Detroit evening times., 1943-08-24

II the bullet pierced his back below the neck down
through the right lung TO disappear somewhere into his lean
body.
x.rays cant find yet says the young paratroop
lieutenant turning his head with difficulty because the
cast pulls painfully shoulder Its in there place
There's bullet hole my body except where it went in
He twists his left his shoulder to point at the
patched place the back Of his baggy pararoop uniform
now beached with much launderngthe same uniform that
only few nights ago hued into the backness 600 feet above
Sicily west of Gela
mo time to get new clothes he apologies soemnly.
I've only been back five days"
He stares with the wide cold bitterness and msrust Of
soldier fresh from combathe war too close to talk about
why do you my name? he asks fiercey My name
doesn't anything It's our outfit They're still fight"
As if repeating something that could have interest to
anyone he agrees to he born in Harrisburg Pa
that he Joined National Guard cavalry troop mechanzed
year i ago last ts june ,oo or horses he saws with
little more enthusiasm We hated to lose those horses
applied for o. s. and transferred to Fort Bennng After
my commission l applied for paratroop training
It's four weeks The first two are mostly con-
dtioning The third week you slide down from 35 and so
foot stands In the fourth week first the stationary
Jump like the parachute the Worlds Fair then the free
tower jumps where the parachute swings loose and finally the
five jumps from planes to complete the course
up to the fifth jump withdraw from the para
troops you like After the fifth If you refuse Jump you
courtmsrtaled and severely penalzed They're tough
with you then
Yet I've seen it happen to fellows Suddenly for
they freeze upgrow deathy white and stand there
staring out the door unable It's not exactly their
fault They can't help it, guesshke nervous disease
This ddn happen any of men over Sicily They
wonderful They responded like that he snaps the
fingers of his left hand letting the right hand he has been
holding fall gently his lap The eeve of that bulges
below the elbow the cast where the bone has been
splinered.
We came into Africa the end OF April he continues,
trying take deep breath parachute infantry regl
ment combined the Sind Air Borne Division We trained
there from May until invasion dayschedued to be July IL
though to go in the night before.
My platoon Of nearly so filled three planes flying
Vshape the formation We crossed the Mediterranean flying
lowat about 200 feet Not until then told that this
the invasion we had been trained for.
The order stated these planes were to drop us over sicily
specified spots but that not to be taken back
Il was al or nothing We land and hold until the
main invasion forces arrived don't remember much con-
versation. We pretty tensed up.
The first lntmation that something wrong came
after checked off Malta and found ourselves over Celia
The had just been bombed and certainly lit
standing bv the cabin window and when IN
the knew that the high wind something had
blown off We had memorzed several check points
but visible
We headed back over the Mediterranean and went along
tie coast o Sicily while and then turned inland three and
half miles. -,
bail The red lgh; flashes on. It's 20 We zoon
from 200 feet GOO and tell the stand by for what
SVers coming The green signal flashes and he officer always
goes firs) Jump.
There not time 10 compare this lump with the II I'd
made training Us the first time used the camou
ffagsd thuI6 bu ron trK about haS From 6e6 feet
you Just feel the snap when the proptream whips the chute
open and before YOU ready your equipment for landing you
ht ground
('Peope don realize that to paraIooper the chute is
Just incidental vehicle self sustained combat unit going
into action Most Of our work after the jump
I land perfectly u orchard among four trees The
men follow Ike sticks Of bomb Some are not SO lucky They