Sgt. Fryer Left Lasting Impression in Luxembourg (A military special by Megan C. Carpenter with Willard N. Carpenter) (December Edition)

          When serving overseas and stationed in Luxembourg, the late Lester K.
Fryer of Englesville, befriended a 13-year-old local girl, named Odette
Oestreicher,during the summer of 1944. Fryer was shipped out of
Luxembourg, a country slightly smaller than the state of Rhode Island, just
before Christmas of that year. The two lost touch after that, but Odette
would never forget the impact Lester Fryer had on her life, and a new
connection would be formed decades later.
          Before we tell the story though, we must tell how Lester Fryer came to
be in Europe during the war.
          While listening to Charles Fryer talk about his father we learned that
he did in fact tried to seek out his military records. In doing so he
found that they were destroyed in a fire. This moved me and I knew
thatthere had to be a way of learning where his father was and what he
did.
          There was one point when we were speaking about him that he got
excited and quickly went upstairs and came back with a box containing no less
than his father’s uniforms perfectly preserved.
          What I pulled from it and what I found out after careful research is
that he was with the 8th Infantry division or nicknamed the “golden
arrow division” or “pathfinder division”.
          Lester Fryer, Tech S Sgt. or Tech Staff Sergeant Lester Fryer worked
in finance. After receiving his training in the continental U.S., he was
assigned to the 8th Infantry division and on the 15th of December 1943
the division arrived in Belfast in Northern Ireland for additional
training prior to going into combat. It remained in Northern Ireland at
two other posts until 30th of June 1944 where the division was at sea.
          On the fourth of July of 1944, after d-day it landed at Utah Beach. By
the 9th Of July it was in combat in the Manche Region of France until the
28th.
          Beginning the 5th of August of 1944 Tech Staff Sergeant Fryer moved
very quickly with his division through 6 towns in 3 regions before arriving
in Wiltz in Luxembourg, where the division prepared for the move into
Germany and the Rhineland campaign.
          From the 20th until the 28th of November, it was involved in some of
the fierce fighting of the war in the Hurtgen Forest.
          During the German’s Ardennes offensive (Battle of the Bulge) the 8th
division found itself at the northern part of the bulge. Charles Fryer
remembers his father telling him he himself seen little action during
that time but remembers seeing the tracer rounds overhead at a
distance.
          By the 3rd of May 1945 the eighth had gone thru 20 towns in 4 German
regions, its last being Mecklenburg. During this time Charles because
of his Pa. Dutch (German) back round was called upon as an interpreter.
          This history now takes a turn and brings us to the story that brought
us to Charles Fryer and his father’s story.
          Almost two years ago, Lester’s son, Charles, received a letter from a
Luxembourg man named Tom Wagner. The letter inquired as to whether
Charles was the son of a World War II soldier named Lester. Charles
was the grandson on Odette, who was now 81 years old. Charles sent a photo
of his father to Charles and Odette and the trio struck up continued
communication.
          Odette had so many questions about what happened to the American
soldier who was so nice to her and her family once the war had ended.
          So in June of 2013, 69 years after his father, Charles Fryer went to
Luxembourg. Charles met Odette, her children and Tom. There for
Odette’s 82nd birthday, Charles brought items for Odette including photos of
his father and the gavel from when he served as Speaker Pro Tempe of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
          Though Odette doesn’t speak English, and Charles doesn’t speak
Luxembourgish, the two communicated through her grandson who speaks
both languages. While there, Odette kept referring to Charles’ father as
her Lester. Charles hopes to go back to Luxembourg possibly as soon as
mid January.