Eubanks, John Lee.

Eubanks, John Lee, born 23-12-1920 in Sparta, Hancock County, Georgia, United States, to Lucius Jerome “Pa” Eubanks (1888–1966) and his wife Laura Bell “Grand Belle”, born Hester, Eubanks (1891–1991). John had five brothers and two sisters, Marion Eubanks Sr (1909–1986) , Alton Jerome “Frog” Ejubanks (1917–2003), Curtis Eubanks (1919–1994), Virginia Christine “Tina” Carr-Underwood ( 1925–2018), James Willie “J Bo” Eubanks (1927–1976) and Faye Marie Eubanks Sherrer (1929–2020)’.John  married Nellie Lucille Snow on 27-06-1942, in Milledgeville, Baldwin, Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 3 daughters.

John entered the service in Georgia. in E Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, “Easy Company” 101st Airborne Division.   under command from D-day by General Taylor, Maxwell Davenport.

John served in the U.S. Army under General Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower,

during the Normandy Invasion of WW2 as a Private First Class and served in France “D-Day”, England, Holland “Operation Market Garden”, Belgium “Battle of the Bulge”, and the occupation of Hitler’s Eagle Nest in Germany. John went through training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. The March to Atlanta, & Fort Benning, Georgia. John was at Bastogne, Belgium when his commander  told the German’s “NUTS!”.

On December 22-12-1944, at about 11:30 in the morning, a group of four German soldiers, waving two white flags, approached the American lines using the Arlon Road from the direction of Remoifosse, south of Bastogne. The group consisted of two officers and two enlisted men. The senior officer was a Major Wagner of the 47th Panzer Corps. The junior officer, Lieutenant Hellmuth Henke of the Panzer Lehr Operations Section, was carrying a briefcase under his arm. The two enlisted men had been selected from the 901st Panzer Grenadier Regiment. under command of General Leutnant Fritz Hermann Michael Bayerlein

a “quarter-Jewish” ??  They came to take the surrender.of the American troops. Brigadier. General. Anthony McAuliffe, still half asleep, said “Nuts!” and started to climb out of his sleeping bag. The Division Operations Officer, Lieutenan. Colonel. Harry William Osborn Kinnard

  recalled that McAulliffe initially asked, “They want to surrender?”  Lieutenan. Colonel. Dalton Moore

Moore told him, “No sir, they want us to surrender.” McAulliffe arose and erupted in anger, which shocked those looking on.

The reply was typed up, centered on a full sheet of paper. It read:

“December 22, 1944

To the German Commander,

N U T S !

The American Commander”.

Then John Eubanks was blown off a tank in Germany on Hell’s Highway, Him and some of the paratroopers had caught a ride on. John was the only one to survive. John had shrapnel in his neck and ankle and was sent back to England. and then back to the States. He received a Purple Heart for that.   He started to work for Griffin Pipe Co. and Robins Air Force Base John Eubanks died on 25-04-1997 in Milledgeville, Georgia, at the age of 76, just before the Band of Brothers series was finished.  He was a proud man and talked about the hard times they had in the cold & snow. About the soldier toes falling off from frostbite and having no warm clothes or blankets. Eubanks joined in June 1939 and served until 1946.

Death and burial ground of Eubanks, John Lee.

John Lee Eubanks died on 25-04-1997, in Milledgeville, Georgia, at the age of 76 in a lokal hospital and is now buried in Black Springs Baptist Church Cemetery, Black Spring, Baldwin County, Georgia, USA.

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