Roy E. Baze

NAME: Roy E. Baze

ASN: O-377640

PLACE OF BIRTH: Blanchard, McClain County, OK

DATE OF BIRTH: 22 Jul 1910

DATES OF SERVICE: ?? ??? 1943 - 24 Aug 1944

UNIT ASSIGNED: 509th PIR

CAMPAIGNS: Southern France

AWARDS: Parachutist Badge, Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously), Purple Heart Medal (Posthumously), EAME Campaign Medal with arrowhead device, WWII Victory Medal

SUMMARY OF SERVICE:

Parents were Garrett Taylor Baze and Minnie Hannah Hey Baze

Attended Wentworth Military Academy

Graduated School of Medicine from Oklahoma State University

Moved to Chickasha, OK and entered medical practice of his uncle, Dr. Walter J. Baze

14 Dec 1940 - Married Mary Lillian Skirvin in Lewis County, MO

30 Apr 1943 - Son was born, Frank Skirvin Baze

Early 1943 - Left for overseas, arrived Oran, North Africa and served as Staff Surgeon for one year

Mid 1944 - Transferred to 509th PIB in Italy

15 Aug 1944 - Participates in Operation DRAGOON the airborne invasion of Southern France. Landed in St. Tropez

21 Aug 1944 - CAPT ROY BAZE (Battalion Surgeon): Writes home: The good Lord has certainly looked after your son. I went over a road three times today, evacuating patients, later, three officers drove over the same road and were killed.

23 Aug 1944 - Citation: August 23, 1944, the enemy counter attacked the heights in the vicinity of *** (St. Cassein) taken that day by Company "C" of the battalion. The assault, supported by self-propelled artillery, was of the greatest intensity near a creek and bridge in this area, and casualties were occuring rapidly. On his way to render urgently needed medical aid to this sector, Captain Baze was halted at a demolished bridge half a mile below the area under assault and warned not to proceed any further, as the enemy was on the road leading to that area and subjecting it to heavy artillery fire. Determined to aid the wounded men, Captain Baze placed a litter on his shoulder and taking the red cross flag from his jeep, crossed the river (Saignes) below the demolished bridge and proceeded the half mile to his objective, despite intermittent artillery and intense mortar and small arms fire. Reaching the bridge on the far bank, he swam the deep creek (Beal) to the other side, took command of the situation, treated wounded, restored morale and order, and directed and assisted in the evacuation. Not until five hours later - after another hazardous trip down the road and repeated crossings of the creek (Beal) to assure the safe evacuation of all wounded - did Captain Baze leave the sector under assault.

24 Aug 1944 - Capt. Roy E. Baze O-377640 HHC, 509th PIB, Battalion Surgeon, KIA Southern France, page 77, book: First Airborne Task Force by Michel De Trez

24 Aug 1944 - Capt. Roy E. Baze O-0377640 HQ 509th PIB, Battalion Surgeon, Hometown: Chickasha, OK, KIA: 24 Aug 1944, buried: 12/7683, Arlington, VA, Campaign: Southern France, Awards: Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart Medal (posthumously) page 386, Book: Stand in the Door by Charles H. Doyle and Terrell Stewart

24 Aug 1944 - Capt. Roy E. Baze O-0377640 "KIA: Diagnosis: First Location: Unknown, code not applicable; Causative Agent: Land Mine, While in Vehicle, Type of Injury: Casualty, battle, Injured in Line of Duty: In line of duty, Type of Discharge: Died" - Hospital Admission Card Files

ED PILCHER: "I was stowing my gear of 81-mm ammo when there was an explosion behind me. Something hit my left heel and went 'fluttering' off to my left. I turned around and there was a dense cloud of black smoke in the spot I had just left. I ran back, thinking a whole case of ammo must have blown up. A jeep was standing on its wheels, but up on the bank. A corporal (possibly Tech 5 Robert F. Kealen) who had been riding in the jeep was lying on the roadside bank dazed. Captain Baize, a medical officer, who had only recently joined the battalion, was hanging by his right foot. There was no blood visible, and he doubtless died instantly.'

CAPT JUD CHALKLEY (551st PIB): Then we were going along the road to Cannes, and the Germans has mined all the roads. I had gone on ahead to scout out a place for the aid station and was trying to stay in the tracks of the preceding vehicles as carefully as possible. Behind me, driving another medical jeep, was a fine young surgeon (Roy Baze) who was with the 509th PIB. He hit a land mine, and when I drove back the next day there was the wreckage, and parts of his body hanging in a nearby tree. He was from Pauls Valley, OK and but for the grace of God it would have been me up there. I looked at his tire tracks and they had gone right where mine had, except for a slight deviation in the place where the mine was laid.

CAPT ALFRED KELLY (509th Battalion Surgeon): Dear Mrs. Baze, Your husband, Capt. Roy E. Baze, was killed almost instantly when a mine exploded under the jeep he was driving. The man with him in the jeep, the assistant driver, was shaken up, but escaped death almost miraculously. The Lord just saw fit to take the Doc at this time. This occurred the morning after the doctor had performed a marvelous feat of bravery and courageous action in evacuation of wounded from the same area, which was on the outskirts of Cannes. Doc Baze, in his characteristically dauntless manner, had himself taken a litter on his shoulder and, with a red cross flag, walked up a road under artillery and small arms fire to reach some wounded men and get them evacuated. For this a citation has gone in for the Distinguished Service Cross. The day before he had just fearlessly tramped over a wooded ridge, looking for wounded that might have been left behind. It so happened that the enemy had just pulled back, but this was not known at the time, and for all we knew, enemy snipers were still lurking throughout the hillside, as they had for most of the day. There are other stories of Doc Baze, one of which I know. It was at St. Tropez, when he landed with a force of paratroops. The fight was thick, but that didn’t daunt Capt Baze. He helped get evacuation going, and when there were no facilities set up for taking care of wounded, he himself located a French hospital and began operating on the wounded. I recall him telling me about it later, how he performed an abdominal operation and resected part of the intestines in one case. This is major surgery, and the Doc was doing everything from getting the men off the battlefield to General hospital surgery, a feat few doctors would tackle even if the opportunity or situation presented itself. But Doc Baze did it. He could never do enough for the boys. A few days before his death, I saw him putting on plaster casts after doing excellent debridement on compound fractures and ragged wounds. This is difficult to do in a forward aid station, and to set up sterile technique is laborious. But he did it. He had worked in a station hospital before and knew that such good operative care, when done promptly after the casualty occurred, meant shorter convalescence and better chances for the men for complete recovery. We all thought a lot of Doc Baze and miss him. He was a top notch doctor and they don’t come any better. (…) Let me know if I can be of any further help in any way. God bless you and yours, and do not lose faith in His guidance. Sincerely, Alfred J. Kelly, Capt. M.C.

01 Dec 1944 - Capt. Roy E. Baze O-377640 509th PIB, GO 12 HQ Sixth Army Group, Award of Distinguished Service Cross, page 383, book: Stand in the Door by Charles H. Doyle and Terrell Stewart

Distinguished Service Cross

(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Captain (Medical Corps) Roy E. Baze (ASN: 0-377640), United States Army, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as a Medical Officer with the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in action against enemy forces on 23 August 1944. Captain Baze's intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty at the cost of his life, exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, Sixth Army Group, General Orders No. 12 (1944)

Action Date: 23-Aug-44

Service: Army

Rank: Captain

Regiment: 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment