Imperial Valley press., 1944-07-16

AIN NOrtIhAND1 10y WlISlSscl-
1t was about time for me to go-out
alone into that tmpty expanSe of Il
feet-as the infantry company
was with began its move into the
street that led to what we did not
knew.
One of the soldiers asked If
didn't have a rifle. Every time
you'rd really in the battle lines
they'll ask you that. I said no, cor
respondents weren't allowed to; II
was against international law. The
soldiers thought that didn't seem
right.
Finally the sergeant motioned-
1t was my turn. I ran with bent
knees, shoulders hunch,d, out
across the culvert and across the
open space. Lord, but you felt lonely
out there.
1 had to stop right in the middle
of the open space, to keep my dis
lance behind the man ahead. ! got
down behind little bush, as though
that would have stopped anything
Just before starting I get into
a conversation with a group Of SOL
diers who were to go right behind
me. was Just starting to put down
the boys names when my turn
came to 60. So 1t wasn't till an
hour or mere later, during one OF
our long waits as wa sat crouching
against some buildings, that 1
worked my way back along the line
and took down their names.
POURING RAIN
1t was pouring rain, and as we
suuatted down for me to write on
my knee each soldier would have
to hold my helmet over my note
book to KEEP it from being soaked.
Here are the names of just a few
of my company mates" in that
little esecpade that afternoon:
Sergt. Joseph Palajsa, of QS7 I
ST. Pittsburgh.
Pfc. Arthur Greene. of (6l8 Ok
ford ST. Auburn, Massachusetts,.
His New England accent was so
broad I had to have him spell cut
Arthur" and Auburn" before I
could catch what he said.
Pfc. Dick Medici, of 1921 Lemy
Ave. Detroit.
Lieut.. James Giles, a platoon
leader, from Athens, Tennessee. He
was so w.t. so worn. so soldier-look-
ing that I was startled when he
said lieutenant" for I thought he
was a CT.
Pfc. Arthur Slageter, of (3915
Taylor AveD Cincinnati. He was an
old reader of this column back
home. and therefore obviously
fine fellow.
BAZOOKA MAN
Pfc. Robert Edie, of New Phila-
delphia. Edie is go. he is married,
and he used to work in brewery
back home. He Is a bazocka man,
but his bazooka was broken that
day, so he was just carrying a
rifle.
Pfc. Ben Rienzi, of 43O E. lis
ST. New York
Sergt. Robert Hamilton, of (204O
Robbins Avc.) Philadelphia, who
was wounded in Africa.
And Sergt. Joe Netscavge, of
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, who
sports two souvenirs of the Nor
mandy campaign-a deep dent IN
his helmet, where sniper's bullet
glanced off, and a leather cigaret
case he got from a German pris-
oner
These boys were Ninth Division
veterans, most of whom had fought
in Tunisia and Sicily, toe
Gradually we moved on, few
feet at a time. The soldiers huggcd
the walls on both sides of the street,
crouching all the time. The city
around us was still full of sound
and fury. You couldn't tell where
anything was coming from or go
ing to.
The houses had not been blown
down along this street. But now and
then a wall would have a round
hole through it, and the windows
had all been knocked out by con-
cussion and shattered glass Uttered
the pavements. Gnarltd telephone
wire was lying everywhere.
POOR PEOPLE
It was a poor district. Most OF
the people had left the city. Shots.
incidentally, always sound louder
and distorted in the vacuum-like
emptiness of a nearly deserted city.
Lonely doors and shutters banged
noisily back and forth.
All of a sudden a bunch of dogs
came yowling down the street. chas-
ing each ether. Apparently their
owners had left without them, and
they were running wild. They made
such a noise that we shooed them
on in the erroneous fear that they
would attract the Germans atten-
ton.
The street was winding one and
we couldn't see as far ahead as our
forward platoon. But soon we could
hear rifle shots not far ahead, and
the rat-tat-tat of our machine
guns, and the quick blirp-blirp OF
German machine pistols.
For long time we didn't move at
all While we were waiting the lieu
tenant decided to go into the house
we were in trent Of A middle-aged
Frencbman and his wife we're In
the kitchen. They were poor people
The woman was holding terrier