Remembering Trinity University Alum Capt. Henry T. Waskow ’39

On a moonlit night near the town of San Pietro Infine in Southern Italy, soldiers brought Capt. Henry T. Waskow down a winding mountain trail lashed to the back of a mule. When they reached the valley, they slid the body of the young officer off and laid him next to a stone wall in a line with other casualties.

Waiting at the foot of the mountain trail was Ernie Pyle, the celebrated World War II correspondent best known for his moving stories about ordinary American soldiers.

"This one is Captain Waskow," Pyle heard a soldier say as he looked at the dead officer.

Other soldiers paused as they walked past in the moonlight.

"I'm sorry, old man," a fellow officer said.

"I sure am sorry, sir," another remarked.

"After my own father, he came next," a sergeant told Pyle.

"He always looked after us," one commented.

As the solemn line moved along, Pyle described a soldier who "squatted down and reached down and took the dead hand …and sat there for a full five minutes. And finally, he put the hand down, and then reached up and gently straightened the points of the captain's shirt collar, and then he sort of rearranged the tattered edges of his uniform around the wound."

Pyle captured this poignant farewell of grieving American soldiers in his famous and perhaps best-known newspaper column, The Death of Captain Waskow.

Waskow had graduated from Trinity University in 1939.

He died on December 14, 1943, while serving as a company commander in the U.S. Army's 36th Division, killed at the fierce Battle of San Pietro Infine during the Allied offensive against the German army. It took three days before his body was recovered and brought out of the mountains.

Pyle's column appeared on January 10, 1944-withheld nearly a month after Waskow's death to give officials time to notify his family in Belton, Texas.

The piece struck an instant emotional chord with Americans and stands today as a classic of World War II reporting. When it appeared in the Washington Daily News, the newspaper sold out within hours. It was read on the radio, reprinted in Time magazine, and used in support of war bond drives. The editor of the Temple Telegram explained in a note introducing the column to his readers that, "If this doesn't touch you, your heart is a little cold."

Letters filled with words of comfort and sympathy arrived by sackloads at the Waskow family home.

The episode was faithfully portrayed in The Story of G.I. Joe, a film based on the life of Ernie Pyle. Robert Mitchum played Capt. Waskow, although the Army insisted that his name be changed to Walker and the rank reduced to lieutenant. It was also featured in John Huston's documentary, The Battle of San Pietro.

Waskow, short and slight, with a strong chin and soft, kind eyes, first attended Temple Junior College and joined the Texas Army National Guard while a student. After two years at the junior college, he transferred to Trinity's Waxahachie campus, where he majored in history and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree on June 5, 1939.

At Trinity, Waskow joined several organizations, including the history, social science, and Spanish clubs, according to "Appointment at Hill 1205: Ernie Pyle and Captain Henry T. Waskow," a biographical article by Michael S. Sweeney of the 36th Infantry Division Association.

Waskow also joined the newly formed Life Work Recruits, a religious-oriented organization aimed at "deepening Christian experience and enrichment of Christian fellowship." In addition, he was a member of Script Crafters, a club for students interested in literature and creative writing.

Fellow student Elizabeth Watson recalled Waskow as shy and serious, Sweeney wrote. "I've just never forgotten him," she said. "I've often wondered if there was depth that you saw even then, or if the war brought it out of him."

Waskow's Army unit was activated soon after he graduated from Trinity.

Beyond the few words described in Pyle's column, the reasons for Waskow's admiration from his men grew as others later reflected on his leadership and character. His men described one Thanksgiving when Waskow insisted they get turkey dinners instead of cold rations at the front.

"He was a good man, a good leader, a good soldier," one said.

"Waskow was an unusually fine, clean young man … as fine a lad as I have ever known," said a Belton resident who trained with Waskow.

Waskow was awarded the Legion of Merit and Purple Heart posthumously. He was inducted into the Texas Military Hall of Fame in 1980, and the Henry T. Waskow High School in Belton was named for him.

The Trinity soldier, beloved by those close to him in life and by legions who read his legend, was buried at the Sicily-Rowe American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.

"In this war, I have known a lot of officers who were loved and respected by the soldiers under them," Pyle wrote. "But never have I crossed the trail of any man as beloved as Capt. Henry T. Waskow of Belton, Texas."

Trinity alumni have done great things, but few have touched as many hearts as Henry T. Waskow.