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Military – Veterans’ Day: Speaking for freedom – Coach Rusty Whitt RememberedHerman Fuselier, Daily Advertiser, Nov. 11, 2012 BREAUX BRIDGE — Antoine Clifton LeBlanc can’t remember when he started speaking English. Leblanc, whose first language is Creole French, chuckles as he still mixes up his pronouns, like "he" and "she," during conversations. But during World War II, there was no chuckling at LeBlanc’s language skills. He served as an Army technician whose Creole tongue was a valuable asset for the U.S. war effort. "I would go talk for them officers," said LeBlanc, 95, with his rich, French accent. "Anywhere they’d go, they got me with them. They got me right there. "I could talk with the people in French. We fighting and I’d say (as if) we’re in Lake Charles, "We’re going to take over Lafayette. Y’all going to have to drop down because we’re coming. They didn’t want, but I said ‘Well, that’s y’all. But we’re coming’." LeBlanc recalls his military service and early life as the nation honors armed service veterans today on Veteran’s Day. Since 1919, the United States has reserved Nov. 11 as a day to show honor and gratitude for military service. LeBlanc’s service is but one of the many contributions Creoles and Cajuns made to the war effort. With French as their first language, these south Louisiana natives were often spanked and ridiculed as young students. But in the military, these French speakers were capable translators for their fellow enlisted men and officers unable to speak with the natives in France and other European countries. Born in 1917 in Cecilia, LeBlanc enlisted in the Army in 1942. The fourth oldest of 11 children, LeBlanc grew tired of sharecropping, a tenant farming system that developed in the South after the Civil War. His entire family farmed land outside Cecilia in exchange for living quarters and a share of the crops. The landowner often extended credit to the farmers for food and supplies. The two settled the debt at harvest time. But in many instances, the farmers were never able to repay a constantly increasing debt. With little or no education, farmers suspected, but couldn’t prove, they were being cheated.
"We was on the plantation," LeBlanc said. "We all worked, picking corn. We had 10 or 12 in the fields and worked like horses. But it got too hard. "They was no good. They had a big book. One time, we tried to grab it and the man said, ‘Ton negre est trop smart (Your n—-r is too smart)’. They’d tell us we made a good crop, but we break even. "They’d say, ‘On va advancer vous autre (extend credit)’. We never could catch up. We were five brothers, and I said, ‘I’m gone. I had enough.’" LeBlanc enlisted in the Army, marrying his girlfriend, Mable Landor, before leaving for Camp Beauregard, north of Alexandria. His early military training brought him to Nashville, Virginia and New York City, before heading to England. "We ride the biggest ship they had in the whole world — the Queen Elizabeth," LeBlanc said. "We had tanks, trucks, airplanes. We had all our rifles. From England to LeHavre, France, it took us 31 days. You don’t see nothing but water. "We were 600 feet up. When we loaded, we were almost even with the water. We were (living) about 600 feet down. I asked a man, I said ‘What we gone do if something hit us?’ He said ‘We going down even more.’" In France, LeBlanc became part of the Red Ball Express, an Army Transportation Corps of mainly African American truck drivers who hauled gas, bullets and fuel as Gen. George S. Patton led troops across France into Germany. According to the U.S. Dept. of Defense website, the Express traveled from St. Lô in Normandy to Paris and eventually to France’s northeastern border. The route was marked with red balls. On an average day, 900 fully-loaded vehicles traveled round-the-clock on the Red Ball route. Drivers could only travel at 60-yard intervals at a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Convoys rolled all day, regardless of weather. Blackout rules applied to night driving. Army regulations prevented black soldiers from participating in combat. But Express supply trucks sometimes became targets for the enemy. Dead bodies and animals could be seen all along their routes.
"We had foxholes," LeBlanc said. "That was rough. There was bombing and shooting. "I’d say, ‘God, take me, please. Help me. I can’t make it.’ And I never got a scratch." Discharged in 1942, LeBlanc lives today as a spry, healthy and independent senior citizen. Family and friends admire his sharp memory, quick wit and active lifestyle. A retired landfill operator, LeBlanc enjoys zydeco dancing and is active with the Veterans of Foreign War and Knights of Peter Claver. His niece, Anna Castille, calls LeBlanc a role model. "I’ve learned a lot about living my life through him," Castille said. "He’s such a positive person. "He’s been through a lot — working on the farm and all the prejudice he went through and the losses he’s seen. But it doesn’t bring him down. I’ve seen him cry, but he always bounces back. "He’s leaving a legacy and I try to live my life like that." LeBlanc said he’s learned that life keeps moving. He’s always moved with it. "I had hard times, babe. You got to try everything. I always said if somebody can get hold to something. I’m going to get it. I had three houses in Lake Charles and two big lots. "Whatever you got, I’m going to try to get like it. I didn’t waste my money." "I take care myself, babe," LeBlanc added. "Take my advice — don’t sit too long. Get up and go touch it. If you stay sit down there, it’s gonna get you." Athletic Network Footnote:
Military: Sunday, Nov.11th – Veterans’ Day – Remember Our Veterans – Rusty Whitt Special Sat ESPN To view some of SLI, USL and UL veterans, please click on Photo Gallery (left side of home page), then the Military Link. Rusty Whitt Special on ESPN Whitt is the recipient of a combat infantry badge, two Iraqi campaign medals and an Army commendation medal with valor. He is a former Army Senior Special Forces Communications Sergeant and served tours of duty in Irag. Please email athleticnetwork@louisiana.edu to inform us of any veterans who should be included on the list. Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.
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