On December 30th, 1944, Everett Criss found himself caught in the midst of World War II. Stranded in a minefield with no radio contact and surrounded by Germans, Everett and his comrade, James Houston, were faced with seemingly unbeatable odds. Their task: return to headquarters with a message for the Infantry that the city was under siege.
After completing the mission, Everett faced multiple years of painful surgeries to remove shrapnel that nearly destroyed his legs. Fighting against all odds, Everett not only survived, he in turn helped prevent the destruction of Moircy, Belgium.
Roughly 80 years later and 20 years since his passing, Everett’s son Karl Criss flew to Belgium for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. In honor of Everett and Houston’s heroic trek, a monument was built for their valor. Karl and Everett’s wife, Lois, share the lasting legacy of the man they love.
Born into war
Everett (Bob) Criss was born in 1925 in the city of Akron. Upon his graduation from high school at the age of 17, he joined the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP).
As World War II spread throughout Europe, the U.S. army was in dire need of additional troops. After a brief semester in the ASTP, the program was shut down and Everett, along with many other young men, soon found themselves serving as privates in the 87th Infantry Division overseas in Belgium.
While in the village of Moircy, Everett’s unit was under attack and lost communication with the headquarters when someone accidentally drove away with the only radio the group had.
Once they recognized they were being hit with friendly fire, their orders were to inform headquarters that some of “C” company, still remained in the village.
As they focused on avoiding German-controlled roads during their journey back to headquarters, Everett and Houston came to a startling realization that they were heading into a snow-covered minefield. They survived by stepping onto tracks that were left by other people who had walked through the snow. Upon returning to headquarters, the message was relayed and a cease fire was ordered.
farmhouse in Bonnerue
That would not be the last time Everett had a close call. While taking up position in a farmhouse in Bonnerue, three German tanks attacked.
As he ran to exit the farmhouse for cover, he was met with another surprise.
“Dad was going down the stairs and the [“C” company] bazooka man probably didn’t realize dad was coming and fired and it went right by his face,” says Karl Criss, the youngest of Everett’s three sons. “He’s had so many close calls.”
While the first was taken down, the second German tank fired on the farmhouse. The blast threw shrapnel at Everett, hitting his arms and legs resulting in severe injuries.
Post-war life and career
Everett’s injuries resulted in two years of surgeries and an honorable discharge from the army.
Upon his return to the States and release from the hospital, Everett married Lois during the winter of 1948 and two years later he graduated from the University of Akron with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering.
Everett had an extensive career, starting at Goodrich in Akron and ending after working for there for about 18-20 years at General Electric.
“I think my memory of dad was that he was just so smart. He was a problem solver, and anything electrical or mechanical he could analyze and fix, he just wasn’t really patient at explaining his knowledge to others,” says Karl. “And he loved to travel.
“We went through the Panama Canal one summer, we went to Hawaii a couple of times, and we took a couple of tours in Europe, Norway, part of Russia,” says Lois. “And we took a tour of the Greek Islands.”
A lasting legacy
Everett Criss lived in Worthington for about 23 years before moving to Muirfield.
Upon his early retirement, Everett got involved in a plethora of projects around Columbus and stayed an active member of the community.
During this time Everett served as the president of the American Society of Professional Engineers where he spent several years devoting his time to organizing and building relationships with the members of his chapter.
Everett was a man of many accomplishments. After surviving the war, raising a family and establishing a successful engineering career, he underwent a triple bypass surgery, which was relatively new in 1976, and went on to live for another 28 years.
Even after Everett’s passing, his legacy continues to impact and inspire. After surviving multiple extensive surgeries and enduring the painful memories of war, the mayor of Moircy, Belgium awarded Everett with a Belgium War Cross in April 2000.
Karl at 87th Infantry Museum
As Belgium celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge earlier this year, a monument was dedicated to Everett and other soldiers recognized for their heroic efforts.
“I think he’d be very proud, and I think he’d be really shocked after being awarded the Belgian War Cross. He probably thought that was the end of this,” says Karl. “What surprised me when I was there is the gratitude that the people in that area still feel toward the American miliary.”
Amber Phipps is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at aphipps@cityscenemediagroup.com.
