Short-Leg Stribling

Edward Wiley Stribling is my great grandfather on my fathers side. I chose him because I know little about my father's side of the family- they're a rather tight-lipped group of people, not very prone to sentimental stories. However, after some short research, and a few phone calls to my grandfather, I learned a few tales definitely interesting enough to share. So, here they are.

Edward Stribling Bottom Left, Yearbook

One Edward Wiley Stribling was born to a Mary Noel Bufford and Frank Neil Stribling on April 19, 1918, in a little place called Ninety-Six, Greenwood, South Carolina. Ninety-Six, while being a rather odd name for a township, as it is now designated, was completely normal for a Mill Village, which it was at the time. Edward grew up here, dropping out of school with a sixth grade education, as per usual in a mill town like this. He spent most of his time working through the mill and fishing, playing softball, and everything else a generally country boy is want to do.

However, shortly after the disaster of Pearl Harbor, that same December, actually, Edward and four other friends made their way to the closest recruiting station to enlist, several miles out of town. Each of them had their hearts set on the ARMY that day, but the recruiter gave an ultimatum, "One of you has got to go to the Marines, boys." The five of them drew straws, and you could either say Edward won or lost that day, because by luck of the draw, he was now a U.S. Marine.

Book of Marine casualties under "Wounded"

Again, shortly after this, he was called on to deploy to the front lines of World War II, Okinawa, to be exact. He participated in one of the beach landings on the island of Okinawa as a marine infantryman. This is known as one of the bloodiest battles in history, especially due to the effort of taking the beach, the mass casualties from this tactic are well portrayed in movies such as "Saving Private Ryan" depicting D-day.

This was to be my great grandfather's fate, too. Within twenty-four hours Edward was being shipped back home, another casualty among the hundreds of thousands more. A single shot to the left leg shattered the bone and left him in a hip to toe cast for months, and later leaving him with a short left leg due to surgery reconstruction. This ended in a medical discharge from the Marines, the certificate which my grandfather still has in his possession today.

After this, he went back to old Ninety-Six, where he married Mary Noel Bufford and built a family with her, becoming the "head-hauncho," as my grandfather put it, of the air conditioning maintenance in the mill. A rather high end job for a sixth grade education. He fathered four children, three of which are still alive today, including my grandfather, who carried on the military tradition in my family, retiring a Major of the Army. He worked hard to support his family, and for many years, as my grandfather left the house when his youngest brother, Melvin was barely up to his knees.

My grandfather recalls the first time his father bought a car in 1945. For $200 and a drink he purchased a 1937 Ford from the liquor store owner on the other side of the mill, and they "rode back in style." My grandfather just as proud as Edward of their new purchase.

Edward was also well known as the mill village pitcher for the Ninety-Six softball team. Not a very serious affair, but my grandfather went along as the catcher to play with his father, and they'd travel as a team to go against other mill town teams in friendly rivalry games.

All in all he lived a good life in which his family and friends loved him and enjoyed his company. He sadly passed away in 1975, where he was cremated and passed on to his wife, who left it for her family when she passed shortly after. As my grandfather puts it in his own words, "Edward Wiley Stribling was a strict man and a good father, raising two families and working 'till the day he died."

Sources:

familysearch.org
ancestry.com
family testimony