pranks on them, I got the same treatment from them later.
I am blank on whether Orsie was drafted or joined the U.S. Army. He wound up in the infantry and fought all the way from the D-Day landing to the Bastogne Forest. His brother, Selby was in the army and was a sergeant who was part of the Red Ball Express. Since they could not write to each other, they would send a letter home to their parents and the parents would forward it to the brother.
One time as they advanced through France, Selby wrote to Orsie asking why they had to blow up everything. Orsie wrote back saying, “You come up here and you will see why we are blowing up everything!”
Orsie said later after the war was over that once he came upon a French Chateau. He went up and opened the front door and there facing him was a dirty, filthy soldier who was pointing a Tommy gun at him. He fired a burst and ran. After a few minutes, he went back and opened the door again. There was a full-length mirror that had been shattered by his gun’s blast!
And at another time he was passing another Chateau and fell into the ‘honey hole’. At first, he was trying to get out, but then he realized it was warm, so he was so tired and deprived of sleep he just lay back and took a nap!
He was one of the troops who was overrun by the German Panzers and said they were firing flame throwers at the U.S. troops. Orsie said he was in a foxhole that had about a foot of water and ice in the bottom. His uniform had caught on fire and he was able to put it out with the ice and water in the foxhole. He was hit a time to two and had to cut the phosphorous out of his clothing. Then a shell hit a tree nearby and that was all he remembered until he woke up in a French hospital!
It was some time before his family got word Orsie was alive and in a hospital in France. He later came home to a big homecoming. Sometime shortly after both Orsie and Selby were home, they decided to come down and visit Dad and Mom. They arrived around 11:00 and we spend the rest of the night listening to stories.
It wasn’t a month later that we got word that Orsie was working as a derrickman on a drilling rig. The rig was trying to get the drill pipe unstuck and pulled the derrick down, killing Orsie! Here he had fought all the way from the D-Day landing until the last major attack by the German army and survived it. Only to come home and die in an oilfield accident! A sad twist of fate! Just Sayin…RJS
Orsie was a first cousin and grew up in Archer Cit... (
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Nice Tribute to Orsie there RJ.
Thank God for their service.
The oil patch has never been a very safe place to work. I knew several roughnecks who had missing fingers or incomplete hands, or a missing eye.
Old roughnecks are like old rodeo cowboys ...they hobble.
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