And How Did I Get That Name?

Summerall Martin Guidry

by Marty Guidry

Most of us have common given names - a name our parents liked, the name of a saint with a quality that our parents hoped we would have, the name of a grandparent, etc. Occasionally, parents give their child an unusual name - a name that separates him from his peers. The source is often lost as the years pass by.

My Dad's name was Summerall Martin Guidry. Martin was the middle name of his father Emmanuel Martin Guidry and has been passed down to me and to my grandson. But Summerall as a given name is quite rare - possibly unique. How did Dad's parents decide on Summerall - a name that my Dad was called throughout his life.

As World War I heated up in Europe and young men in the United States lined up to serve their county, my grandfather Emmanuel Martin Guidry volunteered to enlist in the U. S. Army and joined the recently-formed 1st Infantry Division - the Big Red One.

Shortly he shipped overseas and fought in trenches against the Germans in France during 1917 and 1918. Injured twice, he recovered in French hospitals and returned to the front lines where he was cited for bravery by both the French and the American governments.

The Commander of the First Division during World War I was a veteran of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection and the China Relief Expedition. Born in 1867 in Florida, Charles Pelot Summerall graduated from Porter Military Academy in South Carolina in 1885 and then attended the U.S. Military Academy from which he graduated in 1892. He then began a lifelong career in the U. S. Army and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1917 and Major General in 1918.

My grandfather served as an Aide to General Summerall during the latter part of WWI and admired the leadership of his commander. He maintained a friendship with General Summerall after the War. When my Dad was born in 1922, he named his son Summerall after his former Commander.

Many people would have resented such an odd first name as Summerall, but my Dad used this name throughout his life. After all, no one ever forgot his name or confused him with another person. My grandfather died as a young man in 1932 - partially because of being gassed twice by the Germans in World War I. His friend General Summerall did not forget his namesake, my Dad.

In April 1942 with the U.S. having just entered World War II, my father was a senior at Southwestern Louisiana Institute (today the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in Lafayette, Louisiana. Again young men, driven by patriotism, volunteered for military service. My Dad quit college two months before graduating, enlisted in the U.S. Army and requested service in the 1st Infantry Division. There were no positions available in the Big Red One and he was assigned to the 27th Infantry Division. He fought with honor against the Japanese in the Pacific battles at Einewetok, Saipan and Okinawa ending his war service with the Occupation of Japan. General Summerall never forgot the young soldier named after him. Periodically during the war he would send Dad a small gift and always endorsed it “To my namesake with all good wishes, C P Summerall, Major General, Chief of Staff”. I often wonder if any other young soldiers received such a package from the States. It must have been quite a morale lifter for Dad as he sat in a foxhole or ate his rations during a lull in the fighting.

General Summerall served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1926 through 1930 when he retired from the U. S. Army after 38 years of distinguished military service. During World War II, when he remembered fondly a young man fighting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he was President of the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina - a position he held for 22 years. Today the Citadel's award-winning demonstration team Summerall's Rifles honors General Summerall. And now you know why my Dad was so proud of his name Summerall and treasured it throughout his life.