05/25/2026
Long before the US entered World War II, the draft was already calling up young men. In October 1940, Homer Leroy Gibson— "Uncle Satch"—traveled from Reynoldsville to Altoona, Pennsylvania, to sign up. Born on May 29, 1914, he was part of a generation about to face history head on.
According to family stories from Aunt Pip, Uncle Satch was first stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, with the 7th Cavalry. They were still a horse unit back then. Shortly after he arrived, they began the transition to modern, dismounted combat.
Uncle Satch was transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia, and the10th Armored Division, nicknamed "The Tigers." He was a Battalion Driver/Scout. In 1944, he and the Tigers boarded a ship for Europe, landing in Cherbourg, France, to fight under General Patton.
Satch fought through the Battle of the Bulge, helping defend Bastogne. His unit then pushed across the Rhine toward Heidelberg. It was during this final stretch into Germany that tragedy struck, and Uncle Satch lost his leg.
Uncle Satch’s war didn’t end at the armistice; it just shifted to rehab. By 1946, he was at the Thomas M. England General Hospital in Atlantic City. The Army had taken over two luxury hotels and turned them into a massive, 61,000-patient amputee center. Satch spent a time there, learning to walk on a "wooden leg" which was state-of-the-art technology at the time. He was honorably discharged later that year.
The war changed the course of his life in personal ways. Aunt Pip remembered that he had a girlfriend he intended to marry before the war. When he came home, however, he broke off the relationship—because he was too selfless to let himself become a burden to her.
Despite his sacrifices, Uncle Satch never became bitter. He was loved by his family who adored him, remembering him as a kind, funny, and loving soul.
This Memorial Day, I honor all veterans, but especially those like Uncle Satch who crossed an ocean to defeat a regime of extreme nationalism—a dictatorship that crushed dissent, controlled the news, and sent innocent people to concentration camps.
Today, I honor the veterans who protect the United States, who swore an oath to follow the Constitution, as our American story continues to build a "more perfect union" that thrives on our diversity and strength.
