Associate Press, 1944: "Atop the rubbled ruins of St. Croix Church in St. Lo, the body of an American Major lies draped with the Stars and Stripes while in the foreground his men continue to battle in a crater turned into a machine gun post. The Major was killed leading his battalion into the hinge city of the Nazi defense line in Western Normandy which fell to American forces July 18, 1944."

1. Thomas Dry Howie
April 12, 1908 – July 17, 1944

2. Thomas Dry Howie, II
Thomas Dry Howie, IV
Thomas Dry Howie, III
“Tom”
“Tige”
“Dry”

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwTlIo8FO

4.  Birth
• April 12, 1908 Abbeville, SC. Named for his uncle,Thomas Dry,
Tom was the 5th
of seven children born to Torrance Victor, a
railroad supervisor, and Cora Dry Howie.

5.  Raised
• Much liked and respected,Tom was raised in a small
house built by his father on Pickney St. in Abbeville.

6.  The Citadel 1925
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Class President
• Football or Rhodes

7.  Marriage*
• 1932
• Elizabeth Payne
• Aunt Tee

8.  Career
• SMA Faculty 1929
• Taught French,
English & Spanish
• Head Football
Coach & AD
• Won 4 VMSL
Football Titles
• Alumni Secretary
• 12 years at SMA

9.  Fatherhood
• Sally Howie McDevitt
 Born 1938

10.  Off To War –Called to
active duty in 1941
 2nd
Lt. 116 Virginia
National Guard
Infantry, 29th Division
 Spent approximately
2 years in England
training for D-Day

13.  The 116th was the spearhead unit on Omaha Beach
on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
 The total number of troops landed on D-Day was
around 150,000 roughly half US and half
Commonwealth.
 By the end of 11 June 326,547 troops, 54,186
vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies
 By June 30 over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and
570,000 tons of supplies.
 By July 4 one million men had been landed.
 They had advanced about 30 miles inland.

15. •Hand to Hand
•Inch by Inch
•Tiger Tank
•Operation
Cobra-Air Power

16. Major Tom Howie fatally
wounded July 17, 1944 by
German mortar fire.
His men kept his word.

17.  The Beaches -4000
American Killed
 The Battle for St Lo
Resulted in the
Deaths of 7,113
American Soldiers

18. Thomas Dry Howie April 12, 1908 – July 17, 1944

19.  Casket of Honor in ST. LO
• Atop the rubbled ruins
of St. Croix Church in St.
Lo, the body of an
American Major lies
draped with the Stars
and Stripes while in the
foreground his men
continue to battle in a
crater turned into a
machine gun post. The
Major was killed leading
his battalion into the
hinge city of the Nazi
defense line in Western
Normandy which fell to
American forces July 18,
1944.

20.  "...Just in case your history books don't mention it,let me tell you what
happened July 18,here at St.Lo. We broke through the German lines
finally when we took their little city. Up until that point,we couldn't get
any of our men off the beaches.It was sort of sad,though, because we
ruined this little town of St.Lo.We had to do it to get the Germans out.
More American soldiers were killed here taking St.Lo,than were killed
on the beaches. A major named Tom Howie was the leader of the
battalion that actually captured St.Lo.At least he was the leader of it
until he was killed just outside town.After he died,his men picked him
up and carried him into town and put him on a pile of stones that used to
be the wall of this church.I guess there never was an American soldier
who was more honored by what the people who loved him did for him
after he died."

22.  Saint Lo, France
 Staunton Military
Academy
 Abbeville, SC
 SC Hall of Fame
 The Citadel
 Fort A.P. Hill,VA
 D-Day honor from the
111th
Congress
 Saving Private Ryan
 Virginia Women’s
Institute for
Leadership
 Colleville sur Mer
 Nat. Guard Amories
in Staunton,VA and
Greenwood, SC
 Staunton “Braves”
 Nat. Guard in
Winchester,VA

23. PLAQUE ON CHURCH HOWIE CIRCLE

25. HOWIE RIFLES
 The Howie Rifles were
established in 1945 to
perpetuate the ideals,
leadership, and courage
exemplified by
Major Thomas Dry Howie.
Major Howie, for many years a
member of the SMA Faculty,
distinguished himself in the
battle of "St. Lo", a major
battle during the Normandy
Invasion of World War II.

26. DEDICATED 1947 RE-DEDICATED 2007
 Once residing in the alcove of Kable Hall,
the Howie bust honored the SMA teacher,
coach, alumni secretary, and the
Commander, U.S. Army 3rd Battalion, 116th
Infantry Regiment, 29th Division.
 Returned to its original place at what is now
Mary Baldwin College. The bust is now
guarded by the Howie Rifles of the Virginia
Women’s Institute for Leadership

31.  Thomas Dry Howie Carillon

32.  Hon. Frank R.Wolf
 US House of Reps.

33.  YouTube
 Cinema
• “The Major of St. Lo”
• “Saving Private Ryan”

34. Four days ago, I was placed in command of some 850-odd
officers and men, a war-strength battalion, with all its weapons,
vehicles and equipment; and the responsibility of some day
committing them to battle perhaps from which a number may
not return is a fearful thought.If that day should ever arrive, I
hope I shall be as proud of them as I've always been of you.
And I hope they will be well led.
I cannot honestly say that I hope I shall never have that privilege
and responsibility. It's something like football: somebody has
to play the game; somebody has to beat the enemy.And all my
life, I've tried to make the first team in everything. Sitting on
the bench when game time comes is no consolation for weeks
of bruising drudgery. I know. I did some bench-sitting initially
in everything I set my heart on.

35. And I've been sitting on the bench and training hard for almost three years now.
Remember what I told you: sit up straight, look people in the eye, and tell the
truth.
With all my heart,Your Daddy.