Evening star., 1943-09-03
Back From the Wars
Soldier Wounded in Moneuvers
After Return From Long Battle
Pfc. Podgett Also Spent
Rest Period Under
Fire in FoxhoIe

Pfc. Raymond M. Padgett stormeo
a beach near Oran, French Morocco
with the first American assault wave
and engaged in an action in which
his company commander was struck
three times, but escaped uninjured
himself.
Later, he engaged In four major
battles in Africa-and his luck still
held. He took part in a bayonet
charge up a hill which his outfit
had been ordered to take at any
cost. He joined in engagements
which resulted in the capture of
French with German officers and
Italians with German officers. But
still his skin remained whole.
During months of African CAM
paigning he had many narrow
escapes. Shells burst nearby, kill
ing comrades scarcely more than
arms length away. Once, and this
is an experience he will always re-
member, both for its danger and its
humor, he sat for hours in a fox
hole while enemy machine gun fire
Whistled overhead.
Outfit Sent to Rear.
Through all these dangerous days
he made out all right. Then came
orders which sent his outfit to the
rear. Further maneuvers were on
the schedule. Pvt. Padgett's COM
pany was to engage In a simulated
attack. 1t was to be just as close
to "the real thing" as possible. The
signal was given and the action"
began. Mortar shells from Ameri-
can batteries in the rear flew
through the air. One landed Just
ahead, another landed nearby. A
fragment hit Pvt. Padgett.
But I was lucky at that" he said
Yesterday at Walter Reed, where he
mas been sent for treatment. 1.-TWO
OF my ribs had been broken and
my lung had been punctured. There
was an American hospital within
f1ve miles of the place where I was
hit. They had me on the operat-
Ing table within two hours and that
doctor sure saved my life"
Recalls Mountain Battle.
During this battle, AZ of Pvt.
Padgett's company had been cap
tured, 10 had been killed and an
other 10 were missing. The company
had earned rest and it was or
dered back to a rest camp in the
rear. On the third day the company
was directed to continue its rest
period on the fiat top of a nearby
hill.
Something told me to dig in deep
that night" Pvt. Padgett recalls,
and dug and dug. Later, learned
that some of the men thought they
had heard German voices in the
neighborhood. AS it developed, the
Germans had decided they liked the
looks of that hill, too.
When the sun came up in the
morning the Germans began firing
and shells came over us for hours.
Finally sergeant got through to
us Che got a silver medal for it
later and brought the order to re-
treat. We were company against
q regiment, as we learned, and I
never in my life had heard an
order that sounded so good"
Under Fire Five Hours.
The order to retreat came at IL
am. For the five hours before, Pvt.
Padgett said he had looked up from
his foxhole and heard the bullets
whizzing by few inches above his
head. One German approached his
position through tall grass, but the
private finished him with a we'll
placed shot.
II don't want any more rests like
that" he observed wryly.
Like many another, Pvt. Padgett's
saga began with a voyage to Eng
land after preliminary trainingt
Finally. in November, 1912, the news
came through that his outfit would
participate in an attack, but no.