Evening star., 1944-01-17
Brooklyn Lieutenant,
San viffore Veteran,
Tells Of Nazis' Rout
BY KENNETH L. DIXON.

W. - AAAS &AxSC AN / 4AaAx I 0AlR
10 Oelayed) The short, dark in:
fantry lieutenant with the shock OF
curly hair and q three-day growth
Of beard was talking blue streak
His company had just cleaned out
San Vittore. He had been sent back
to the medics for a couple of days
to get his feet fixed up. He wasn't
wounded, but the back tendons on
his ankles were so badly strained
he could hardly walk, so they sent
him down now the battle was over
the tension was gone and the dam
had burst.
Yeah, Fuoto; Frank Fuoto, that's
my name. How old? I'm 30. Yep
I'm married. Any kids? Should
have been a poppa four days ago
but don't know. For a while
thought I was going to be a postum
NOUS poppa, but it's turned out all
right.
Where from? Brooklyn. where
else?" he cracked, and his face lit
up In a broad grin.
Yeah, I came over in May. Re-
placement ofdcer. I joined this out
mt when it was policing up the brass
after the Tunisian campaign. Man,
but that's tough. When you come in
you're a brand-new shavetail. No
battle experience, but the CTS un-
der you are all veterans.
They Have Been There.
'sThey look you over and you know
what they're thinking as they right
flank left flank and about face.
You know what they're thinking all
the time. They're thinking wothe-
hell does this guy know about war,
and you can't blame them.
They've seen it and you haven't
and they figure you're just 9O-day
wonder, even if they don't say it.
And then when you get little outa-
line they start talking about Hill 600
and Kasserine Pass and places like
that and all you can do is sit back
in the corner and shut up. And
you've got to command those guys.
But now there's a lot of differ
ence. I can talk with them. They
know me and I know them and
we've been across the Volturno to-
gether and up Mount Pantano and
into San Vittore and after this I
can talk about those places. Jeez,
its great"
He grinned at the smiling doctors
and enlisted men who sat around
him asking questions.
Yeah, you don't have to ever
worry about hearing about Hill 500
and the other places again after
Pantano," said one doctor, Capt.
Merritt Aud, 80, Yankton, S. D.
"Pantano was Hill 600 and Sicily
and all the rest of them rolled in
together"
THAT street fighting in San Wit
tore was something, too" said 1t.
Fuoto, you go around the corner
and the ferries would be running
out of one house and into another
and you'd let 'em have it. BRITT
t-t-t-t-or they'd cut loose at you
from the roof and you'd sweat 'em
out until they showed themselves,
and then you'd let 'em have 1t.
Boy, they threw the whole kitchen
at us when we went in there"
Suddenly he laughed.
"Once they got so mixed up that
We tricked two punches Of ferries
into shooting at each. other. We
egged the bunch in each house on
with few shots, and each thought
it was coming from the other house,
so they started shooting it out.
But, they always shoot up all
their ammunition and then they'd
holler 'kamerad' and start waving
their white flags. They always get
everybody they can first"
Infantry Is the Life.
He got up to go out to the ambu-
lance to be taken back to the sta
tion hospital. Hobbling through the
door he said:
Anybody who don't want to be
in the infantry is crazy =.
What about those who do want
to be in the infantry?" asked
grinning corporal.
They're the crazieSt OF ALL"
auipped the lieutenant from Brook
lyn.
When he got outside the door
the doctor said hes the exception.
Most of the men who come in here
aren't that way. OF course, he's
keyed from the San Vittore scrap,
but I'll bet he's a whale of a good
officer. That's what you need in
infantry lieutenants in any army.
They have it tough They're the
Hes not very different" said a
litter bearer, 1--we seen him up there
in the lines, and hes about that way
all the time. He's really a morale
builder when the going's tough"
Suddenly 1t. Fuoto hobbled back
In the door.
where's my maps. I left 'em in
here. Gotta have my maps so I
can show those guys at the hospital
where I've been.'