Quiet Warriors: Veteran's Military Service Memories

By Xlibris US

"Military veterans are usually "Quiet Warriors" when it comes to talking about their service experiences. It is hard to get most of them to tell anyone about what they went through. For those who will sometimes talk about their realities, the talking is cautiously done most easily among and with other veterans. The editor of this short book had the privilege of sharing these stories as they were written and given to him. As to be expected, each story is an insider, up-close account of what military life looks like to the people who gave the service."

Blake E. Edwards

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 17, 2008
• ISBN: 9781465332103

Book preview

Copyright © 2008 by Blake E. Edwards.

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4363-1516-6

   Softcover   978-1-4363-1515-9

ISBN:   ebk   978-1-4653-3210-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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46820

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The following persons/businesses have generously contributed to the cost of publishing this book:

Frank A. Imparato III, Insurance Agency, Chester Springs, PA

Michael P. Robinson, Insurance Agency, Chester Springs, PA

Marchwood Hardware, 32 Marchwood Road, Exton, PA

The Ha nkin Group, Exton, PA

Rocco’s Pizza, Exton, PA

Exton Diner, Exton, PA

INTRODUCTION

Over four years ago, a small number of military veterans began to meet for breakfast at Exton Diner, Exton, PA. The numbers of those meeting slowly grew. A local newspaper published an article reporting the meetings that occurred every three weeks. The article invited other vets to join in. The report of an actual get together of vets to eat and talk soon caught the attention of other vets in the area. Since the group first met, over 250 vets have attended with as many as 75-125 meeting at a given breakfast. They have represented every branch of military serving from WW II into the present Iraq War.

To most anyone entering the diner it would be obvious that those gathered have a lot of stories to tell if someone could get them to talk. Over a year ago, the suggestion was made that a book should be written to tell the stories of the vets willing to write an account of their military service. This book is one result from those who agreed to do so. The book could easily be a larger edition because after the deadline arrived for stories completions, several more vets said they would like to be included. Those stories may be the content of another book.

Most of the stories written here will not appear in the history books studied by school students. In these stories we get a personal and more accurate look and understanding of what sacrifices military personnel have made according to their own motivations. The military personnel of our nation, past and present, carry inside their memories millions of stories such as these. If all those memories could be revealed to the public, the world would gain a modified view of history from what is presently written in the books.

Hopefully, this book will stir your memories and the next time you meet a vet, thank him or her for their time of service. Remember that it is because of the service of military personnel that our government guarantees a free nation under constitutional laws and rights within the United States.

CHAPTER 1

Donald E. Alexander

WWII In Europe

My arrival in Scotland aboard the SS Explorer was rather uneventful. An Army band met the ship. Everyone was curious about being in a foreign land. There was much to be done to unload the Battalion so there was little time for sightseeing.

We boarded a train and arrived in a location between Manchester and Liverpool, England called Goldbourne Park. We eventually ended up on a golf course at Newton Le Willows, England. We were once again in a tent city. It was a nice campsite and the clubhouse was converted into Officers Quarters. There we could play snooker (a game of pool) in the evenings.

The first order of business was to inventory the newly issued equipment, consisting of three batteries of new 105mm howitzers and all vehicles, survey equipment, parts, etc. associated with an artillery battalion. The weather there was also miserable, being wet, rainy, and foggy most of the time.

Constant and intense training was the agenda, including firing on nearby artillery ranges. We simply had no time for recreation. We were preparing for the invasion of the mainland of Europe. We didn’t know when the invasion was coming but we knew it wouldn’t be long before a decision would be made to commence such an operation.

We had a pep talk from General George Patton after his reprimand for hitting a soldier in Africa. The soldier was afraid of combat. Patton was everything he was claimed to be. He frightened every man who saw him purely out of the respect soldiers had for him. As he was introduced to the Division officers the auditorium was so silent one could hear a pin drop, as the expression goes. He was decked out in his riding breeches, boots, spurs, fitted Eisenhower jacket, several lacquer layered and starred helmet liners, and pearl handled pistols. George Scott depicted him perfectly as a soldier in the movie of Patton’s life. His language was as filthy as described in biographies. He was an interesting personality. I’m happy to have been exposed to such a gallant, dedicated, and strange soldier.

I saw Patton again briefly in Normandy during the breakthrough at Avranches and Coutances, France, after our stalemate at LaHaye-duPuite and Lessay. The 6th Armored Division, under Patton’s Third Army command, led the assault following the breakthrough. He was riding atop one of the tanks as they passed our column. He was a real character.

During our stay at Newton Le Willows, England, we were with the 314th Infantry Regiment. Together we formed Combat Team #4 of the 79th Infantry Division.

A trip to Wales for firing practice was interrupted by orders to return to England. This later turned out to be the preparation for the invasion of the European Continent.

About May 25th, 1944, we loaded up all our equipment, and headed down for the port city of South Hampton, England. This move could only mean that we were getting ready for an invasion of Europe. The trip down was quite interesting because of the narrow roads that we took. They were all back roads of England, not down the super highways. They were all tree lined, and under every tree, for as many miles as I can remember, there was either a tank parked or a jeep or stacks of ammunition. The amount of equipment stored along the roadways was just unbelievable. Tanks, trucks, and jeeps were parked solidly. Where equipment wasn’t parked along the road, ammunition was parked.

We later found out that between the British and Americans there was a force of almost 3 million men on the southern end of Great Britain. They were assembled in tents etc., preparing for the invasion. Supposedly, there were 16 million tons of arms, ammunition, and supplies in Britain for the invasion. The allies had over 5,000 large ships, 4000 smaller landing craft, and 11,000 aircraft ready for the big day. Months before the invasion allied bombers pounded the Normandy coast to prevent Germans from building up their military strength. Originally, the invasion had been set for June 5th, but because of the rain and the storms it was necessary to be delayed one day.

Shortly after June 6th, our Division moved to Plymouth, Falmount, and Southampton. On D-Day plus 4, it was located at Ports of Embarkation preparing to back up the first waves of American Troops that had landed on the beaches of Normandy.

I so vividly remember the sound of Eisenhower’s voice on the radio, announcing the invasion on June 6th. I knew we would be headed for the continent shortly. We could hear the German rockets (called buzz bombs) flying overhead as they headed toward the blitz of London. Occasionally I could see them in the daylight. We experienced that sight again when we were on the continent near Antwerp, Belgium.

The V-1 rockets were slow and shaped like cigars with small wings. They often fell far short of their targets. Some even landed near our troop areas in Belgium. They were highly explosive with little fragmentation. It was a frightening weapon, because the Germans had little control on their guidance systems. Many blew up near their launch sites. Their damage was devastating when they landed in populated areas of London. The faster V-2 rockets were even more deadly and were close to perfection at the time of Germany’s surrender.

On June 6, all hell broke loose. Paratroopers went ahead of the invasion forces. Their job was to cut railroad lines, blow up bridges, and seize landing fields. This was followed up by gliders that brought in men, jeeps, light artillery, and small tanks to combat the ground forces. It was said that allied warships lined up in the English Channel had fired over 200 tons of shells a minute at the German Coastal Batteries. Of course we could not see or hear any of this, but we were aware of the invasion going on and that the ground troops had landed at 0630 hours on D-Day, June 6th. We were fortunate and thrilled knowing we were not a part of the initial invasion. How we ever escaped it, I will never know. I don’t know if they drew straws to see which of the divisions would be sent in first, which would be left for back up after the invasion was a success, or how the selection was made. Anyway, I’m mighty glad we were not in on the initial wave.

Two recent movies, Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day, are very explicit about what took place on those beaches on the morning of June 6th. I have a feeling that many people in the past and the present believe that the invasion was just a heroic effort by a few brave men and that we just waltzed in and bowled the Germans over.

My dear WW II friend, Arlan McPherson (wounded twice in WW II), has a clipping from an old army paper that he saved. The article appeared again in the story of D-Day written on the 50th anniversary date of the invasion. It reads, I had thought for more than 2 years that we had simply moved in and bowled the enemy over. Until the official report of operations reached my desk, I had not realized that we had come very close to failure. Now in retrospect the victory seems almost like a miracle. This miracle is little understood by the American people. They had thought that the invasion was made by 250,000 men and was supported by the largest air fleet and sea force ever put into amphibious operation. One that had been planned for months and every detail checked and double-checked against failure. What happened? Because of bad landings, faulty orders, many men seasick, there came a time when not more than 4 infantry companies, were actually facing the fighting of the enemy.

On the 50th anniversary of D-Day, the Secretary of War Patterson wrote this account: In the worst hour of the invasion, the victory was salvaged by six hundred men, fighting against terrible odds. Beating down the enemy by their own limited strength. Had they failed the entire invasion might have been defeated and driven back into the sea. That’s the official story of D-Day. A mere handful of soldiers would not be denied victory and saved the day by their sheer bravery.

On June the 11th, after six more days in the rain, we finally got our orders that we were going to be invading France. We were all loaded on what was called a LCT (Landing Craft Tanks). They were flat bottom boats with lowering ramps front and back for walking or driving right out into the water.

My thoughts were constantly on home and especially Dorothy. I wrote her everyday when I found time. All letters were censored. Someone had to read every letter written. I served as Censor Officer for a short period of time. Censorship meant that letters were delayed in being sent. Sometimes Dorothy didn’t receive many of my letters for 4 to 6 weeks after they were written. Many soldiers deliberately wrote unacceptable information in the letters to irritate the Censor Officer. I cut out those unacceptable portions of the letters. I called many of the soldiers into my quarters to return their letters for rewriting and reprimanded them for their conduct. Most of the soldiers were respectful of the demand put upon them. There were always a few bad apples.

I remember how concerned I was as I boarded the LCT that would take me to Utah beach in Normandy. My craft had a barrage balloon attached to it. I had one 105 howitzer, one ammo truck, my jeep, and about 20 battery personnel aboard my craft. As luck would have it, the weather became terrible on the English Channel. I became quite seasick along with everyone aboard. The craft on which we were loaded was making its second trip to the beaches. It had been one of the invasion crafts on D-Day. I recall we lost our barrage balloon about halfway across the channel. That night on the channel was frightening.

Among the Allied units that hit the beach on June 6th was the American VII Corps, under the command of Major General Lawton Collins. By D+6 the Corps was composed of the 79th, 4th, 90th, and 9th Infantry Divisions. To this Corps was assigned the tremendous job of seizing the Cherbourg Peninsula, including the port city.

When we landed on June 12th, we were attached to the 7th American Army Corps. Some of its divisions were the 79th, the 4th, the 9th, and the 90th Infantry Divisions. Our mission was to seize the Cherbourg Peninsula and the port city. The purpose was that our troops could use that port for the handling of supply shipments and the land landing of men, without having to mount the beaches. The supplies were presently being ferried by amphibious vehicles while reinforcements waded in from the LCI’s (Landing Craft Infantry). Our Artillery was a part of the advance party and we were following the 4th Infantry Division that had gone in and set up a position after we had cut across the peninsula. Our infantry arrived on D-Day plus 8.

We had to wait our turn to land on the beach. I recall looking toward the beach and seeing all the fires coming from the bunkers and gun emplacements. The water area around us was filled with sunken craft that had not survived D-Day. As soon as we were close to the beach, German fighter planes flew in low toward the beach and started strafing the Channel to hit anything and everything. The antiaircraft fire from the beach guns and some of the gunboats was deafening. I was petrified with fear. One of our Division craft was hit and several men wounded.

Finally, our craft was directed to land. The craft was designed so that the front would open and formed a ramp into the water. I road in my jeep into the water and was soaked. As we drove onto the beach, my first sight was seeing bodies of dead GIs being inserted into mattress covers and buried in the sandy beaches for later recovery. I was shocked at what I was seeing. Suddenly, a sickening fear overtook me. I just wanted to get off the beach.

When all of our Battery had landed and we had assembled our entire Battery on the beach, we moved inland under the guidance from Battalion Headquarters. The devastation that we saw was unbelievable and indescribable. There were wrecked gliders and parachute silks hanging from trees. Temporary aide stations that had cared for the wounded had left ten foot high haystack like refuse piles of used bandages and debris. The trees were shredded like they’d been hit by a tornado or hailstorm. In every field there were dead bloated cows lying on their backs with their feet sticking up in the air. The destruction must have happened so quickly that the peasants couldn’t gather their belongings to get out of the way. The cattle left behind were prized possessions in a county such as France. The devastation was horrible. How anyone survived D-Day was a miracle.

D-Day+8 was June 14, 1944. The area in which we were scheduled to assemble was still held by German forces. Our Battalion Commander, Col. Thomas Foote, had to redirect the Battalion to a new area. That was accomplished by driving through a Church Cemetery containing hundreds of dead American soldiers stacked like cordwood in one corner. The area was a collection point for grave registration. The war had really hit home and was very unnerving.

The first night on the mainland had made everyone very jittery. The perimeter guard posts were shooting at everything that moved. I spent the night sleeping under a truck. That spot seemed to be the safest place. I really didn’t get much sleep.

My first assignment the following day was to work with a forward observer from the 90th Infantry Division. They were on line and we were shortly to move through them to pursue the capture of Cherbourg. The artillery Battalion Sgt. Major at the 90th Division Artillery Headquarters was a friend of mind and had been with me in OCS until he flunked out.

Our first meeting that day witnessed him and several other soldiers dragging a dead German soldier at the end of a long rope to make sure the enemy soldier was not booby-trapped. The Germans had a habit of setting mines under their own dead in hopes an American would be blown up while checking the dead soldier. The tricks of war to trap the enemy were terrible. The Germans were exceptionally skillful at it. They booby trapped everything.

The Germans strung piano wire between two trees at a height of about 5-ft across well-traveled roads. We normally drove the vehicles with the windshields laying flat on the hood and covered with canvas to stop light reflections and eliminate the need for constantly cleaning it. With the windshield lying down the wire could decapitate anyone riding in the vehicle. That means of death was prevented by welding an upright hooked piece of bar metal on the front of the vehicle. The wire would be broken before it reached the passengers.

My temporary assignment to the 90th Division was of little help. I was to direct artillery fire from our 311th Field Artillery Battalion onto the enemy. Our Battalion was to provide supporting fire for the 90th even though our 79th Infantry Division was being held in reserve. Hedgerows were the striking feature of the dead flat country. They were made of countless centuries old mounds of earth, stone, and underbrush bordering all cultivated fields, orchards, and roads and utilized with desperate ingenuity by the veteran German troops.

The only way one could see beyond 100 feet was by climbing a tree. That was dangerous because one could be seen by both the enemy and friendly forces. A number of our forward observers were killed while in tree positions. Some wise person suggested that the observer stuff on his back a segment of yellow oilcloth between his fatigue collar and gun belt for easy friendly recognition. That short-lived suggestion also made it easier for the enemy to see the observer. My temporary assignment was also short-lived.

Before I write what took place with the attack on Cherbourg, I think I should explain the actual role of the Field Artillery.

An Artillery Battalion consists of 5 Batteries (3 firing and 2 service). One is known as Headquarters Battery that handles the administration of the Battalion. The other is the Service Battery that handles the shipment of supplies, ammunition, and acquisitions of other supplies including uniforms. The other 3 Batteries are the Firing Batteries. Each Battery