Private First Class [PFC] Gibson was drafted into the Army (Infantry) in 1944 and served until 1945 in the 99th Infantry Division, 1st Army, 12th Army Group. He was trained to use a 30 caliber water cooled machine gun, with a crew of two ammunition bearers. He was involved in the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. He was injured but he described how a doctor in the unit treated him so his leg would not need to be amputated. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers. Gibson was born north of Sparks, Kansas on April 1, 1925. He graduated from Sparks High School and worked for farmers until he was drafted. After the war, he returned to Sparks. He worked in construction for a time, helping build a highway between Sparks and White Cloud. He went into law enforcement and served as a deputy sheriff, and under sheriff, and as chief of police in Highland. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Creator: Gibson, Charles William