Rockport Heroes II

Cecil Curtis.

Thanks to Cecil for information used for the following write-up.

Cecil Curtis was born and raised in the Echols Community and in the general area where the Western Kentucky Parkway went through Echols. We always called that general area, "Curtis Town". It was not uncommon in the days of the early twentieth century for several families members to raise families in a central area. Thus, several families of Curtis's lived in the general area of "Curtis Town". There was also "Scottown", "Key Town" and the list goes on. None-the-less, a nearby school provided the place for the Curtis' to receive their education. Echols School, or more affectionally known as "Pink Hall", was the local school. Cecil, as well as most of his siblings and cousins completed their education at Pink Hall.

A few years after high school, Cecil's name came up active in the local draft board and he was drafted into Army Air Force. In January of 1943, he went to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana for processing and then was sent to Jefferson Barracks in Missouri. After six weeks training in Missouri, Cecil was shipped to Santa Maria Air Base for more training and preconditioning. He then boarded a "Troop Train" and was transferred to Orlando Air Base in Orlando Florida. By the time the "Troop Train" arrived in Florida, most of the soldiers had seen enough of trains to last them a lifetime. Cecil's duty in Florida was to his liking as well as the general area. By now he was assigned to the Army and placed in a "Transportation Group". His initial training was complete and he settled in for his tour of duty. All for naught though, as during some medical test, a "Peptic Ulcer" was found and Cecil was given a Medical Discharge under Honorable conditions and sent home.

After returning to Rockport, Cecil married Jean Welborn and proceeded to raise a family. He worked at a few jobs before he secured one of those good jobs from Peabody Coal Company and Cecil started working for Ken Mine and worked there until retirement. He and Jean bought a few acres in Rockport and built a house in order to continue to raise their family. There were two children, a boy and a girl. Several grandchildren have made this couple happy retirees.

Durwood Maple.

Durwood Maple graduated from Rockport High School in 1945. A few months before he graduated, he received his draft notice that Uncle Sam needed him. A 90 day deferment was gotten so that Durwood could finish High School before he entered the military service. A few days after Durwood graduated, he was sent to Missouri to complete his basic training. From there he was assigned to a supply unit, in Japan, just North of Tokyo. He was an equipment operator at a large warehouse. In the winter of 1946, the weather became almost unbearable. The temperature dropped to thirty degrees below zero and the operation of the large warehouse was put to a test. Motorized and mechanical equipment was difficult to operate and the large warehouse was never warm due to the unusual weather conditions. One day while training a new recruit, Durwood's index finger got caught between the lifting cable and the pulley and his index finger was cut off at the first knuckle. He was driven to a hospital on a "Half-Track" and the cold and long ride to the hospital seemed worse that the partial loss of his finger. None-the-less, Durwood survived and was able to complete his tour of duty.

In the early summer of 1947 Durwood returned to Rockport as an Army Veteran and a hero. He worked at several jobs until he found the Millwright profession to his liking. In this time frame, large equipment was being installed in the new plants being build. For the next forty years or so, Durwood traveled within a radius of a hundred miles and help install and set up this large machinery.

Durwood married his present wife in 1967 and they have lived in Rockport for almost forty years. Pat Maple was a 1955 graduate of Drakesboro High School. A son was born from this marriage and Durwood has two daughters from a previous marriage and Pat had two daughters from a previous marriage. From this family, there are three grandsons and two great-granddaughters.

Pat and Durwood have been an asset to the community and to Rockport for as long as they have lived in this small town. Any idea or endeavor that has come up, for the betterment of Rockport, has seen the helping hand extended by those two. No job was to small or to large for them. As a team, they seem to always be available. The Ball Field and Playground area stands today as monument to their work and dedication to make Rockport a better place to live. May they always be remembered for their work in this area.

The picture and the write-up about Hugh Ashton is from information that Hugh's daughter, Hilma Lou Ashton Stewart, has sent. Thanks Hilma.

Hugh Ashton was a Hopkins County native when he was drafted into the service. After he honorably served his country, he returned to Hopkins County, as a hero. A job was waiting on him at the Century Coal Company which was owned by the Kelts brothers. Soon after Hugh started work for Century Coal Company, the miners were told that the mine was to be shut down. Hugh, Homer Buchanan, Jimmy Blair, Dick Dozier, Ted Lawson and a few others were offered a job with the new mines that was starting in the Echols area. This time frame was in the late forties, probably nineteen and forty-seven. Hugh, Homer, Jimmy and Dick found homes in the Rockport area and the town was never the same. Most of the new miners continued with the good work ethics of the typical Kentucky Coal Miner and they always seemed to be available for work and service to their home town. Their wives were also involved in community affairs and soon were members and leaders of all of the community groups, associations and projects from the PTA to town's governing body. I remember this bunch well.

Working for the Coal Industry now, is a much better place to work than in the days prior to the early forties. An old "Coal Mining" song uses the words; "I owe my soul to the company store" and there was mostly truth in that statement. As the "Coal Industry" became "unionized", conditions slowly improved. Hopkins County was non-union area when Hugh returned from the war and times were tough. In the forties and fifties, a man had to work and take care of his family, even if it meant working for a "Non-Union" mine. That situation was the only one available, at that time. While Hugh and the others may not have liked their situation with a non-union mine, their destiny was to stick it out, and work toward improving the situation and conditions. After Hugh and the others miners came to Ohio County and started to work for "Union Mines" times and conditions changed for the better. Hilma says that when they first moved to Rockport, she thought that her name was changed from Hilma to "Scabby Hopkins County SOB". That was just the way it was in those days. The "Union Miners" just did not appreciate "Non-Union Miners" and the ill will was transferred down to the children.

Hugh was drafted into the Navy in the later part of World War II and he left Madisonville for "Boot Camp" in Norfolk, Va. After completing basic training, he returned home for a seven day leave and was sent to Treasure Island CA. This camp was in the San Francisco Bay area near the Golden Gate Bridge. Today, the old camp has been converted to a Coast Guard Station. This Navy Camp was a staging area, until Hugh could be assigned to a ship, and his family was able to visit him until he was shipped out. By this time, his family consisted of his wife and two daughters, Hilma and Joan. After about three weeks, Hugh was sent to New Guinea and his family returned to Hopkins County.

After arriving in New Guinea, Hugh and his shipmates were informed that the island was supposed to be free of "Japs", but to be cautious as there always seem to be a few hiding on the island. During their tour, a few of his crewmates were killed and Hugh was injured. Hugh was a "Dozer" operator with the SeaBee's when a "Jap" sprayed his dozer with a flame thrower. Although, Hugh was burned, he was fortunate that the burns were not severe and he soon recovered completely.

New Guinea is a large island, North of Australia and not that far from the equator. As you can imagine, it can get very hot in this area. The island Sailors just did not have time, nor the desire, to lug around clothing and equipment that they had no use for and their "Winter Uniform", or "Dress Blues" was never used in this very hot region of the world. When the war was over, orders soon came down from headquarters and this New Guinea group boarded a ship and was sent home. They arrived in Great Lakes Naval Station in December and with only their summer clothes available, most of the sailors soon felt the unpleasant weather in the Great Lakes Region. They were eventually re-issued a Pea Coat and Dress Blues, but not before they spend some miserable days shivering. From that day until Hugh died, Hilma says that she does not think that Hugh was ever warm again in his life.

Hugh Ashton.