In 2003, the Tom T. Wilmeth Chapel of Peace will be dedicated in DeQueen, Arkansas. The Chapel is to be dedicated to the Glory of God, to the memory of Tom T. Wilmeth, to the 17th Armored Infantry Battalion and to all those left behind. The entrance of the Chapel will feature a life-size statue of Tom T. Wilmeth, sculpted by Doyle Glass. Wilmeth, a native of Spencerville, Oklahoma, was a hard working and dedicated family man. He was also a man of peace, but, like so many of his generation, he answered his nation's call to fight in World War II. Wilmeth served in Company "B" of the hard fighting 17th Armored Infantry Battalion. A half-track driver, Wilmeth was killed in action on April 22, 1945, just a few days before the war in Europe ended. w Glass' six foot bronze statue will depict Wilmeth in full dress uniform. The statue will stand on a four foot base. A plaque on the base will list the names of 167 of Wilmeth's comrades in the 17th Armored Infantry Battalion who, like Wilmeth, were killed in action during World War II. The 17th Armored Infantry Battalion was one of the most battle hardened units of the 12th Armored Division. The Battalion suffered some of the heaviest casualties of any unit in the process of fulfilling it's motto: "Delenda est Mal" -- "Evil Must be Destroyed." As one of the swiftest moving units of the Division, the men of the 17th were often willingly and decisively at the fore front of any engagement. In late 1944, the 17th landed in Normandy, France just as German defensive battles raged against the Allied forces that were approaching Germany's border and the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine. In the late autumn, the Battalion was committed to battle as part of the U.S. 7th Army in Lorraine. That winter, the 17th assaulted the German Rhine bridgehead at Gambsheim, France, suffering enormous losses yet playing a significant role in blunting "Hitler's Last Eruption." After this battle, the Battalion joined the First Free French Army and participated in the liberation of the last piece of French soil held by the Germans, the Comar Pocket. In the closing days of winter, the 17th was secretly transferred to Lt. General George S. Patton, Jr.'s Third Army. As part of the 12th Armored Division, the Battalion joined in leading the Third Army as a vanguard through Germany to the Rhine River. As spring arrived, the Battalion crossed the Rhine and spearheaded into the heart of Germany. Upon returning to the U.S. 7th Army, the Battalion suffered heavy losses as it breached the German line near the Tauber River. The Battalion continued to attack the Germans relentlessly as it assaulted town after town until it closed on the western edge of Steigerwald. By the end of April 1945, the Battalion had crashed through Bavaria, captured thousands of German soldiers, and seized the key pass that led into Austria. The Battalion held this corridor until Germany surrendered. The 17th Armored Infantry Battalion and all Allied forces defeated one of the greatest evils of any era in history. True to the 17th's motto, that evil was destroyed.

Tom T. Wilmeth Memorial installation

Installation photo with Doyle Glass

Nancy Van Deuren with Doyle Glass

| Doyle Glass Sculptor |

| About Tom T. Wilmeth |

| Welcome |

| Tom T. Wilmeth Photos |

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