Eugene never talked about his experiences as a paratrooper and a POW.  When captured on Christmas Eve, 1944 in the Battle of The Bulge he was the sole survivor of his platoon.  After a month of captivity he managed to escape and managed to join up with some Russian troops.  Eventually he swam the frigid Elbe River to the safety of American custody.  That got him a ticket on a ship bound for the U.S. and a discharge in October 1945.  He married his wife wife in 1946.

But 40 years passed before he was able to talk about his combat, capture and escape.

Nebraska veterans honored
From The Associated Press
   It's not easy for World War II veteran Gene Falgione to talk about his time as a prisoner of war, especially on Veterans Day.
   It's a day of many memories for Falgione, who lives in Blue Hill [NE]
   Germans captured Falgione on Christmas Eve, 1944. Falgione, a member of the 508th Parachute Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division, was the sole
survivor of his platoon.
   Falgione and other prisoners were loaded on a train and taken to a POW camp in Germany. The prisoners were interrogated by the commander
of a German armored division. "He said to me he'd 'Rather fight any soldier in the world than an American paratrooper. You'd shoot him between the eyes and he wouldn't know he was dead,'" Falgione said. "That's one of the best compliments I ever had in my life."
   Falgione's message to others on Veterans Day is simple: Respect the people who have served your country.
   "At times I'm pretty proud of what I accomplished and am hoping somewhere along the line somebody will kind of remember these old fogies that went to hell and back."
   Falgione was one of hundreds of Nebraska veterans honored Thursday, Thursday, the 75th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I.
   In Omaha, Gov. Ben Nelson said the nation owes veterans a debt of gratitude.
   "Today is a day all Americans and all Nebraskans can say thank you for a job well done," Nelson said during a service at Omaha's Memorial Park.
   Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., also was in Omaha for services.
   "Veterans Day is a day in which we honor those men and women who serve our nation both at home and abroad, defending America's belief in democracy and freedom," said Kerrey, a Medal of Honor recipient who lost a leg in the Vietnam War. "It is a day in which we pay tribute to those who have consistently shown the world what is best about
America.
   Of the 4.7 million Americans who served during the war, 57,395 were Nebraskans.

[The Lincoln Star, Lincoln , NE, 12 Nov 1993, Fri, Page 4]

(courtesy of Susie Lyman)

Grave marker for Eugene J. Falgione in the Lincoln Memorial Park, Lincoln (Lancaster county). Nebraska.

Eugene enlisted in the Army at Pittsburgh, PA on 9 March 1943.

Initially assigned to the Service company, he was transferred to Company A on 22 November 1944, probably as a replacement for losses suffered in Holland.

He went into combat o 18 December 1944 and was reported missing in action on 24 December 1944 when he was captured.  He remained a prisoner of war until he was liberated from Stalag 4B in 1945.

Pvt Falgione was awarded the CIB for the Battle of The Ardennes Campaign, from 18 Dec 1944.