Staff Sergeant Booher: English version

During the First half of the 1940s the World was hit by one of the bloodiest wars so far. The results: Millions of victims and an incredible amount of damage. Like many parts of the world, Limburg wasn’t spared this fate. Even now, over 70 years later, when on caching trips, we often come across reminders to the darkest days in our history. Time to give them some attention in a series of caches!

After almost 4 years and 4 months under the burden of the Nazi occupation, the long awaited moment of liberation had come for Limburg. In September 1944 the allied troops were ready to cross the border into the southernmost part of the Netherlands. Liberating the ‚Heuvelland‘, the rugged landscape in the very south of Limburg, was assigned to the 30th US division ‚Old Hickory‘, named after US president Andrew Jackson, one of the most combative presidents the US had ever known.

The 'Old Hickory' insignia
On 12 September 1944 the division made its first steps into the Netherlands. In Noorbeek, the first town the 30th division passed through, the soldiers were welcomed by a joyful crowd of inhabitants. The troop didn’t have time to stay with the civilians, there were other villages to liberate. Just northeast of Noorbeek, at the foot of the Wolfsberg, the sound of gunfire sounded through the air. ‘Old Hickory’ had just lost its first man on Dutch soil. Staff Sergeant Roy L. Booher was hit by a German sniper, hiding in a hawthorn hedgerow.

The story of Roy L. Booher begins on 21 September in a small town in Kentucky. On the same day his twin brother Ray is also born. The family is quite large, and father can barely make enough money to feed all of his children. Roy and Ray spend all of their childhood together. In 1940 they travel to California together to find jobs. When the US are dragged along in the war, a partial draft is called into action. When one of the brothers is drafted, they both sign up. They have never known who of them was drafted, and they didn’t want to know either.

By way of exception the two brothers are placed with the same regiment, the 30th infantry regiment. However, they were both placed in a different batallion, Roy in the 119th and Ray in the 120th.

Roy (left) en Ray (right) in their uniforms.
The 30th regiment was first deployed in Normandy. It was here that the brothers spoke to eachother for the last time. During a short moment of rest they sat together and shared their experiences.

After Roy Booher was killed, his comrades weren’t able to retrieve his body directly because it was in the line of fire. A day later, 119th and 120th batallion met again. Ray recognised some men in his brother’s batallion, but didn’t see his brother. His worst fears became reality when he was summoned by the commanding officer of the 119th batallion.

A few days afterwards Ray was seriously wounded during an attack on Aachen. He was taken to a hospital near Paris to recover. After a long revalidation period he returned to his regiment. Soon after, near the Belgian town of Thirimont, he was wounded again. Due to the severity of his wounds he was transported back to the US.

Ray Booher never really recovered from the combination of his war wounds and the loss of his beloved twin brother. He passed away in 1980, in his house in California. He left behind his wife and three children.

The corpse of Roy Booher could only be recoverded well over a day after his death. Later he was buried at the US military cemetery of Henri-Chapelle, just across the Belgian border.

Roy Booher's grave
When searching for the cache be sure not to trample the flower beds around the monument!

This cache is part of a series. They are:

'40-'45: Kapelaan Berix  (GC2PEZJ) (in English) 
'40-'45: Veer Berg-Meeswijk  (GC2PEXA) (in English)
'40-'45: Brug Obbicht  (GC2PER6) (in English)
'40-'45: Sluis Born  (GC2PEP0) (in English)
’40-’45: Brug Roosteren  (GC2TV5X) (in English)
'40-'45: Sittard War Cemetery  (GC2TV9R) (in English)
'40-'45: Staff Sergeant Booher (GC2TQC1)
'40-'45: Jürgen G. Krohnke  (GC2X5V3) (in English)
'40-'45: RCAF Bomber Crew  (GC2X60A) (in English)
'40-'45: Schepenkerkhof  (GC2X6KF) (in English)

All caches contain a bonus number. When you find all 10 of them, you can search for the bonus cache (GC2X6MV).

Did you find one or more caches in the series before there were bonus numbers added? Send me a message,telling which caches you’ve found and on which date. I will try to send you the bonus numbers as soon as possible!

Hint:
These were already there during the war
The text could be of use