Quincy WWII Veteran To Lay Wreath At Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier
QUINCY (CBS) - A Quincy man and former Nazi prisoner of war has received a huge honor. Bob Noble, 90, has been selected to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The World War II veteran will head to Washington D.C. next week for National POW Day.
Noble says he feels blessed that he survived.
He's 90 now, but there are some things Bob Noble will never forget.
He was a just a teenager when he shipped out to Europe as part of the Third Army. Within days, he and his company were facing the Nazis in Eastern France.
It was winter. They dug holes for protection and to sleep in.
That's when a German patrol found Noble and 20 of his fellow Americans.
Soon after, they were marching through the snow. The Americans were herded onto trains and sent to their first camp of many.
"I had frozen feet," Noble said.
At each camp conditions got worse. After 122 days, Noble was down to 100 pounds before the British found the POW camp and rescued the Americans.
"We woke up and there were no guards in the towers," said Noble.
When asked who he will be thinking about as he lays the wreath over the tomb of the Unknown Soldier next week, Noble said he will be thinking of his wife, Gloria, who passed away two years ago.
Gloria was also very active in veteran's affairs both locally, and on a national level.