Clarence Earl Derrington, Jr. was born in November 1924 in Meridian, Mississippi. His father was in the insurance business. Because the family moved frequently due to his father's assignments, Derrington had trouble keeping up with school. The family moved to Vicksburg [Annotator's Note: Vicksburg, Mississippi] until 1940 when they settled in Jackson, Mississippi. Derrington and his brother made friends and enjoyed living in Jackson. He was on a family outing on 7 December 1941 when the announcement of Pearl Harbor's [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] bombing came over the automobile radio. Derrington had no idea where Pearl Harbor was located. The thought at the time was that the war would be over before Derrington came of age to serve in the military. That thought proved to be mistaken. Derrington participated in ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] while in high school. He obtained some military training during that time. Derrington had nearly completed high school when he was drafted. He received notice after basic training that he had in fact graduated from high school. He was inducted into the military at Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi] in June 1943.

Clarence Derrington entered the service and went from Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi] through Jackson [Annotato's Note: Derrington's hometown of Jackson, Mississippi] where donuts were provided to the newly inducted trainees. The train's destination was Fort Ord, California. There, Derrington was assigned to the 822nd Antiaircraft Artillery. The recruits had frequent 25 mile hikes in the Mojave Desert as part of their training. Target practice with the antiaircraft guns improved the unit's proficiency with their weapons. With the increased need for infantrymen, Derrington was transferred to Camp Carson, Colorado for quick training. It was quite an education. He was then sent to Camp Pickett, Virginia where he was assigned to the 78th Infantry Division, 310th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Company E. After a brief stay there, the division was moved to New York for deployment to England and then the beaches of Normandy. The division had lost much of its equipment in the turbulent English Channel so there was a delay while they were refitted with fresh gear.

Clarence Derrington entered France [Annotator's Note: with the 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division on 22 November 1944] and began advancing across the country through terrible weather. He remembers an incident while passing through the chow line for Thanksgiving. The soldier in front of him was given a pitiful serving of chicken which prompted the man to take the safety off his weapon and threaten the man serving the chow. The server quickly gave the threatening soldier a much better portion of chicken. It quickly showed Derrington how important food would become to him. The 78th Infantry Division was positioned near Simmerath, Germany. Derrington's introduction to combat there showed him the chaos of war. The regiment was filled with ASTP [Annotator's Note: Army Special Training Program] college students. They were unfamiliar with their weapons and had little combat training. That added to the confusion of battle. The inexperienced troops had to learn quick. Derrington was a point man for his outfit. The Germans let the Americans advance into a trap they had set for them. It was hedgerow country and the German defense used that to their advantage. Derrington and 12 other men in his outfit were trapped by the enemy in a basement. The Germans discovered where the men of the 310th Infantry Regiment were hiding and threw mortar and artillery fire at them. The next day, a Tiger [Annotator's Note: German Mark VI heavy tank, known as the Tiger] tank with its huge gun advanced on the Americans to attempt to take them prisoner. The 13 Americans in the basement were taken prisoner and brought where the German armor and equipment was being massed. The POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] were paraded in front of the enemy troops. It was 14 December [Annotator’s Note: 14 December 1944] while The Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945] started on 16 December. Derrington was muddy and bloody. He had been hit when in the basement. The Germans wanted information from their captives, especially since they were green troops. The enemy officers had shiny boots. The tanks and vehicles were massed, but their fuel supply was obviously deficient. Derrington was taken into Germany where he met up with a fellow prisoner who was a friend from home. He was transported in a wood burning truck to Stalag VI-G [Annotator's Note: near Bergisch-Neustadt, Germany].

Clarence Derrington was captured by the Germans and taken to Stalag VI-G [Annotator's Note: near Bergisch-Neustadt] near Bonn, Germany. There was good terrain around the camp. Derrington had been wounded and was placed in the camp hospital. There were no doctors and pitifully few supplies. One airman who had attempted to elude capture in the frozen forest had frostbite on his feet. Derrington can still remember the sound of someone using tweezers to take the man’s toes off his foot and dropping the toes in a bucket. The Germans did not bother with the prisoners nor did they provide much food to the captives. Derrington could observe the daylight American and nighttime British bombings of Bonn. With the wind gusts, the British target flares were blown near the POW [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] camp and the inmates were bombed by friendly fire. When incendiary bombs hit Derrington's barracks, he fortunately had his shoes on when he jumped through the window. A buddy from Alabama did not have his shoes on. That man reentered the blazing building to find his shoes. Shoes would become very important to the POWs. Derrington was relocated and he met a doctor who performed a very good surgery on him to remove shrapnel that he had caught during his capture. The doctor had only a double edge razor blade to do the operation and it was an excellent accomplishment. The removed piece of shrapnel was a piece of a shell that left a large opening in Derrington's back. He had to lower his head to the floor while he was in his bunk so that the puss would drain out of the wound. A fellow prisoner nearby had given up on living and covered his head with a blanket. He ultimately died. Derrington was selected to be part of a burial detail. When escorted through Bonn, a group of Hitler Youth [Annotator's Note: the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany from 1933 to 1945] was discovered watching the prisoners. The guards for the POWs hurried them along so as not to be in contact with the youth. The British erroneously bombed the Stalag again. It was thoroughly destroyed. The POWs were marched a long distance during which Derrington urged a friend to keep up with the column. The friend was finally placed on a bicycle for the march. The prisoners reached a train with its small boxcars. The prisoners were packed into a car and the door was locked. When Derrington found salt on the floor of the car, he stashed it away in his shirt. He and the other captives made their way to Stalag XII-A [Annotator's Note: in Limburg, Germany].

Clarence Derrington and other POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] arrived at Stalag XII-A in Limburg. [Annotator's Note: Derrington had formerly been held in Stalag VI-G which had been destroyed by British bombers in a case of friendly fire.]. It was a jail but also a rail hub. Many American officers had been killed at the rail hub. The Germans assigned their captives to barracks and then began interrogation again. One of the inmates was named Arthur Rubinstein. With his Jewish sounding name, Derrington was concern about how the Germans would treat "Rube", as Derrington called him. During the march to the Stalag, Derrington was ill and had shared his bread with Rubinstein. Rubinstein said he would pay him back for the bread. The Germans knew the two men were buddies. They took Rubinstein in for a long interrogation. The guards next took Derrington into a room where nets hung from the ceiling. He was told by the Germans that he, Derrington, could not make a sound. The Germans next started interrogating Rubinstein to determine if he was a Jew. The pressure put on him was intense. Rubinstein manage to evade the questions and was removed from the room. Next, it was Derrington's turn to be pressured. He felt he might make a mistake and give away the fact that Rubinstein was a Jew. Derrington evaded the questions until he was removed from the interrogation. When the two buddies got back together, Rubinstein protected Derrington because the latter was still very sick. It was intensely cold weather that winter. Rubinstein was called out again and returned to lay next to Derrington. Rubinstein very privately gave Derrington cheese, bread, and jelly. Rubinstein told his buddy not to ask any questions. It was the best food Derrington had eaten in a long time. Rubinstein paid him back very well for the bread given him on the march. Derrington had to be put in the makeshift hospital because his fever was estimated at 105 degrees. Going in and out of consciousness, Rubinstein got snow from outside and helped break Derrington's fever. Derrington was unable to help himself, but his buddy managed to save him.

By the completion of The Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], Clarence Derrington and the other POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] knew the war was coming to an end. When reconnaissance patrols from the 9th Armored Division broke down the gates [Annotator's Note: of Stalag XII-A near Limburg, Germany] on 29 March [Annotator's Note: 29 March 1945], most of the prisoners had been removed from the camp. The liberators provided boxes of chocolate to the starving camp survivors. It made many of the POWs sick. Ambulances were used to remove the sick from the camp. Derrington was one of the first two patients to be transported out of the camp. He was operated on in a field hospital by a surgeon from Mississippi. The physician gave Derrington a newspaper from Jackson [Annotator's Note: Jackson, Mississippi] that had the former POW’s picture on the front page. They became good friends. [Annotator's Note: Derrington becomes emotional.] From the field hospital, he was sent to Paris to a hospital. A nurse named First Lieutenant Vivian Nafsinger [Annotator's Note: unsure on spelling] refused to admit him to her ward because she said he was a former POW and needed to be deloused again. Derrington was weak and exhausted but loudly objected. He was scrubbed down again to remove any remaining lice. The nurse directed the scrubbing and allowed him to be admitted. When he was given vitamins, he pretended to take them. The pills caused dysentery and he had enough of that malady. She found the pills not taken. They had an argument but she slacked off on the pills. There followed several instances of friction between the two afterward. Eating was a difficult adjustment for Derrington. He remained in the hospital for quite awhile to gain weight and have enough strength to return home. The decision was finally made to send Derrington to the ZI, the Zone of the Interior [Annotator's Note: the Continental United States]. He was going home.

Clarence Derrington flew home from Paris [Annotator's Note: in Paris, France] via New York [Annotator's Note: in New York, New York]. Upon arrival, he became adamant that he was not stopping anywhere except his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Never mind orders, he was going to his hometown. He landed in the same airport in Jackson where he had watched airplanes takeoff and land as a child [Annotator's Note: Derrington becomes very emotional.] He was admitted to Foster General Hospital. Family and friends did not recognize him. He got used to the idea that he had changed. He was still having problems eating. He could only eat a small amount at one time. After improving, he was going to be sent to Miami [Annotator's Note: in Miami, Florida] to recuperate. Derrington refused to go. Instead, he talked his way back on duty at Jackson. He was posted with the MPs [Annotator's Note: military police] at the hospital. His task was to observe and report any strange activity that might happen at the adjacent bank. That was how Derrington spent his recuperation. As he further improved, he was posted at the gate where traffic was light. As he improved more, he was stationed at other busier gates. At one point, he even oversaw German prisoners of war. They did everything Derrington ordered because they knew he was a former prisoner of war in Germany. Derrington went to Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi] to be released from service. That was on 1 December [Annotator's Note: 1 December 1945].

It meant a lot to Clarence Derrington when he helped his friend Rubinstein and his friend, in turn, helped him survive. [Annotator's Note: Arthur Rubinstein was grilled by the Germans at Stalag XII-A. Derrington protected him. Derrington had provided Rubinstein with bread prior to that. That gift was repaid very well by Rubinstein. Rubinstein saved Derrington when he was suffering with high fever at the camp by bringing him food and burying his leg in snow which broke his extremely high fever. Derrington becomes emotional during this discussion.] Derrington has never been able to forget what happened to him. He survived by helping someone else survive. His friend later saved Derrington's life. It was a life changer for him.

Clarence Derrington decided to become a leader in guiding legislation for former prisoners of war. Their rights were being neglected. He went to Washington, D.C. to lobby for POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] benefits. With the help of Sonny Montgomery [Annotator's Note: United States Congressman Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery was a retired major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard], Derrington was instrumental in fighting for and gaining improved rights for ex-POWs. He helped organize Mississippi's seven chapters with 700 members of former POWs and their survivors. That was where Derrington started the movement to provide POWs a voice with the politicians. [Annotator's Note: Derrington becomes emotional during the discussion of his struggle to obtain these rights.] Public Law 9737, authored and introduced by Sonny Montgomery, was passed into law but the VA [Annotator's Note: Veterans Administration] did not recognize the requirements. Derrington lobbied and educated the VA until they understood the rights of ex-POWs. The former prisoners ultimately did receive their improved benefits. Derrington has served as an advisor to the Veterans Administration on POW affairs. He has channeled his postwar efforts into aiding his fellow ex-prisoners of war. He feels as if he has helped them and, in a sense, paid them back for the help he received during the war from other POWs.

Clarence Derrington was to deploy to France [Annotator's Note: with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division in November 1944] but heavy seas and bad weather on the English Channel caused the loss of the division’s equipment. The transit across to France was delayed until the division could be refit. Later, Derrington would be captured at Simmerath [Annotator's Note: Simmerath, Germany in mid-December 1945] after being in combat only a brief time. They had previously experienced sniper fire while passing through the town. Derrington and his patrol were on point. They proceeded on and anticipated the troops behind would follow them shortly. They did not come up so Derrington and the other men with him were cut off. Derrington's battalion had been attached to a different regiment and was on point [Annotator's Note: leading the troops]. That left him with a bad feeling. Years later, Derrington found out for certain that 78th Division command had in fact decided to put his battalion in the forwardmost position to find out what was to be expected. In four days, all his company was either killed or captured except for one man. Derrington became a prisoner and had to cross the Ruhr River in a boat knowing he could not swim. It was not a comfortable voyage. Derrington found out more information about command decisions at reunions and conventions in later years.

Clarence Derrington has worked with legislators, been National Commander of the American Ex-Prisoners of War in 1983 and 1984, plus served on the POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] National Advisory Committee for the Veterans Administration. He has observed that most POWs have common traits, but there are specifics due to where they were captured and their own unique personality. The extent of education also determines the amount the person can cope with in captivity. Better educated individuals make out better when dealing with enemies in recent wars. Derrington has interfaced with POWs from the European Theater, Pacific Theater, Korean War, and Vietnam War. He views the Korean POWs as being the worst treated prisoners of all. He knows of a man during that time of captivity who was chained with two other men in North Korea. When one of the men died, the two others remained chained to him until the winter ended and the ground thawed so that the dead man could be buried. Prisoners of war have a hard time talking about their experiences to others who have not suffered under similar conditions. As the veterans age, there is more inclination to make sure their story is told.

Clarence Derrington recounts meeting an individual in a stalag [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war camp] that was from his hometown [Annotator's Note: Jackson, Mississippi]. They were not kept together after they met. He does remember that Arthur Rubinstein was his buddy in POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] camp even though they had little contact in the company prior to their capture. He found out that Rubinstein was so adroit at answering the English speaking German officer's interrogation questions related to his religion because he could speak five languages including German. When the Germans were talking between themselves, Rubinstein was formulating an answer that would not betray his actual religion. Rubinstein would become a history professor after the war but as the years passed, he lost the memories of his wartime experiences. Derrington's wife, Pauline, saw a note in a POW periodical from Rubinstein saying he would like to understand his past. Derrington was committed to helping his old buddy. Derrington found out that Rubinstein had a nervous breakdown and could not recollect his POW experiences. Derrington wrote an explicit timeline history of their POW experiences and sent it to him. [Annotator's Note: Derrington becomes emotional while talking about this incident.] The history started coming back to Rubinstein and he thanked Derrington for the help he had given him in reconstructing their times in the stalags. Derrington received an invitation from Rubinstein. Rubinstein wanted Derrington to visit because he had brought back lost memories of their POW times together. Rubinstein was on a breathing tube at the time. Derrington did not accept the invitation in time. When he reached Rubinstein's location, his friend had passed. It taught him not to waste time with things that needed to be done as a priority.

Clarence Derrington was in Stalag VI-G [Annotator's Note: near Bergisch-Neustadt; Derrington had been captured on 14 December 1944 and held in Stalag VI-G until that camp was mistakenly bombed by British aircraft on multiple occasions]. The final time that Stalag VI-G was bombed was with concussion bombs used by the British Air Force. Derrington ran for an underground bunker. The force of the bomb pushed him down into the bunker. It seemed like an elephant had collapsed on him. He did not think he would breath again. It was a terrible experience. The camp had previously been bombed with phosphorous bombs. The POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] had to be relocated in the camp after that fire bombing. The second bombing ruined all the remaining camp. Stalag VI-G may have been rebuilt. The POWs were forced marched out of the destroyed camp to Stalag XII-A [Annotator's Note: near Limburg, Germany]. They stayed in barns at night. It took days to get to the new camp. The Germans had provided bread but Rubinstein’s [Annotator’s Note: Derrington shared his bread with Rubinstein] bread was stolen. Everyone kept their own bread. The POWs were hungry and very cold. Derrington kept a record of his daily cravings for food. A German family was stewing onions and it smelled great. The shortage of food was the greatest problem for the captives. Medical care shortages were also as bad. Derrington's loss of weight was so pronounced that his wife, Pauline, did not recognize prewar pictures of him. The weather was extremely cold on the forced march. Finding clothes in one of the barns they slept in, the men donned the added insulation. The problem was that the clothes were full of body lice. The men had severe problems with that lice. The memory of the lice makes Derrington itchy when he recalls the circumstance today.

Clarence Derrington and his fellow prisoners of war, POWs, were elated to be unexpectedly liberated. The POWs remaining in the camp were too sick to move and very hungry when the elements of the 9th Armored Division entered the camp [Annotator's Note: Stalag XII-A near Limburg, Germany] on 29 March [Annotator's Note: 29 March 1945]. Derrington was given some chocolate, but it made him sick to try to eat it. He was returned to Allied military control on 4 April when he was carried into the hospital. Derrington had been drafted. He felt he served his country in the POW camp and was always assured that the United States would eventually come and rescue them from the Germans if there was any way to do it. Derrington wishes history students could realize that today. When the liberators entered the camp, Derrington was too weak to get up and greet them. He had to learn to walk again because the muscles in his legs were so wasted away. It was a struggle to go to the restroom even though dysentery was rampant. Entering combat, he weighed about 210 pounds. He lost about 106 pounds in captivity.

Clarence Derrington was given a sense of values by his time as a prisoner of war, POW. Material things are not important. What is important is what a person does with their life. Being a Christian before and after his POW experience aided him in living through the trauma of captivity and abuse. Working his way through the German fire in hedgerow country, he escaped being shot. The Lord was with him then and when he rescued a wounded man not knowing if it was really a German who was speaking English to lure him out into the open. Derrington did what he felt he had to do. After the war, he completed his education in high school with a group of other veterans. He initially resisted the idea because he had received a certificate in basic training that indicated he was given credit for high school graduation. He is happy that he went on to get that diploma. He was anxious to get a job so he went to work as a furniture traveling salesman in North Mississippi. Even though he was making good money, he quit his job and went to college. His wartime experiences helped him get laws passed to benefit other ex-POWs. Derrington carried memories back from the POW camps. He has some PTSD [Annotator's Note: post traumatic stress disorder] but tries to stay away from it. He will react when he hears fireworks going off. He has been a cautious man in his business dealings. Staying on the job was difficult for him. He settled down as a real estate broker. It was good because he was his own boss. He could have made far more money had he not been as cautious. Every POW had his own unique experiences. Some nights he does not manage to sleep a whole night. It is important that today's citizens of our nation know the price that was paid by our forefathers. We have the greatest nation. Capitalism is the best system. People have to work for a living. In the Great Depression, men in Vicksburg [Annotator's Note: Vicksburg, Mississippi] dug a high bank of clay for the school to be built. The people of the WPA [Annotator's Note: Works Progress Administration] cut a huge hole through there. They worked and knew they had earned their pay. They had pride in that. Derrington loves his country.