World War II Honoree

Charles Ray Doyen

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Pomona, California

Honored By

Family

FOLLOWING BASIC INFANTRY COMBAT TRAINING, CHARLES WAS SENT TO COLLEGE PARTICIPATING IN THE ARMY SPECIALIZED TRAINING PROGRAM. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM WAS TO TRAIN MEN FOR BECOMING OFFICERS IN THE CORPS OF ARMY ENGINEERS. HOWEVER, THE WAR ESCALATED AND THE PROGRAM WAS ENDED WITH THE PARTICIPANTS TRANSFERRED INTO COMBAT INFANTRY UNITS FOR FURTHER TRAINING AND SERVICE IN COMBAT. CHARLES WAS SENT TO LE HAVRE, FRANCE, PLACED UPON A TROOP TRAIN HEADED FOR COMBAT IN GERMANY. THE TRAIN LEFT LE HAVRE, GOING THROUGH NORTHERN FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, AND TOOK THOSE ABOARD TO THE AREA OF THE RHINELAND IN GERMANY. THEY ENCOUNTERED THE GERMAN ARMY IN THE RUHR VALLEY IN GERMANY, CZECHOSLOVAKIA. DURING A BATTLE NEAR REMAGEN, GERMANY, GERMAN 88 MM SHELLS LANDED IN AND AROUND THE AREA WHERE CHARLES AND HIS BUDDIES WERE DIGGING FOX HOLES. ONE SHELL LANDED TOO CLOSE AND CHARLES RECEIVED A BAD BRAIN CONCUSSION AND A BACK INJURY. HE WAS INITIALLY TAKEN TO A FIELD HOSPITAL IN REMAGEN AND LATER CARRIED ABOARD A HOSPITAL AIRPLANE TO PARIS, FRANCE AND HOSPITALIZED IN MOURMELON LE GRAND, FRANCE. UPON RETURN TO HIS COMBAT UNIT, THE WAR HAD ENDED AND CHARLES' COMBAT GROUP WAS TO BE SENT TO THE PACIFIC TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WAR WITH THE JAPANESE. BECAUSE OF CHARLES' INJURIES, HE WAS GIVEN THE CHOICE OF RETURNING HOME OR TO STAY IN GERMANY FOR OCCUPATION DUTY. AS HIS INJURIES WERE NOT THAT SEVERE, HE CHOSE TO REMAIN IN GERMANY ON OCCUPATION DUTY. HE WAS SOON ASSIGNED TO THE POSITION OF CLASSIFICATION SPECIALIST WITH A CORPORAL'S RANK, ASSUMING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ASSIGNING ALL ARMY PERSONNEL TRANSFERRED INTO THE 18TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION TO ARMY OF OCCUPATION DUTIES. CHARLES SERVED WITH THE UNITED STATES ARMY FROM MARCH 22, 1943 TO APRIL 3, 1946 AND HAS REMAINED PROUD TO HAVE SERVED HIS COUNTRY DURING WARTIME.