Heard Saturday at 1 p.m. on KMJ 580
July 17, 2010: Dr. William D. Paschal of Wichita, Kansas. Growing up a farm boy in
rural Osborne, Kansas, Paschal enlisted in the Army Specialized Training Program
and was studying at Iowa State University when the ASTP was canceled. Troops were
needed in Europe right away, and he was assigned to the 100th Infantry Division. He
served as a scout, but when his unit (Company G, 397th Regiment) was left without a
medic, he was asked to "volunteer" to become an aid man. Listen to Hometown
Heroes to hear why Dr. Paschal believes that decision may have saved his life.
Captured January 8, 1945, Paschal was taken to Stalag IX-B, where he says fellow
prisoner Glenn Schmidt was a "lifesaver." Paschal was transferred out on a work crew
and spent his final days in captivity at Stalag IV-F. Liberated on April 13, 1945,
Paschal would eventually receive the Silver Star and the Bronze Star (x3) as well as
multiple medals of prestige from the French government. In 1997, he was belatedly
awarded for the purple heart, when x-rays revealed an old break in his shoulder,
suffered when a German interrogator punched him and shoved him down a flight of
stairs. Paschal is now a retired dentist living in Wichita.
rural Osborne, Kansas, Paschal enlisted in the Army Specialized Training Program
and was studying at Iowa State University when the ASTP was canceled. Troops were
needed in Europe right away, and he was assigned to the 100th Infantry Division. He
served as a scout, but when his unit (Company G, 397th Regiment) was left without a
medic, he was asked to "volunteer" to become an aid man. Listen to Hometown
Heroes to hear why Dr. Paschal believes that decision may have saved his life.
Captured January 8, 1945, Paschal was taken to Stalag IX-B, where he says fellow
prisoner Glenn Schmidt was a "lifesaver." Paschal was transferred out on a work crew
and spent his final days in captivity at Stalag IV-F. Liberated on April 13, 1945,
Paschal would eventually receive the Silver Star and the Bronze Star (x3) as well as
multiple medals of prestige from the French government. In 1997, he was belatedly
awarded for the purple heart, when x-rays revealed an old break in his shoulder,
suffered when a German interrogator punched him and shoved him down a flight of
stairs. Paschal is now a retired dentist living in Wichita.
Click play to listen