We sailed from New York, December 28. 1943. Eleven days later, we landed in Belfast, Ireland.   After orientations on the local customs, physical training to restore muscles lost during the sea voyage, and weapons firing, we moved to Nottingham, England.

Nottingham was an attractive city. It had ample pubs, nice people, and an exciting history. However, we trained night and day preparing for com-bat somewhere in Europe. 

In early June 1944, we moved to an airport, and completed preparations for entry into combat.

We spent many hours studying sand tables, mockups and maps, but no one knew where we would land in Europe.

After we were in our C-47 aircraft, we were told the objective was in Normandy.”  

After fighting off German attacks in “Hells Half Acre,” O.B. Hill joined up with 508^th PIR troops. On June 13, 1944 he was wounded and evacuated to England. He rejoined Hq1 in December 1944 at Sissonne, France. His joyful reunion with comrades was brief.

On December 17, the regiment was alerted to confront a massive Ger-man force moving swiftly though the Ardennes aimed at capturing the English Channel ports.

Early on December 18, Hq1 loaded into open trucks for a terribly long cold ride to Werbomont, Belgium. 

During an attack, January 26, O.B Hill was again wounded and evacuated. He returned to Hq1 in Heddernheim, Germany. The 508^th PIR was assigned occupation duty as security forces and honor guards for General Eisenhower’s headquarters in nearby Frankfurt. 

In August 1945, O.B. Hill bid an emotional farewell to his comrades and started home. He was separated from the Army in September and joined his family in Southern Indiana.

O. B. immediately enrolled in the University of Evansville and graduated in 1950 with a degree in Accounting and Business Management. For the next two years, he worked for the Internal Revenue Service and then ent-ered private industry as an accountant.

In January 1979, while working for the Hughes Aircraft Company, in El Segundo, California, O.B. had a severe heart attack and survived his first triple bypass surgery.