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enemy fortifications and obstacles with TNT, he was routinely
called forward to help clear enemy minefields and disarm booby
traps, often exposed to enemy fire out in the open. He lost a
lot of his buddies that way and every Christmas since then
brings back sad memories. His regiment suffered heavy casualties
during their attack in the vicinity of Their-du-Mont on January
7, 1945. On February 22nd, the 508th was relieved from the front
lines and sent back to Camp Soisson where it again became of the
SHAEF reserve force while it performed maintenance and refitted.
On April 5th, the 508th was detached from the 82nd Airborne and
moved to Chartes, France in reserve. It saw no more combat for
the duration of the war in Europe which ended on May 7, 1945.
In June, the regiment relocated to Frankfurt, Germany as part of
the occupation force and served as the guard for General
Eisenhower’s SHAEF Headquarters.
Uncle Joe managed to cope with the monotonous occupation routine
by perfecting his skills with the dice and his bluffing skills
in games of poker. The 508th remained on occupation duty until
November 1946 when it deployed back to the United States.
However, because of the points he earned while overseas, Uncle
Joe was able to leave Europe early. On Dec 9, 1945, he embarked
at Marseilles, France on a troop ship, sailing through the
Straits of Gibraltar and across the Atlantic, and, after being
gone for two years, set foot on U.S. soil at Newport News VA on
December 27, 1945. He was sent by train to the Separation Center
at Camp Fannin TX and on January 3, 1946, was honorably
discharged from the Army after serving 3 years, 1 month and 3
days on active duty. He fought in four campaigns, earning the WW
II Victory Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American
Theater Campaign Medal, Europe/Africa/Mediterranean Campaign
Medal with 4 Bronze devices and I Bronze Arrowhead, the Good
Conduct Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge and France’s Croix de
Guerre. He came through the war unscathed so, no Purple Heart –
lucky him. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge on August
11, 1944 and his Parachutist Badge is adorned with two bronze
devices for two combat jumps, the two largest in the history of
warfare. And to top it all off, he received back $2,761 from his
soldier’s savings account, winnings from the poker games he
participated in during his time in service.
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