Terrell Lavern Pigott was born in February 1923 in Picayune, Mississippi. He grew up on a dairy farm there. He worked on the farm from an early age. He had 12 cows to milk morning and night. He had to transport the milk to a spring to keep it cool. Pigott's work had to be done both before and after school. It was a full time schedule, but he did find time to take a swim in a nearby creek. Saturday was a full workday. He was 17 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He heard about it on the radio and his history teacher expanded on it at school. Pigott was very familiar with geography especially as it pertained to history. He was drafted into the Army in 1944. He had finished high school the year before and had received a deferment for operating a dairy farm. When his brother came and took over the dairy, Pigott did not have a family as his brother did, so he was called for service.

Terrell Lavern Pigott had his basic training at Camp Blanding, Florida [Annotator's Note: in Clay County, Florida]. Although he had worked hard on a farm before, the climate in Florida was much hotter. Despite that, he gained weight during basic training and has held about that weight throughout his life. After basic training, there was a ten day delay, and he went home. His younger brother was killed during that time. He had to aid in taking care of the cattle and farm. He was left with two days to get to Fort Meade, Maryland [Annotator's Note: Fort George G. Meade in Anne Arundel County, Maryland]. He received his pre-deployment injections and shipped out for overseas in October [Annotator's Note: October 1944] from Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. Aboard the British ship Aquitania [Annotator's Note: RMS Aquitania] were infantry replacements. To avoid German submarines, the ship would change course frequently. It shook terribly when it did. It concerned Pigott when he heard the sea outside. He worried about a torpedo attack. The ship was unescorted. Oatmeal was the only food provided. He noticed on arrival that many ships carried hams ashore. Landing in Scotland, the men were transported by train to Southampton, England. After one day, they were loaded on another boat headed to the Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France] beachhead which was secured by then. Landing Craft Infantry ships carried the men to the beach.

Terrell Lavern Pigott reached Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France in November 1944]. He was to be attached to Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] in the south sector but the General had run out of gasoline. There was no transport to bring Pigott and the other new arrivals to headquarters for assignment. They walked with their equipment to their destination. When they heard "bed check Charlie" [Annotator's Note: nickname given to aircraft that performed solitary, nocturnal operations] coming over, they would vanish from the road. When Patton received fuel, Pigott joined up with their advance in November [Annotator's Note: November 1944]. He was involved with patrols at night. They joined with Patton's 3rd Army and became familiar with squad leaders and the new replacements. Pigott's outfit [Annotator's Note: 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division] crossed the Meuse [Annotator's Note: Meuse River at Commercy, France] and Mosel River [Annotator's Note: Mosel River at Toul, France]. They could anticipate that enemy fire would allow the first men of the squad to pass before opening up on the rest of the group. Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; 34th President of the United States] called Patton. Patton was a good general. He got into trouble at a hospital earlier, but Piggott met Patton and he looked out for his men. Rundstedt [Annotator's Note: German Field Marshal Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt] sent his last two divisions out to trap the 82nd [Annotator's Note: 82nd Airborne Division] and 101st Airborne [Annotator's Note: 101st Airborne Division] at Bastogne [Annotator's Note: Bastogne, Belgium]. There were casualties resulting from the shelling and bombing. Supplies were running out. The divisions could not get food or supplies. Eisenhower called Patton who he called "Georgie." He told him to rescue the Americans in Bastogne. The fighting got so rough that Pigott's outfit had to dig in. The company had some small tanks, but the Germans had the advantage of position for their artillery. They knocked out those three small tanks in a few minutes. The advance from the American foxholes involved continuous firing until they neared Bastogne. Most of the prisoners they took were older men and young boys. The weather was cold. The snow was knee deep. Pigott had multiple layers of GI [Annotator's Note: government issue; also, a slang term for an American soldier] clothes and combat boots. He did not notice the cold with all the firing and shells nearby. His squad had lost the Browning automatic [Annotator's Note: M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle] man and so it was given to Pigott. That was when he had his first close call. He had a shot pass through his belt that was deflected by the bullets in a bandolier. The Lord was with him then, but a piece of shrapnel came through his arm and disabled him. He went back to the field hospital where a cast was put on his arm and leg. He was feeling weaker all the time as the blood ran profusely. He heard a man in the ward say that he was bleeding to death. He lost consciousness. He was given three pints of blood and then moved to hospital in Paris [Annotator's Note: Paris, France]. While there, he saw a boy from Picayune [Annotator's Note: Picayune, Mississippi] named Herman Price. He was going to be sent home, but the weather prevented it. During that time, he had secondary closures required on his arm. He did better in Paris and the decision was made to send him home.

Terrell Lavern Pigott sailed home on the the West Point [Annotator's Note: USS West Point (AP-23)], which was a sister ship of the Titanic [Annotator's Note: RMS Titanic]. There was a worry about bombing. The ship had a flat, open deck. Personnel laid out on the deck. The trip was quick. Pigott's brother, Marlin, was in Iceland and his outfit was able to return to the United States. They were offered the trip home on the same ship as Pigott if they served food to the patients. Pigott saw his brother when he went through the chow line. He had not seen him in two years. After duty, Pigott's brother went and got ice cream for him. Pigott only had one hand, but he managed to eat half the container before his brother got back with spoons. [Annotator's Note: Pigott chuckles.] It made the trip more comfortable. Landing at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia [Annotator's Note: in Warwick, Virginia], he was sent next to an orthopedic hospital in Longview, Texas. It was March [Annotator's Note: March 1945]. His brother told his family about Pigott's condition. Pigott was released for a 30 day leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. Pigott began to get use from his arm and had motion in his elbow. He helped with the farm at home. The bone that was shattered had to be repaired. He was sent home and managed to work on the farm. Pigott began to work with his brother on line [Annotator's Note: electrical power line] work. After he was discharged, he kept it up and eventually became a climber. He put in 40 years doing that work. He retired to the farm afterwards. Pigott was inspired by a good man, a major, who told him to push himself and put the injured arm to work. He inspired him to not take the easy route. Sure enough, Pigott got the hand and arm to work despite the pain it caused. He recovered so well that he could milk as fast as an electric milker. He has livestock and has stayed with his work and life. He was discharged in March 1946. He could have used the G.I. Bill but did everything on his own. In 1948, he met his future wife. A son was born in 1952 and a daughter came along in 1955.