N. Africa, Sicily, Italy (WIA - recovered), France and Germany. Here is a photo of LT GEN George Patton that my dad, then a 1st LT, took somewhere in Italy. Lots of stars in that staff jeep!

in the states? When did he ship over and back?

My dad went to OCS training with mom in the Wilmington, NC area and El Paso, Texas.

He departed NY in Dec. 1944, trained in Bournemouth, England and then shipped over to Omaha Beach in Normandy, Dec. 1945.

So glad he made it thru, although there were some damages. When he returned mom was surprised to see him with long hair almost to his shoulders and wearing a shortened Eisenhower- syle coat.

Then Ft. Sill. Landed in North Africa in 1942. Wounded in Italy, and patched up by the battalion surgeon.


My dad (L) has a brew in Rome with the battalion surgeon (R) that saved his life in southern Italy.

I stopped by Auburn once to see friends on a drive during spring break from WVU to So Fla.

Nice campus; I was looking for Mell Hall, and people kept telling me to find Male/Mail Hall. Eventually I got it. Lol.

My uncle was on a tank crew in patton's division, and he said that was what they never wanted to hear the sound of,

He somehow managed to get busted in rank multiple times and ended up in convoy duty after his tank was scrapped for some reason. Never did get the real story, but I was just a young lad, I'm sure it was more than he let on.

My dad had battle fatigue, did some recovery time in Marseille, the Alps.

He stayed over in the Army of Occupation and didn't return home until 1946. Mom was patiently waiting and understandably concerned.

Like your uncle, there's probably much more to the stories of many of the troops, my father included. It was Hell.

They just didn't feel the need, and it likely brought back memories they would rather not visit ever again.

I may have heard a few unguarded thoughts because I was a young child and asked innocent questions with simple answers.

But he never got over his trauma, whatever it was. He was still my favorite uncle.

I never asked, not even in college when I returned from Europe one time and Dad gave me some of his insignia, pins and ribbons. Most of what I know is recounted from an older sibling and derived my own research.

Were members of antifa.

He was in the 69th Division that arrived in European theater in Jan of '45. This was the division that eventually met up with the Russian's on The Elbe river. He was with an Armour group of 105mm howitzers.

One of the things he remembered and commented on was that one of the biggest concerns about moving along the roads to Germany was when that things seemed to go pretty unopposed until the convoy rounded some turn. The 88's were set up, just a few, to lay waste to whatever was in their sites. They were manned by the SS and they were suicidaly committed. He said it usually didn't last long as they were ultimately outgunned and out-manned. He also stayed on with the Occupation Force in 45.

It was the only thing he expressed concern about the entire race to Germany endeavor.

He always said though, he never thought he was a hero.

the Bulge. Yes, I've read how the Germans brought out 88s to station around to hit the advancing Allies.

SS and fanatics, say no more. My dad never talked about the war, he gave me some insignia and ribbons when I came back from summer college study in England. I didn't ask him about it but wish I had; he too would have never regarded himself as a 'war hero.'

recovered and made it home.