When we approached what I thought was our drop area, we came under intense antiaircraft and machinegun fire. When I left the plane, I could hear and feel bullets or shrapnel zinging past me.
I landed in a briar patch and immediately started receiving machinegun fire. While on my back, trying to get out of my parachute harness, I saw a burning C-47 coming directly at me. It passed over and crashed.
I got clear of my parachute and set out to find our equipment bundles. I quickly located our two equipment bundles. I took the light machinegun and all the ammunition that I could carry and started to leave the area, although I had no idea where I was.
Within minutes, I was challenged. My challenger was a Chaplain. He said, 'Corporal, what are we going to do?' I told him he could help me carry some of the machinegun ammunition, and we started moving in the direction where the plane had crashed and burned.
Shortly, we heard people moving on the other side of a hedgerow and I challenged them. It was Lieutenant Abbott from Hq1 with 17 men.
By daybreak, we had assembled 35 more men. A short time later, we met Captain Adams, "A" Company Commander. He had ten men with him and took command of our group directing us to proceed to Hill 30.
Prior to starting out, we were receiving machinegun fire from our right front. Lieutenant Abbott turned to me and calmly said, ‘Corporal, take two men and go knock out that machinegun’ like take, two men and fill up water cans. I picked Private James and Fairbanks. Fairbanks and I pinned the Germans down, while James destroyed the machinegun.
On the way to Hill 30, our lead scouts were killed and we were pinned down by fire. After many attempts to eject the enemy, we deployed and made radio contact with Lt. Col Shanley on Hill 30.
After several more attempts to break out of our 20 acres of real estate, the decision was made to hold our position.
For the next four days, we fought off countless night and day attacks. We even came under American artillery fire.
On the second or third day, we received an urgent radio message from Hill 30; they desperately needed blood plasma. We had recovered some medical supply bundles and had the plasma. Captain Adams asked for volunteers to take the plasma to Hill 30. 1st Lieutenant Roy Murray, Corporal Green, and Private First Class Circelli from Hq1 volunteered. They strapped blood plasma pouches to their bodies and during the night left our completely surrounded area. They did not get through to Hill 30.
Lieutenant Murray (508) was killed. Corporal Green (unit unknown) was found in a hedgerow a week later completely dazed from the effects of a concussion grenade. | 
