The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-03-29
Calm, Quiet
Life Strange
to Cpl. Walz
B. MIRIAM HAVENS

II bhAh
EAST DETROIT - The calm
and quiet of life in the United
| States is hard TO get used to
| after two years at the front, ac-
cording to Cpl. Earl Walz, new
~ returned from Italy. The son
of Mr.. and Mrs. William Walz,
22719 Piper Blvd, Cpl. Walz,
%, landed in Africa in Novem-
Der. 1912, followed through into
Sicily, and then to Italy.
The battle at Casino was
plenty tough, he reports, and the
Germans stood firm TO slug it
out to the last man. Corp. Walz
is in the Anti-aircraft division
of a Headquarters Company,
and considers himself very for
tunate in that he has always
been behind the lines far enough
to be comparatively safe, and
that he has not had to suffer
many of the usual hardships of
an infantryman.
Walz in telling OF his expert
ences says that the Nazis are
still arrogant, and show no signs
of giving up, at least in Italy.
TIE Allies have had to fight for
every hill in Italy, and there
are plenty of them, since the
terrain is very mountainous.
RAGGED. UNDER-FED"
1t is still a mystery to the
American soldier how the Ital-
ian make a living even in peace
AT present they are des-
perately poor, ragged and I'M
der-fed. Yank units find it very
See CPL. WATZ-Page 3
difficult not to give away much
of their food, and the Italian
p~easantry lines up beside the
mess tents with little pals to
carry away leftover food, and
the Italian peasantry lines up
beside the mess tents with little
pals to carry away leftover
food. The soldiers appreciate
that advantage is being taken of
them, but they cannot refuse
food to children, at least.
While in Italy, Walz was very
fortunate in that he was able to
do some travelling and see some
of the important historic places
for which the country is fam
Gus. The high light of his ex-
periences, for him, was an inter-
view given him and two hum
dred other soldiers by the Pope
at the Vatican. Pope Plus per-
sonally presented each man
with a rosary, and gave them
his blessing. Words cannot ex-
press, Corp. Wayz reports, the
beauty of the work of such art
lists as Michelangelo and others
whose paintings are in the st.
Cathedral and in Rome.
Although the city of Pisa was
practically demolished, the fam
Gus Leaning Tower still stands,
as sturdy as ever. Rome is a
very modern city, at least in the
business districts, and the new
apartment sections show the in
fluence of Mussolini and his in
toward the modernis-
tic style.
1t is always a surprise TO a
soldier TO go back a short way to
4 district that he has just
through, and seeming
~ demolished, to find that the
farmers are clearing away the
reuse and in some places al
have seed in the ground.
The Nazis were very syste-
matte in destroying all public
utilities in such cities as Nancy
when they retreated, but it was
amazing to find that Rome had
suffered little from
American bombs, only one rail-
road yard got a direct hit.
TO an American soldier, the
end of the war is just a dream"
Walz comments. They live from
lay to day never even trying to
guess when the end will come"
Soon after his arrival in the !
on March 10, Ann Clee-
of Flushing, New York and
Walz were married. He end his
r now at the home of his
parents in East Detroit. with a
l5-day extension to his 80 day
Through. Wall was graduated
from East Detroit High School
n 1888 and worked for the
Corp. before entering
he army. After his furlough he
will report TO Fort Dix. N. j., for
-e-assignment. He is now a tech
nician fifth class.
7