A relative of Mortimer Squires was doing genealogical research when, frustrated with her results from Ancestry, she entered his name in Google. . . and found him on our travel blog. As Turner G. Timberlake’s fellow motor officer and very good friend, Mortimer is all over this blog. She called Mortimer’s daughter, Susan, and suggested that she check out the website. An hour later, out of the blue, I received a surprising and wonderful email message.
Susan Squires Crespa wrote that her father, Lt. Mortimer Squires, age 94, read my blog and it jogged his memories about his experience on the Alaska Highway.
I couldn’t believe it. An Alaska Highway engineer and junior officer that knew my father, was still alive. I called her immediately and by Monday I was on a plane to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to meet them.
Mort, age 21, a graduate of LSU, was commissioned from ROTC into the Army on August 1941. He was the Transportation Officer for the 93rd Engineers and by the time the regiment reached the Yukon, it was more than one man could handle. When he asked Colonel Frank Johnson, the regiment’s commander for help, the Colonel “sent me Timber, a very industrious officer who inspired men to do their job right.” Mort and Timber supervised about 110 men who kept “the equipment rolling”.
I showed him more photos and Mort recognized the Motor Pool at Jakes Corner and boasted, “The D8–now that was a machine!” He identified Capt. George Egge, Lt. Burleigh, Lt. Bonaparte, Lt. Timberlake, my father, but most of all the locally famous SSgt. Jefferson. “They put Sgt. Jefferson at the back of the line of equipment because they knew that if anything broke Sgt. Jefferson could fix it.”
He remembered the poker games. “Every Saturday night, all night, eight of us met in Lt. Frank Perrin’s tent for a poker game. Once I won, but I gave back everyone their money.” He told me that only happened once.
Mort lives with his wife Aline, age 92, at a Senior Community Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At the end of my visit, he asked about several of the men and sadly I had to tell him they were deceased. So far he is the only living member of the 93rd Engineers that I’ve been able to find. But I’m still looking.
On 31 October 2014, I sent him two cans of “Yukon Shrimp” – Vienna Sausage – for his 95th birthday. He was the only officer that really liked them.
My friend Mortimer passed away on March 5, 2015. Along with his family, I will miss him.
