Neubern Clinton Douglas
(12/28/1921 - 10/4/1979)
Neubern Douglas
circa 1933
Neubern Clinton Douglas was born on December 28, 1921 in Emanuel County, Georgia, to William Clinton Douglas and Georgia Belle Tapley Douglas. As the second oldest surviving male child of Clint and Georgia Belle, Neubern would play a significant role in seeing the family through numerous difficult periods fraught with financial instability and general uncertainty concerning the future.
Neubern attended public school, and like many of his classmates, was quite accustomed to "doing without" in terms of new clothing or other material possessions. He first appears in the public record on the 1930 Emanuel County census (8 years old) in the household of his father, William Clinton Douglas.
Neubern's sixth-grade year in elementary school proved most difficult as the nation sank still deeper into economic depression. As the family's needs grew ever more significant, Neubern's education soon took a back seat to simply placing food on the table. By 1933, Neubern had left school to assist his father in supporting the family.
Neubern distinguished himself through remarkable physical strength and honesty in
Doris Fountain Douglas
circa 1927
business matters. He was no stranger to trouble due to a very quick temper. It has been theorized that this "inner anger" aided Neubern in functioning in an adult world while still only a child.
Doris Fountain Douglas
With Sister, Annette
The family's financial strains were further complicated by the death of Neubern's father, Clint, in 1936. With family and friends residing in Mount Vernon, Georgia, at the time, Neubern's mother, Georgia Belle, moved the family there in hopes of better opportunities. Neubern's grandfather, Spencer, would pass away a year after his father (1937).
Physically, Neubern possessed dark features and a warm smile. He stood approximately 6' tall, had a medium build, and weighed approximately 185 pounds.
Neubern occupied himself with various jobs in and around Mount Vernon until December 7, 1941, when Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, ushered the United States into World War II. Neubern later commented to his oldest son, Steve, that once he learned of the bombing, he knew that the country would soon be at war.
True to his intuition, war was soon declared and on July 22, 1942, Neubern entered the United States Army to begin training for battle in the Pacific Campaign. Neubern's military career began on August 5, 1942 when he arrived for processing at Fort McPherson in East Point, Georgia. According to service records, Neubern's profession upon entering the military was that of a farmer. He stated that his religion was Christianity--specifically, the Baptist faith.
Neubern Douglas
circa 1937
Neubern Douglas
circa 1940
With the commencement of World War II, Fort McPherson was established as a major regional processing center for thousands of new recruits entering the military. Upon arrival, Neubern was assigned service number 34354247, which he would use for the remainder of the war. Over a four to five-day period, Neubern was interviewed, tested, and recommended for a training assignment. He would initially be assigned classification as a Warrant Officer.
Following processing at Fort McPherson, Neubern was transferred to Camp Croft near Spartanburg, South Carolina, for basic training. Initially, basic training consisted of 12 to 13 weeks of instructions, but following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, training time was cut to 8 weeks. Soon thereafter, a 17 week training program was instituted which remained until the close of the war.
Soldiers arriving at Camp Croft had little in the way of unit options
Doris Fountain Douglas
circa 1938
following graduation. As loss replacement needs in the field were high, recruits were assigned to units on an as-needed basis. Interestingly, Camp Croft would also house hundreds of German POWs during the war.
While at Camp Croft, Neubern was assigned to Company D, 28th Infantry Training Battalion. A mailing address provided to Neubern's family indicates that he resided in Barrack 4.4.06 during basic training. Upon the completion of basic and advanced infantry training, Neubern was assigned to the 145th Infantry with a rank of Private First Class.
Neubern was soon deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations wherein he would participate in a massive operation known as the Solomon Islands Campaign. Neubern's unit, in addition to the 148th Infantry and the 135th, 136th, and 140th Field Artillery battalions, sailed for the Solomon Islands on four ships during the summer of 1943.
Neubern arrived in the Solomon Islands in June of 1943. Neubern's 145th Infantry was divided into two groups in order to participate in the New Georgia Campaign during two heavy assaults. The New Georgia Campaign was part of Operation Cartwheel, which comprised a series of allied strategic assaults aimed at neutralizing Japanese forces at Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. Neubern's group, in addition to the 14th Infantry, were formally attached to the 1st Marine Raider Regiment just prior to the first assault on the New Georgia Island chain.
At the time of Neubern's arrival in the Solomons, 10,500 troops were well entrenched in the New Georgia Islands under the command of General Minoru (Noboru) Sasaki. Sasaki's forces anticipated an allied attack on New Georgia, and had created heavily fortified positions under thick jungle canopies.
Neubern would participate in a massive allied assault on the New Georgias. Allied forces encountered challenging terrain and relentless sniper fire from Japanese troops. Neubern would have carried an M1 (.30 caliber) rifle during the engagement. Additionally, he was likely part of a gunnery unit due to his access to a water cooled machine gun (see below).
Neubern was part of a campaign to cut off Japanese supply lines and secure the strategic Munda Airfield. The operation would eventually be known as the Battle of Munda Point. Initial progress was significantly hampered by dense jungle and severe weather conditions. Neubern's unit would soon encounter heavily entrenched Japanese forces near Munda. Characterized by close-quarter skirmishing, the fighting outside Munda is considered by many experts to have been some of the worst and most difficult jungle warfare of the entire conflict.
Neubern's unit sustained significant casualties during the assault, and Neubern himself suffered very serious injuries that if left untreated, would have certainly proved fatal. Due to these injuries and advanced dehydration, Neubern was forced to drink from a water-cooled machine gun--probably a Browning M1917A1--to remain alive until medics could reach him. He would later recount to family that he could hear Japanese soldiers all around him while he lay waiting for help to arrive.
Neubern Douglas
Camp Croft, 1943
Medics eventually reached the wounded in Neubern's unit, and his wounds were temporarily field dressed prior to relocation to an Army field hospital. The sacrifice of Neubern and his unit were not in vain as the tactical objectives of the New Georgia Campaign were realized by August of 1943.
Neubern was admitted to a field hospital on July 3, 1943. Specific injuries noted on official U.S. Army records include fractures of the right clavicle and scapula resulting from gunfire, as well as pneumococcus of the right lung due to infection resulting from a bullet wound. Neubern was further diagnosed with malaria, an additional bullet wound to the spine and trunk, and paralysis of nerves in the brachial plexus.
Munda Point Airfield
New Georgia Island, 1943
Neubern Douglas
In OD Field Jacket, 1943
In all, Neubern suffered three bullet wounds with complicating shrapnel. Some of the shrapnel in Neubern's lower back could not be removed due to its proximity to the spinal cord. Thus, the shrapnel remained for the duration of Neubern's life. Records further state that Neubern's wounds were surgically corrected and his right arm was placed in a cast. Unfortunately, due to having to drink from a water-cooled machine gun for survival purposes in the field, he would later develop pieria disease resulting in tooth loss.
Upon being stabilized, Neubern was transferred back to the United States for further surgery, treatment, and recuperation at O'Reilly Army General Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. O'Reilly had been established as the Army's premier hospital in 1941. The facility was regarded as the pride of the U.S. Army Medical Corps with numerous medical specialists on staff. Specialists included some active duty surgeons from the Mayo Clinic. Neubern would be among 42,000 injured soldiers treated at O'Reilly.
Doris Fountain Douglas
With Children, Steve and Carol
During this period, Neubern was visited by his bride-to-be, Doris. While in St. Louis, Doris encountered her first slot machine. Always adventurous, she inserted a coin, pulled the lever, and hit the jackpot on her first attempt. The story remained one of Doris' favorites.
Neubern Douglas
Graduation, Basic Training, 1943
Neubern Douglas
With Old Car in South Georgia
Following several months of treatment and recuperation, Neubern was permitted to return home to Georgia in early 1944. Neubern soon proposed to and married Doris Jo Fountain (7/28/1924 - 12/22/1987), a native of Uvalda, Georgia, whose family was both well-established and prominent in Montgomery County. The marriage ceremony was held in Vidalia, Georgia, on March 7, 1944, and performed by A.L. Elkins, Justice of the Peace. Together, the couple had issue:
a) Carol Elizabeth
b) Stephen (Steve) Clinton
c) Paul Newman
Doris was an energetic, boisterous individual who possessed an assertive, out-going personality. She was well-known by many students attending Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, due to a restaurant partnership she began near the college campus.
Neubern received notice of his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army on April 20, 1944, for injuries and disabilities sustained in the line of duty. He received the Purple Heart Military Medal & Ribbon, the Army Good Conduct Military Medal & Ribbon, the American Defense Military Medal & Ribbon, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal & Ribbon, and the World War II Victory Military Medal & Ribbon. Any other commendations Neubern might have obtained during his tenure in the military remain unknown at the present time due to loss of records.
After the war, Neubern involved himself in numerous vocations, attaining notable successes in each. His first post-war vocation was proprietor of a highly successful moving company. He went on to work for the Ailey Manufacturing Company as a Personnel Supervisor, as a driver for the Derst Baking Company, and serve as a Foreman at D. Johnson's Mill. Failing health stemming from his war injuries would eventually necessitate early retirement.
Around 1953, Neubern purchased land along Highway 280 in Mount Vernon, Georgia, immediately adjacent to the local "Community House." There, he constructed a house for his family which still stands, though no longer owned by the Douglas family.
Neubern & Doris
circa 1949
Neubern possessed a number of interesting and unique abilities including the construction of homemade slingshots and the cultivation of grapes. Resulting from early exposure to the craft of grape cultivation, Neubern maintained a large grapevine for many years while residing in Mount Vernon. He produced exceptional wine from the grapes produced by the vine, and gladly shared the wine with family and friends.
Neubern greatly enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, who often delighted in tapping on papa's "iron shoulder."
Though never outwardly vocal concerning his personal religious beliefs, Neubern was reared in the Primitive Baptist tradition. He rarely attended church, but did join the First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon in 1976. Neubern's son, Steve, would also affiliate with this congregation.
Doris with son, Steve
circa 1960
At 2:00 a.m. on October 4, 1979, Neubern died in his sleep of "cardiopulmonary arrest due to coronary atherosclerosis." Neubern was attended by Dr. Richard J. Weaver of Vidalia, Georgia. He was 57 years old at the time of his death. Neubern was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Georgia, with full military honors including a twenty-one gun salute.
Doris was a relatively tall woman at approximately 5' 8." She had a tremendous sense of humor, and greatly enjoyed laughter. She was highly protective of her children, always desiring the best for each of them.
Doris greatly enjoyed the ocean, and she and Neubern once owned a cabin on the Georgia coast. The couple would visit as often as they could with family, but eventually decided to sell the property.
Doris sold the family home shortly after Neubern's death and maintained a smaller residence until her own passing at 8:30 a.m. on December 22, 1987, at Meadows Memorial Hospital, Vidalia, Georgia. Doris' official cause of death was listed as "metabolic acidosis due to sepsis." Doris was attended by Dr. William H. Moses, Jr., of Vidalia. She was buried beside Neubern in Mount Vernon Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Georgia.
Doris Jo Fountain Douglas
circa 1985