World War II veteran shares experiences marching across Europe
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — This year marks the 75th anniversary of victory over Germany and Japan in World War II. Clarence Dotson was among the heroes who marched across Europe during the war. He died in January this year at the age of 94 while at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville. But before he passed, Dotson spoke about his part in winning the war.
During an interview for the Fourth of July in 2018, Dotson talked about what he saw on D-Day.
“The surf on Utah Beach was filled with dead bodies of little 18 and 19-year-old boys like me,” Dotson said.
On the 70th anniversary of D-Day in 2014, Dotson spoke again of his memories of sailing across the English Channel on his way to Normandy, France.
“I was very quiet on the boat,” Dotson said. “Some of us realized we would never get back home.”
Over the years, Dotson has appeared on News 13 many times advocating for local veterans. He always wore his uniform from World War II and always had a smile on his face when talking about being a veteran.
In the summer of 2019, Dotson gave his entire story from D-Day, 1944, to VE Day, 1945 from his home in the Haw Creek community.
“I’m showing you an LST,” said Dotson as he looked at an old photograph of a Navy ship. “That is the type of vehicle we were boarded on and landed from.”
“I was in the artillery,” said Dotson. “It was our job to keep the vehicles repaired.”
Dotson drove a heavy, six-wheel-drive truck that pulled cannons called howitzers. Artillery batteries usually set up far behind advancing infantry troops. But after landing on Utah beach, Dotson said he worried he was too close to the enemy.
“We were close to the front lines,” said Dotson. “You could hear the small arms fire from the front lines and the machine guns.”
Under the command of General George Patton, Dotson marched across France until the Third Army took a short break for Christmas Day 1944. Dotson said he remembers standing in the door of a building enjoying the sunshine during the holiday when a German fighter plane nearly took his life.
“Something just impressed upon me, says ‘Dotson you art to move.’ I moved back inside and in less time, just a few seconds there was an ME-109 come across the hill and right where I was standing he tore the door frame off with bullets. Had I not paid attention to what was going on, I would not be here today.”
A close call, but Dotson still had to survive the Battle of the Bulge.
“We were ordered to fight day and night,” Dotson said when remembering an order by General Patton. “He said, ‘you don’t win anything by shooting a while and quitting. Once you get them to running, keep them running,’ and that is what we did.”
This would lead to the end of the deadliest war in history. Dotson will be missed by the Asheville veteran community. His entire interview is preserved on The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas YouTube page.
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