The War: Michigan Stories; #17: Carl Falvin, Bill Feasal

I used to work with. OK. Easy question for you. First tell me your name. Spelled your last name my first name is Carl CRL last name is Galban g o v i am your birthday. Six twenty three. Twenty three. Easy one you get even less. I enlisted while I was at the age. I was 18 on the job scriber I just graduated high school and I wasn't settled in any particular occupation yet and I was incensed in my own way with the Japs because they struck Pearl Harbor so I was had some friends in Grand Rapids my age group. We all got together and decided to join the Navy so that's where it started.

When was that. That was in December of 1942. So you enlisted in the Navy when Where did you go. I went I went to Great Lakes and I was in boot camp for 11 weeks and then they they kept me there another 16 weeks for schooling. I was a special school for fire control which is gun fire control. And he had had some preliminary examinations and I pass so I was entered into that school was 16 weeks. Then upon graduation from that school I went with a group of 20 and a load of all Navy to Bremerton Washington outside of Seattle. And I was on. The ship was being built so I had to help work on the ship with the water. And when we completed the electricians no one had that job done we wanted to go to

California and California was ready to go back to California the California. It was launched in 1919 as our sister ship of the Tennessee. Exactly alike same size thing. Shepherd six hundred twenty four feet long. And originally it was ninety seven I think something ninety seven feet wide. But after they rebuilt they put what they called torpedo blisters on the sides. Extra compartments steel compartments all welded together and they used those for extra water and oil as fuel oil. And so that made our ship 114 feet wide too wide to go through the Panama Canal. So when we came to that part of the country where we had to travel we had to go around. Well that will come later.

But what we need go down South America or South Africa because you can go to the canal. Well so we. Went down from Wellington to Long Beach California and I think they call it a shakedown cruise and we find our big guns small guns and we foreign targets that they used to get everything tested to make sure they're all operating. Then we proceeded to Pearl Harbor. It was just the way you would have me do it. We went to Pearl Harbor. And down in the beginning when I first went to Great Lakes I said to myself I hope that well I'm in the Navy I get to go to California so I can say I've been to California because I've never been out and I had never seen Detroit.

I was molested. So we went to California. Then I said to myself Now I hope that will. And I traveled to Pearl Harbor. That's the first place we went first stop. No it was more of a recreational stop just passing through to go on. You're going to get on a flight. Then after I got to Pearl Harbor I said to myself Now I hope we see some Japs that we can shoot at them. And we do our next operation we don't decide down in the Mariana Islands where we're involved in the bombardment and we taking of that island in the first day we were there we were hit by shore batteries and they call them the shells and Jepps firing at once when I was 20 millimeter gun any aircraft and then all of a sudden the water splashing or something splashing in the water in front of me. And I wasn't sure what it was but it was the Japs firing at us and they were

too you too low. So then they raised their guns and they fired over the top of us. So then they were too high. So then they adjusted again and all the time we were firing guns or big guns in our assignments. And then when they adjusted the second time they hit our master up there where the captain was they didn't get him but they got out. When I see him when I call him the lowest ranking guy he was on smoke watch he watched the smoke coming out the stacks and it exploded right in this area where he was. And it took his body and I off at the waist and then lured him with the ropes and there was just shredded dungarees I call them bluejeans. The shreds were hanging because it killed him instantly and there was about seven others killed in that.

Opening day on since the first day of battle. Then we should continue as we went along in our path. OK. Then we are after sighthound was secured. They call it that the Japs were clean now there of course in the process. It was a mountainous island funding quite high mountains in the Japs of course he told of people all kinds of things that we would do to them. That's what they would do to us and they created such panic that their women. Were going to the edge of this mountain throwing their children over the mountain and they were jumping off the cliff themselves and just committing suicide. So we wouldn't capture and torture them. And that's why that one. Then we went from there to Guam. You've heard of Gorme. We want to go on. The whole 7th Fleet.

There were about six battleships and. Cruisers. I don't remember how many destroyers. Many many destroyers and smaller and not a lot of. Laughs ttys and landing craft that took our troops and. Army and Marines took them ashore. When that's when this Guam was secured then went on to the next island was called Tinian and I and ten of them. And that was more of a flap more an island that wasn't mountainous. And it was speedier we could go faster getting there quicker. But anyway that one was accomplished. And then we headed for I guess after refueling and we arming all of our equipment. I think that's when we headed for the Philippine Islands. Those are intense like the spotters call Lady Lillywhite YTB lady golf is sort of a golf like

this and we work with the whole fleet went in there we pounded down the island and all the airplanes were bombing and strafing that took some time. To get that job done. And that's why we're outside the mouth of that golf was we're. President to be Kennedy was and now he was in on one of those P.T. boats and they were strange and you know the Japs really used a lot of them kill a lot of people. Well when that was finished then the Japs Japanese navy had a fleet up in Northern. Philippines and we were down in the southern part. We were down near those areas where MacArthur and his men were fighting when he just left them went to Australia. They sent him. Money.

And this other general was captured with a bunch of his troops and we were we were in that area and it's hard for me to remember step by step each item and timing but as it turned out this Japanese fleet was coming down from northern Philippines there were going to surprise us and blow us on the ocean and 7th Fleet. And the third fleet was down there. Well our airplanes our flyers spotted this fleet Some of them coming down in the daytime and you know they're flying by they can see there's no Japs down there headed for our ships. And we had radar that we can inform all of our people. It was quite new Them

me they got things organized like we have all got everything in line for. We Pelling those people and as they came down there was the Mike I think thinking 1:30 2:00 in the Morning we're all set to go. We got up and we they the it crossing the T when one fleet was going like this the other was kind of like first class team and we started firing and the Japs thought they were surprising us and we knew were supplying them. And we started firing and we blasted down the Japs sucker Jap battleships right there in that little area. It was deep. But you know I went to you and say Can I stop you for a question you like when you're there and your ship is shooting at another ship. What's it like. Oh it's like.

The end of the world coming. You know those when we're all on our ship. For instance while I was with put cotton in our ears. The big guns and fire project are a lot bigger around now. Tom is over a half ton. Put cotton and you still hurt their ears when they fired. And there were three guns in a turret. What for took just 12 of those big guns and it just makes the ship even a battleship makes it jerk and move and down smoke. And you know everything from gunfire noises. I just. It's hard to describe that. But now we want to. See where we sunk that battleship and not flee. We tell them the next morning after this was over with. There was Japanese out in the water where the ship went down.

A lot of doubling down. And there was something like was swimming in some of our smaller ships pick up some of those people and then we went up to lose on the top of the Philippines is an island called Luzon the largest island that was the next invasion. We went up there and got control of that. And while we were up in that area there was a typhoon and a typhoon. You know what a tornado like typhoon it just blows it doesn't spin around. I remember seeing like a new one three days steady. Wild wild weather never saw anything like it. And you had if you went outside in the living quarters on the ship outside you had to hang on to something all the time. Need watched wash overboard.

And some people were you know they didn't take care. And after that tornado that typhoon ended then we will help them. Before the typhoon struck us. We were hit by Japanese suicide plane and then one of those books shows a picture taken from the USS Pennsylvania shows my ship being hit with a suicide plane an explosion killed a bunch of men injured. Now you know I just knew. That the plane had a bomb load and it had all these high tech name engine fuel. And all. You know I just sent fire all over the place burned when the meat went off people's bodies the ones in the middle of it. And to kill a lot of people. A lot of good. Was good but that's not put us out of

action for a few days till we couldn't we couldn't get the ship kind of in a position where we could come back to this country. And it took us about I think 21 days to get back here because we during wartime when the ships go like this. Then you turn on a zigzag they call you zigzagging day and night to try to confuse some miners. And then he jumps up and down but they can. Zero in on you know if you stood steady course you know they could just zoom in on you you see the camera guys before it. I didn't see that one. No. I would know that I saw. I didn't see any of that hit our ship I saw and hit other ships. But then I was. On this one and I was in advance of my reading I had our ego call we call it a crow.

I was given window my advance and my rating went down below in a fire control plotting room where they had all the instruments that control the guns. And I was down there when that suicide plane hit us. And I was down there when another one exploded beside us in the water. I don't know. On the starboard side door I thought when that one exploded beside us that torpedo hit us but it was it was a plane. But. It was nothing was coming down. We had a wild fellow from Texas. That's all I can describe him he was wild he was a good guy but he got so excited when there was any Japanese around he wanted to get out of and so this this one exploded inside of this Japanese. The guy jumped out. He bailed out of the Parachute Jump on him.

He was floating down and this guy from Texas had a 40 millimeter gun and projectiles were about that big around about how long he just cut that Jap's right off. And how. Did he know he was. He came down to the plotting where I was after and that it subsided and his eyes were like there's no so-and-so. Now student he said I got one of them and he was so wound up so tight so wild to start with. And they did mildly reprimanded him for doing that and said he didn't need to do that. The court martial have anything of that description. He was here with all of you I say he was going to take over a country.

Well then see. Then we had to back to this country and be repaired. And it took about 30 days to repair that part of the ship. And now I miss one other thing that there before we got that far along. I neglected to mention this in California title like that set aside. Then there'd be two battleships behind them we were the flagship so well up front the need to manage ships to our ships and outside cruisers destroyers not just dozens of ships. Well the ships were steered with electricity. There's a huge ship like that you can turn a. I have. And the Tennessee this one morning just before 11 is just before 5:00 o'clock in the morning and that shower rooms in Washington are fairly empty. The Tennessee lost control is doing and they were

traveling like this. Pretty soon they started going like this. They couldn't they couldn't control it. We didn't know what it was. They were so close to us we couldn't see them on our radar. They had to be out farther for the radar to pick it up. All of a sudden us something hit us shook our ship and made us roll. In one of the songs on the telephone. He was an Akron Ohio Walder fan and he said what do you say Tennessee Ramdass. And then they confirmed that they in the hole in that big enough to drive a big truck big semi truck in it and it killed nine nine or 11 or something of that nature. The cost of doing these was homes but another 10 months later the dumpster full of people shaving showering and all and so there was that little bit of whatever you call America or something that spared them.

Well and then we had to have the whole patch that flooded to two decks in that area. They closed all the watertight doors. And then we had to search for repairs. That's I hope so down and it's fully dos Santos. That's down below in New Guinea and they're very close to New Guinea. There's a floating dock station out there for that purpose to repair shops and it work just like have you seen the docks at the same length do you see how they open and close and lift ships. That's why that work was on the ocean and they had us bring our battleship up in there and just ensure that the doors of the toughest fighting would stop and then they pumped the water out of this floating dry dock lifted our big ship went up by the ocean when we were up there.

Because they had to get down in the bottom of the outside of the ship to patch that hole. That took about 30 days well after we finished the job at the Philippine Islands. Then we were at home damage being repaired when we were Jima was taken. So we missed that one we were back in the United States. Security were Jima. Then we came back out again. We were all set to go. And we were just in time to get them to Okinawa and they were firing like mad and down and we had some close calls from all of these suicide planes but they didn't happen to hit us. They did hit the Pennsylvania the ship that took our place and are bombarding and.

Well we're fighting and bombarding Okinawa the Japs sundered. They passed a message to the whole fleet probably went around the world. Know there are other areas Japs surrendered in this hall and you'd thought it was at a football game. Chairman Howard just went on and on for some time until he got settled down. Well then plans were being made at that point to invade the homeland. Tokyo we knew. And I guess they may have known it too because that's where we were. We were not far from Japan when they surrendered and we went up in there in the landing. We covered the small ships and the army ground forces and Marines and the army. We covered them with their guns all day when then took

over and the Japs went like a bunch of rabbits. They'd been told and we to them. So we that within about two days they settled down and I was assigned shore patrol duty Espey subclause team and the army and I carried a club. And I had a person take one after the California and went off to Tennessee and we travel in Paris just to keep our thoughts kind of in line so they don't get carried away with alcohol or whatever. Well then we were there about four days or so we left for Singapore. Now we're down south and we got to Singapore and I was assigned a short duty down there. There was. Houses of ill repute in all women and all that and the

diseases and all. I was one of those assigned to help keep the guys out of those shacks. Interesting think how we went to the scene of one of our people in there need be a little shack and they were partitioned off Bustamente a curtain. They apparently had that going for their civilian people for years before. But we got through that one. Then we went from Singapore to Ceylon. Now sea line is now suing Lanka at that time. The line was so long and I have a watch that I bought there Joy. I didn't bring those things long but that was all just sort of a goodwill stop there. Never went to Cape Town South Africa. That was done on the tip of Africa. Cape Town now has a nursing home

that we saw it was so nice. Weather was perfect. The city was clean. Crime at that point was manageable and a majority of the people were white down there in Cape Town up in the continent of Africa is where all the black people are out of work. And we were there for days and then we proceeded the whole fleet to come up to the United States. We couldn't get around to South America and so we went. I mean the canal went down to South Africa. We got up to Pennsylvania. Philadelphia was the symbol of the 6. December 7th of Pearl Harbor Day of 1945 and they wanted the fleet to come in on Pearl Harbor Day.

So they kept us out for one day out in the ocean or and the East Coast. And then the next day we came out on December 7th and we came up the Delaware River. Can you imagine talking about battleships traveling on a river. But it must have been a deep river because the battleship has about as much of this size underwater as it does about water. Well close to being equal we came up through the end here. There were bands out there. Hundreds of people playing and cheering and welcoming us all and that was that ship was put in dry dock and then some years later it sold for scrap. Most all those gold battleships were. So then them I stay there.

Kelly told me I could go home. January of 1946 I was able to take a train all there were buses and trains. No air travel. I came home to Grand Ledge about all I think about the 14th of January. Good story. OK. What was the last time you were gone. What was the scariest the scariest. Well I think I was in a man's arms in the early part of the war when they were diving on us at that time with the planes and you could see them coming. Well once in a while I want to get to one of the ships in our fleet. Meantime I got to never want to own a gun is a flying. I told our Bibles.

And so. You know it went down. I was aware I think most of our thoughts were. That it was not flying and they were trying to kill us. And he had me on edge I know I was handling ammunition and I I got one of those cylinders out for a bigger cylinder of projectiles. 20 more meaner. And I went to get it to the next man up to load it on that gun and we almost dropped out we were so concerned about planes diving in on us. Now we got out. So I got to got it before I hit us. But I think that we saw. The first the first really scary moment was our first engagement. I think we're good at it

but there's some really good stories. I got an easy question for you first. OK. Tell me your name and spell your last name. One name is William. And were you a key teasel at the Assa am. You want me to. If I put your name on you on it. William or Bill. Most people know my bill so that probably didn't I say most of the paper bill. OK. But yeah that would be best. Yeah. What's your birthday. LEVIN 18 19 20. OK good. OK. Well so I told you I was going to ask you what you drafted did you. JACKSON What was it. Make it very well. Well it was in he was in the first of

November first part of November in 1942. We'd like to come in here and we went in the Army. He up. What an experience. I want you to tell me about it when did you go overseas. I mean were all in 1944 45 45 I guess it was 45. Where did you go. Went to Europe went where I went to Germany eventually eventually I started. I went to England where I went over on Queen Elizabeth. I think it's important or not. Anyway we actually went on nice boat ride. We went to Scotland and took a train to the Southampton and or. Maybe I made her way down under the English Channel somewhere got on

LSD and went across to Lahore France and got off there got on a train. Next day we got off and he was you got some traction. The next day I know he's out behind the camera. Didn't get that didn't take long. Well what was it like. What was it like. Well it was scary. The whole thing was scary. No. In fact they told us when we got on the train that if you keep watching three airplanes at an airplane. Got that they come straight here you want to be here and head through the brush you know get off the train. And but they didn't. Well then were going on to service company trucks which was. They were 6:06 is that blind belong to I

presume probably part of the Quartermaster Corps but they were service company. They they haul supplies to the 22nd instead of from wherever they picked them up. Anyway we rode on out all those trucks all day and right up to the virgin forest and all to that part of France and Germany anyway. And then when we got off we got to where a service company was located. We got off and probably I should go back to the start of work because when we preceding that time to go over there we went over. We went through a dozen at least a dozen inspections and maybe more. Do you have. Three pairs of underwear six pairs of socks

six tent pegs and a shelter half an overcoat and overshoes and two pairs of shoes and you know all the usual stuff this photo two of everything you know especially six pairs of socks you got to have sex for the socks and luckily I worked in a supply in Fort Meade Maryland for a couple days and there was a guy in there it was on his way back overseas and he'd been back here to the hospital and he said the main thing do you want to take his socks. He said Take all the socks you can steal. He said Everybody is looking for a pair of socks and nobody has any. And he said did you take any extra you saw. I managed to salvage 18 pairs of socks out of this supply where I work there and put him in my package and my back to my boy in my uniform. So when I got there I had 18 pairs of socks and I had

a carton of cigarettes and a flashlight and a shell. I didn't have a shelter half what I had. I had to roll the tent rope and hey you when we got to one we got to serve his company. And of course all that stuff packed into a barracks or duffel bag you know. And that was a clue here. Lug it on the boat lug it off the boat onto the train after a sound I either put it somewhere where you could keep track of it and then off the boat on. And on to the LSD. But down to the truck and when we got to service company the sergeant said if you got anything in that duffel bag you want to keep the best get it out of there and bring it back because you're never going to see that bag again. And I never did need it he may say throw them in a pile. They were gone. We never saw him again. So

good. You know I had my 6 Parian 18 pairs of socks in my pockets my carton of cigarettes and my flashlight and my camera open the only other stuff in my pockets. I package it big and bold. Not that any weight at work. And then. So you said you got the blankets. Did you have a blanket on. No we don't have any blankets. You don't have a blanket. No. Why you got to have some to sleep in. They gave us a sleeping bag he said sleeping bag you can sleep in his sleeping bag up here. I said well that's what they give you. And he said that's what you're going to sleep. And so should you see that open field out there. And he said you go out there and lay down and along that ventral hedgerow. And he said and put your rifle in your sleeping bag with you. And don't don't don't get bunched up he said scatter out. And so because he said it's all together possible it could be

infiltration in here. Right. And now we are doing just lay down the snow and went to sleep. And in the morning we woke up and we were still there. And then we went back in and that's when he said if you got anything in that duffel bag you want you'd best get it out of there. You know who knew where the bag was. They were just a big pile of them there and you couldn't find it. And anyway I had my socks and my cigarettes and that's what I was interested in. But there was a pile of logs I thought you know laying next to the hedgerow alongside it was covered up with a canvas and being curious I would go around to where I got over there and look around and see what it was it was dead bodies. It was I have no idea how many but probably was 50 or 60 dead bodies stacked up like cordwood and waiting for the Pioneer court to come and get them and take them out to a burial or a burial site.

And they are and then we we were there till the next morning when they walked us out we walked out to the companies that we were going to be with. And I think they scatter out about six or eight to do to a company and I presume it probably was 50 or 60 guys got off that truck. It was in that bunch. It was there and then they scattered them all about five or six to a spot for different companies to that model a replacement they put in their company was 5:55 about the first time. Yeah. Well that was just after I'd been in there. They signed me to do I a company. And after I

was there about three days they said well we're going jump off in the morning and we did and we went across to her little river where they just throw some ladders on we had to walk cross on those ladders and they were like Murray fire ready. But anyway we got to cross cross a railroad track into a woods on the other side a railroad track and the first thing. Well that first thing I saw was a dead German laying on the railroad track and the next thing I saw was another one who was you wasn't dead he was alive you stepped on behind a tree and he had a burp gun which is a little machine pistol they called him bird we called him and he had that knees stacked up behind that tree named to get right in my face. And I had that meeting I remembers the sparks flying off of the barrel you know like all I could think of is one these little dick JCA guns that the kids used to have and turn the crank as part to fly and that's why it looked like.

Luckily he wasn't a good shot and I had name one and luckily I grow up with the rifle. And he went up anyway. I think I put two or three cups a shell so that rifle and went on because he was out of business by that time. And from then on it was a big bird. We went through probably 10 acres of woods. I have no idea what all took place I know there was one guy right. We were trapped on the ground in one spot where we come to a stop in and there were some other fellows there and just one guy laid right side of me and all of a sudden the German got up into some brush over on the side and he hit him with the with a bullet. But he missed he missed me. And at first guy he had to

empty his little machine just like me. He put a bullet in the lining of my jacket in my hand and went to my pocket went out had a can of sterno in there and he went through that went to see rash and went to my gloves. I didn't know what else. Anyway he went through the lining of my jacket and a bullet was in never leave my jacket when he got all done. But anyway it was there it was. I have no idea how many guys were killed and there are a lot of. There was one one one my part of of I was saying to company I and company gave was right next to us and part of the company was captured in that woods. And they were put in the basement of a house. And of course these old houses are scattered through the woods and around the

country because it was more or less farmland in farm country. Well anyway while they were in there. Somebody else in company came up to the house and shot around with a bazooka through the wall of the basement window and that's to these guys who were in the basement and that explosive around went into that basement and exploded and he killed two or three Germans would never touch one of those boys from the company. And so there was a couple of medics in there and they are the medics doctors at the Germans that was hit. And Dr. Gupta the guy is it from Gay.com been hit before. And they got out when they came. They came back to our committee and then it was it was kind of a wild day. It really was a wild day. The smoke was so thick thick could you couldn't see across his room. I don't

really know. Probably 60 feet was as far as you could see any direction because of rapid rifles. So the smoke and ammunition and the and you tell me that's all I got that was at the tail end of the project for a year at the end of my tour of duty over there as it was after we crossed the Rhine. They put us on motorized patrol and everything was moving pretty fast. You if you rode on the back a tanker road in your Jeep and this particular day we rode on a Jeep and I think my memory right there was Vitalists on the jeep and it was a little Ford. And I'm thankful it was a Ford because it ran and a lot of Willey's didn't they. They had left them set were they quit.

But anyway. We went into a town and I I think maybe that we were going where we were supposed to be you know because the lieutenant that was a platoon leader he was riding in first. Well in fact we were right we were right on halftracks. I was sitting on it on the back of a half hour up on the on the cab of the half track and we went into this town and in some way it was a downright forget it there were no houses. After all it was just two basements and rubble here and there. And so somebody said well look up there and he'll look at all him Karl up there you know. And the hill was covered with a German soldier. They were coming down and I presume they think we got somebody cornered we're going to capture him or do something.

And so Avery then the lieutenant said let's get the hell out of here. So we all turned your honor on and we started back out and we had to go through a pretty good sized archway to get into the town the road went to this archway. It was a stone arch and it was they had to go back out of it too. And when we came out of that actually there was a factory or a warehouse or something across a little stream there. And a lot of Germans is over there and when we came out they were shooting at us. And so anyway I was standing up on top of this half cracked a cab and Nick or I care to be are and I just felt confident and pulled the trigger. And on that day it was about all you could do. But anyway somewhere in the process bullet hit my knee and went crash my knee. It knocked me off the half track and the next thing I knew I was laying on the ground and half track was still going.

And so I got got out of out of the grass or weeds and curled up in the road and a good driver that was driving the Jeep that was on the tail end of the patrol and he was back behind your dieter's each stop back there. He didn't stop out and he opened and he hollered the name was another guy it fell off too or jumped off or whatever. I don't know he was off on the ground and he was behind a woodpile taking shots at the Germans. But anyway this guy ever said you guy you want to get on air you better get back because we're going to leave right now. And we went running back and best we could climb on that Jeep and I think gave the southern of us on that Jeep and all of that archway. He comes full throttle on up the road to and everybody shoot move. That's a really good you know. And we got out there and saw anyway

and we were after we got out we discovered where our company had went and we're. But tune in when that's what it was. And so we found our we were supposed to go in the lead boy even if you were the one who was driving it and the one of the gunner that was on the Jeep was a word from the heavy weapons company. They carried the machine gun and a heavy machine gun and ammunition for it and so forth. And so this Mexican boy who he was he was setting in a frenzy that he got off of the seat and stood on the gas can was on the side of the jeep and fired a machine gun it was Fastnet right there. Right. And most of the windshield would be and he swung it around. He had got the dream the driver

in the right by ear. But that was all right. He didn't get it. But anyhow. We got out of there. It took a fifth of swats shops to get us out because there's Mexican boys. We stopped in order to get oriented and he said we got to have somebody get us over that next hill. He opened up the tool box under the seat and pulled out this Corda shops. And then once around it was gone. Anyway we eventually got back to the company and when we got back there they come to find out we were listed as missing in action. And didn't take them long to figure that out. I didn't know why but I guess just because we didn't come either when everybody else did and maybe patched up my knee and I

took care of that and that was it. Those are two. Both of you have any other goals. Yes. Yes. Shrapnel. Shrapnel. Well one issue sticks in my mind that I remember the most was a big piece of shrapnel there your artillery broke up in big chunks. It didn't break up. Our it broke up in small pieces. It was it was I don't know if it was machine that way or a cast that way but it was when when it broke it was like a pineapple blowing up as small pieces went in all direction but there's broke up in chunks and a piece of their one of their artillery shells literally as you feel in a piece of it came across that field. And I was going up the road that was the I often wonder what what my line of thought was that I didn't pop on my belly and let it

go over my back you know because that piece of was coming across that field to get in the dirt. And I knew I was going out run it but it could come in any way Red Cross and got on it but it didn't hit me. But I thought it wasn't going to and why I didn't go off on the ground or let it go over the top. And the I don't know whether I just Or I can outrun that that I couldn't get to. And then there was other times or I seemed like anytime anything ever hit me or hit me I cut and I got my K-rations just because I used to. They That's what they did is that K-rations and always in a box you know they gave these three boxes in a three day morning noon and night. You give it to you all at once and I tie him up with this tent rope that I took along. I made a little bag out of that to roll for an sling. And I had fastened on it. Guess I had a harness that I carried the

ammunition belt on that harness and I tie that those rations on my back and them as I don't know several times that some Ha. These are what happened the arisings. What do you mean. Well you're right things are going on you know or they'd be just a rope would be there. The boxes have part of a body set and Sanjay gunned down the German Go shot me to death I guess. But anyway that's. That was close enough. You know in 88 and the closest anything I ever got was our bullet went into my jacket pocket into the line he was in the lining of the back. Got all done. That is where it was and it scared. Yeah. Scary screaming meemies. Well the Germans had what they call screaming maybe Sherry here. Yeah. You know what they were telling me anyway. Oh well they were rocket

propelled artillery shells. They fired six of them into two and a group and they fired him off in a mobile rock or a trailer and they have lain in there and they died when they fired him off. They don't they go one to time. And they made a hell of a noise screeches courage. You don't sound like six fire trucks coming over the hill all of which are your own. You're wrong there and you hear him coming. And you knew damn well they were coming near direction you could just tell they were wary of what we're really going to hit you know. And this one particular time another guy and I got caught out in an open field and they plastered that field with those shells. And now I remember when I got in a hole shell was out there and and was very deep that it was a little bit of protection. And those shells they let all around them all. You know either one land over here or there. Yeah yeah

yeah yeah. And that was that was like I said you never you never find an atheist in a foxhole cause you're scared. Don't react to it. Yeah. Probably of that kind. But I don't really remember that particular. Waller one died one time we got entangled with it. I presume it was a company at least advance troops and on the backside of a hill we went up the hill and they were on the other side and they weren't going to give up. And we didn't. But then the next day early in the morning a 47 was one of fighter planes in the streets that swamp that they were in. And I

think if I remember eight to one of our squads went down there on patrol and they counted I you know like 200 dead and they captured about seven or eight you guys as all of us still live on that bunch that was in there. And so I was scared because they they in the morning when we got daylight. There was a guy a German with a bayonet. But as far as meeting him right in front of my fire actual sometime during the night several times during the night way you know all of a sudden somebody fire a rifle you know POW you know and there's you'd see the flash and if they return to fire you knew they were they were are approximate. But even if they didn't know where they were you just returned fire off the head of the head anyway. And apparently sometime during the night he was out there he was right out in front of us

and he had another fight. I tell him myself it was in a foxhole together and he and this character was out in front of us. And we both emptied our rifles in that direction and now we must get him because he was there in the morning it didn't look good. That was for sure. And it was scary. It was scary. And it's a story you don't want to tell me stories. He will want some stories from there. The nearby air base the air base. Well I think like I said I spent two and a half year guiding in the crash on air base in Connecticut and we scooped up quite a few student pilots that didn't they didn't get back on the ground.

And you know they'd crash out in the hills or around air base. I know if I ever heard of Brad They sealed it hard for Easter wingy like Connecticut. It's north of Hartford. You know we were there. I was there almost two years iting go crash and was on the flight line and it was interesting and it actually got into more. Picking up pieces of people that were dead didn't know or blew up or whatever happened to them when they hit something and the plane exploded and they did do so. That was messier than when you were in Europe. Somebody got shot. You didn't touch him because in the Pioneer Corps would come behind you they'd pick up the remains or the medics would be there and the doctor and haul them out immediately litter bears and all among medics.

Where were you when you're the in an area where the what they call it right garden or something were there were Hitler's. I doubt it was anyway. We were we were going up there about it. Well it's in it was scattered over a period of probably a week. You hear it every day all throughout the day. Why is of. And then about somebody take a shot at you you or somebody or artillery shell would come along. Now that ain't over yet. And so back at it again and with so we were down south of Munich we were down in there for probably a week working towards us. There's ALP's idolater readout or whatever they call it. I was up in and out near Lake Geneva and

I think of that I read I think they said we were seven kilometers from Italy you know almost to the border. So that was quite a relief to you when it was over. Wow. It. Three minutes a day for three minutes story. Well. Well I know like I said we went overseas on the Queen Elizabeth which was quite a ride took three days and three nights. Tell me when you came back to this day. What was that like.

Unbelievable. It was just like took a load off your shoulders you know we got off we came back on a little banana boat that was a ferry boat run combative modern New York City. It was 25 or under such a matter on there and we were able to sleep on the deck all over wherever you could find a place to lay down and reuse your jacket. Yeah. For bill or anything to put your head down. And anyway the boat game in New York Harbor. And boys were home. Wow here we are. And look at all the girls. There was a boat load with a girl's band you know who knows where they were from some colleagues or some come out from Shorey and on comes alongside and everybody on that ship all onboard that tried to look at all the

girls and the dump boat. I thought I would go over and I begin to think so do go over the P.A. system get everybody back the side. So it level the back up again. And then at that moment it was kind of scary. But I could have kept over we all swam ashore and let it go that way I'm sure. And then we got off the off the boat and devices back to Camp Kilmer New Jersey. Now I know an area trained on area river road and back to Chicago we let you know what happened. Yeah I think a lot of people think those are good stories. Well I hope so. George Wilson you've heard me speak again back there. George was a company commander for each company.

He went to a lot longer period of time than I did because I was only there about seven months. And and he was there the last two years. And he was a company commander for a long time. And he I don't know how he never knew how he escaped either you know. He eventually did get hit in the ankle earlier somewhere and it put him in hospital but he lost a lot of men and a lot of his men were shot and killed or captured. And one of my friends that I used to work with and I I still know him quite well as naked as he is he was with all the money and was winning the day.

And he got Congressional Medal of Honor. He got quite a story to tell too. The main thing is to get him started. But he it was it was unbelievable. There was a lot of men in my company and probably in all those rival companies they were 45 years old with no business being in some place like that. No one man was retired. I know he's retired but there's next Detroit policemen. BLOCK He was he was in my company and I don't know why he didn't get killed. He come off close to it. A lot of times. But you know he survived and I often wonder whatever happened to him you know what those things you

don't you don't do like they're supposed to like in that book I there's a newspaper article about a boy from Leslie that was killed and they couldn't find him in 24 years they didn't know what do you know where he lived where he was and finally somebody dug him up over there and. And I knew where he was I knew where he got killed. I saw him get shot but I didn't know where or what they did with him. And they was two two men at one time. One was on the