C-66

This is the story of 512 men who worked for a common goal during a period of 155 days. Few of them were together during all those days, but all of them belonged to the same group. Many were no longer there when the job was done. Some gave their lives early - Some were taken prisoner - Some were hospitalized - Some gave their lives later - Some were with the group for 155 days. This brief record of their service in World War II is dedicated to all of them. This is a remarkable record of one unit of an armored division during the last five months of the the war in Europe. It is carefully researched from official documents of the National Archives, and is laced with letters written home. This saga has been compiled by one of the enlisted men who never missed a day of duty and whose first hand view point as a company commander's combat radioman gives us a broad inside view of the company.

This is the story of 512 men who worked for a common goal during a period of 155 days. Few of them were together during all those days, but all of them belonged to the same group. Many were no longer there when the job was done. Some gave their lives early - Some were taken prisoner - Some were hospitalized - Some gave their lives later - Some were with the group for 155 days. This brief record of their service in World War II is dedicated to all of them. This is a remarkable record of one unit of an armored division during the last five months of the the war in Europe. It is carefully researched from official documents of the National Archives, and is laced with letters written home. This saga has been compiled by one of the enlisted men who never missed a day of duty and whose first hand view point as a company commander's combat radioman gives us a broad inside view of the company.

WESTON LEWIS EMERY ("Muscles") Private First Class, Company C 66, 12th Armored Infantry Battalion Weston Lewis Emery ("Muscles") authored C-66: A World War II Chronology of an Armored Infantry Company after attending a 12th Armored Division annual reunion and sharing memories with numerous fellow C-66 Hellcat buddies. This "hard to put down" book provides a remarkable, accurate account of the battles fought by this rifle company, with details, including names, dates, pictures, letters, and maps. Mr. Emery was a decorated combat veteran who served in the U.S. Army's 12th Armored Division ("Mystery Division" responsible for liberating 11 concentration camps) in Europe during World War II. Specifically, the most notable medals Mr. Emery received included the Combat Infantryman Badge, a Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, a second Bronze Star Medal, and a Certificate of Merit as a combat radio operator in an armored infantry company, a European African Middle Eastern Campaign medal, and the French Croix de Guerre. Mr. Emery was drafted into the U.S. Army in February of 1943 and was tested into the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) at Texas A&M. At Camp Barkley in March of 1944 he was assigned as C-66 Rifleman and HQ Platoon Radioman for HQ Halftrack. During his service, Mr. Emery authored a regular column of C-66 news in 66th A.I.B. as "Unca Avery." He survived an ambush battle in Steinwald in January of 1945, where C-66 lost the majority of its men. He was with C-66 when they attacked Rouffach while closing the Colmar pocket, when they fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and when they attacked Hettstadt on Easter dawn. Emery relayed messages for 28 consecutive hours in a 6-radio net during the attack in Unterspiesheim, for which he received a commendation. He left C-66 5 July 1945, not having missed one day of combat, and was honorably discharged 21 November 1945. After the war, Mr. Emery received his Bachelor's Degree from Rollins College and pursued graduate degrees at Boston University and Université de Grenoble. He then went on to become a U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Officer for 31 years. Fluent in French and Spanish, he served in Laos, Tunisia, Honduras, Ecuador, Paraguay and Washington, D.C. (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance). During his life, Emery was active in numerous associations, most notably: Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired (DACOR); 12th Armored Division Association (attended the first Reunion as well as all others after his retirement); Rhin & Danube Association (French Veterans Organization); Veterans of Foreign Wars, Chapter 346, Washington DC; Military Order of the Ardennes; Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge; and the American Foreign Service Association. At Rollins College he was president of the Delta Chi Fraternity; after the publication of C-66, he received Rollins' Alumni Achievement Award in Military History. Having been passionate about family roots throughout his life, Mr. Emery took genealogy courses during retirement and recorded 400 years of family ancestry. It is during retirement that he wrote C-66: A World War II Chronicle of an Armored Infantry Company. This book has received acclaims and endorsements from numerous historians, both military and civilian, and has sold over one thousand copies. Mr. Emery was born in Gardiner, ME, in 1924 and died in McLean, VA, in 2009. He is survived by his Belgian-born wife of 55 years, Brigitte LeMaire Emery, daughters Christine V. Emery and Caroline C. Emery, son Eric Weston Emery (Wendy), and grandsons, Benjamin and Christian.