Members Only
Personalize
Help
Feedback

by Kimberly Millard

     History always repeats itself.  New enemies arise and new heroes prevail, but in the end war sums itself up in victories, deaths, and those things which are hopefully learned.  In the 1930’s a man came to power in Germany; a man with a vision beyond comprehension, a determination that swayed the masses, and a hatred that killed millions of innocent lives.  While Hitler’s Regime rose in power, and his plans to meticulously execute those he deemed unworthy of life succeeded, the United States watched the horror unfold through dim lenses.  The destruction taking place against the Jewish people was unknown, or possibly denied.  Surely one man could not sway thousands to believe such radical, ghastly things about a whole race of people.  Certainly one man couldn’t convince an army of men to kill millions of innocents.  Or could he?

     On September 1, 1939 World War II officially began.  The United States stood behind its allies but chose not to fight in the war.  However, relations with Japan were already strained, making the United States aware of a possible future threat.  That treat was all too real, all too sudden.  On December 7, 1941, America awoke to realize that their land had suddenly become a target for the enemy.  Pearl Harbor had been brutally attacked by Japan:  2403 people had been killed, 1178 people had been wounded, 18 ships and 77 aircrafts had been destroyed.  America was thrust in to World War II.

     The attack on Pearl Harbor was said to be the most sudden and brutal attack our nation had ever faced, until September 11, 2001 when another mad man orchestrated the annihilation of thousands simply because they were Americans.  In the early 1940’s the United States was still trying to pick itself back up after the Great Depression hit in the 30’s.  Unemployment, poverty, and homelessness were major concerns for many Americans.  Yet, when a call to arms came, the people responded.  Pride in our country beat strong throughout our land in the hearts of young and old alike.  Soldiers rose up to fight for freedom, liberty, and justice for all.  As we do every November in this country, now much more than ever, we remember those who fought.  While we honor present heroes who gave their all to save lives in September’s attacks, let us take time to honor those heroes who bravely stood in the face of the enemy years ago, and triumphed.

     With the United States entering World War II, a draft was issued calling all young men eighteen or older to join the military.  There were exemptions, however.  Farming was seen as an essential industry as our food source therefore, the sons of farmers were allowed to remain home to help work the land.  Many young men in Aroostook County avoided being drafted.  Even so, the war and threat of attack was very real to those living in the County.

     Aroostook County in the 1940’s wasn’t made up of many thriving communities.  Few, if any, households during that time had telephones.  One family of eleven, living in the township of Grand Isle in the St. John Valley, were fortunate to have one of these relatively new contraptions.  As one of the few families owning a telephone, the Grivois’ were contacted by the government and asked to act as a Civil Defense Post for their area.  Clovis Grivois proudly agreed, taking his position as Civil Warden very seriously.

     Joseph Grivois, who now resides in Easton, was the sixth child of Clovis and Anna Grivois.  He vividly recalls the early days of World War II, and the role his family played in protecting our nation.  “As a Civil Defense Post for our area, I remember we had a sheet of all the different kinds of planes on the wall in our home, and every time we heard a plane we had to call in.  Then we had to give the information on what kind of a plane it was, how many propellers, and in which direction the plane was headed in.”

     In addition to tracking aircrafts around the country, the United States also set up periodic ‘blackout drills’ in each area.  As Civil Warden, Clovis was also in charge of seeing that his area knew what to do in the event of an emergency situation.  During a blackout drill, every light and lantern in every home was to be out.  Clovis made sure that all citizens of his area followed the rules.  “Dad would jump in his old Model T Ford and go around without his headlights on to make sure everyone had his lights out,” Joseph remembers.   “One night in my bedroom facing the road, I could see a light.  There wasn’t supposed to be traffic.  I told my dad there was a car coming and dad got all shook up, went out in his longjohns and stopped the car and made him shut his lights off.”

     The Grivois family’s role in WWII was not limited to the important task of Civil Defense Post, for soon after war was declared the draft came knocking on their door.  Clifford, their oldest son and second child, was the first to be called to join the fight for America.  Once drafted, Clifford was sent to the South Pacific with the aircraft B27 division.  He went through such places as Manila, Guam, and Okinawa.  Back home his mother Anna put a yellow star in her window signifying that she had a son who was fighting for his country.

     The following year Anna had to add a second star to her window when Andrew, her second son, was drafted and sent to Kentucky for training.  Andrew  was later sent to Germany under Patton.  Emery, the third son in the Grivois family was drafted soon thereafter.  Emery joined the engineering division of the military in 1943.  His division was one of the key factors in keeping the Rhine bridge open in 1945.  Joseph explains that the Rhine was the only bridge left open in that area; a bridge over which Andrew and his division were able to cross to safety.

     Clovis and Anna’s fourth son George was drafted and entered the war under the navy aircraft division.  A couple of years after Emery joined the war, it was obvious that the combat was coming close to a resolution.  Joseph was only seventeen at the time but wanted to join in the war effort.  He didn’t want to wait to be drafted for fear that it would be too late and the war would be over.  “We weren’t afraid of war or fighting, we were proud,” Joseph says.  Proud to be Americans.  Proud to fight for a nation graced by God.  He joined the military and was stationed in the states as a Medical Aid Man.  Joseph had the sobering and vital task of caring for wounded soldiers returning from the battle zone.

     The window in the Grivois home now proudly displayed five yellow stars.  Five times the prayers went up daily from the parents of these soldiers.

     One of the largest land battles in which the United States participated in World War II was called the “Battle of the Bulge.”  Hitler realized that Germany was losing ground in the war, and planned this all out attack to capture cities, including Belgium, and destroy Allied aircraft.  Thirty-one American military divisions fought against the swarm of German troops into Belgium, including Emery Grivois’ 106th land division.  While German troops attacked Belgium and American troops, some soldiers were fortunate enough to find refuge with friends they had made in the area.  Emery sought solace from a Belgium family he had befriended.  The Delmere family hid Emery in their barn while the Germans wrought terror on the city.

     The Allied forces stayed strong, holding Germany back until they retreated.  On January 28, 1945 the Battle of the Bulge was won, and the 106th land division was credited as playing a major role in the success of the Allies.  During the battle 19,000 American soldiers had been killed, with another 62,000 injured.  Emery, however, was safe thanks to the mercy of a Belgium family.

     Victory was sweet to the young soldiers.  Though there were still some minor battles to go before Japan surrendered in 1946, America was assured of it’s outcome and the soldiers were looking ahead toward coming home.  There was great rejoicing in the Grivois home.  Joseph was home and the rest of the boys would be returning soon.  All had fought and all would come out of the war unharmed.

     It was a Sunday afternoon in May 1945.  Joseph remembers the family gathering together that day, in high spirits and anxious for the rest of the boys to return home from overseas.  “We were all kind of joyful about the war being pretty much over and that all the boys had come out of it alright,” he recalls.  Suddenly, in the midst of their celebration, the priest from the local Parish church quietly arrived.  He had a telegram in his hand.  Emery was dead.

     In the midst of their victory in Belgium, the soldiers were celebrating their win with the typical lighthearted antics of young men.  Emery was among those who loved to laugh.  While in his barracks with his buddies, one soldier came out of the latrine and drew a gun at Emery with a smile.  It was a joke meant to bring more laughs.  The soldier, Emery’s friend, told Emery to draw.  Emery played along and drew his gun.  The soldier’s laughter died in his throat and his smile froze when his gun went off, shooting a bullet near Emery’s heart.  He had believed his gun was not loaded.  Emery died two days later.

     Joseph remembers the horror of that day when his family received the fateful telegram, and cries.  It’s not often that he talks of the war and Emery’s death, but when he does the sense of loss returns as fresh as ever.

     In the early 1950’s conflict in Korea arose.  Again the Grivois family heeded the call.  Both of Clovis’ youngest sons, John and Gerard, were drafted and sent to Korea to fight for the American cause.  They both returned home at the end of this war.

     There are many wars that could be mentioned, and many veterans that must be remembered.  The Grivois family, and families and men like them, should always be remembered and honored.  They are the heart and soul of America:  A prime example of why our flag still waves so proudly.  This new war of the millennium has often been compared to World War II.  Let us pray that few lives are lost and wartime will be short.  Let us pray that men who wish to kill, steal, and destroy would not triumph.  The terror of the Pearl Harbor attacks sent a wave of hysteria throughout the United States.  Japanese Americans were being detained and held in prison-type camps out of pure fear that they might be spies. 

     America, the ‘melting pot’ of the world, where people could come from any ethnicity and be welcomed into the land of the free suddenly began locking up their own citizens.  Let us pray that we will not judge others falsely and accuse innocent people unjustly.  Let us esteem our former heroes as strongly as we do our present ones.

     Five of the seven Grivois brothers, along with their two sisters Doris and Jeanine, are living in various parts of Aroostook County and Connecticut.  After the war, Clifford returned home and became an instructor in basic training for the B29 radios.  He married and had two children, and still resides in Connecticut.  George also lives in Connecticut, where he made a home for his wife and three children after the war by buying and running his own auto body shop.

     John and Gerard joined their brothers in Connecticut.  John and his wife had three children while Gerard had two.  Both died within a year of each other in the early 1980’s.

     Andrew stayed in Aroostook County after the war, along with his sisters.  He married and had a son.  He worked as an auto mechanic most of his life, and now resides in Van Buren.  Joseph also stayed in the County.  After the war he attended college on the GI Bill, and received his Associates Degree in Business Administration.  He worked as Branch Manager on Loring Air Force Base for years, then went to work for the Cyr family in Limestone.  He married and had six children, and now lives in Easton.

     With the wisdom of one who has experienced the tragedy of war, Joseph is grieved over the recent attacks on our nation, and worries about our country’s response.  “People forget what the real true thing is, that there’s a God.  I think a lot about what’s going on now,” he says.  “I almost think that we have to go back to having the people realize that we are in a bad situation.  This terrorism and all that’s going on, we might have to be more alert, like we were in WWII.  I think truthfully that people don’t realize the danger that we could be in.  Especially after this happening coming into our country right under our faces and doing what they did to the World Trade Center and Pentagon.”

     Despite Joseph’s sobering, yet realistic view of the terrorist attacks, he still sees a hope that the United States will come out victorious once again.  “The country now is still strong.  WWII really showed what people can do in such a short time, to get together and unite, showing their spirit and their bravery.”

     Aroostook Magazine wishes to thank the Grivois family - the boys who fought in America’s battles and those who stayed home and supported the war efforts.  Thank you also to all our nation’s veterans living in Aroostook County.  May God bless you.

If you have any questions or comments on any of our stories, or if you have any future story suggestions, please email me at kimberly@ainop.com.   

feedback