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FULL STORY
I joined the Army because my older brother was already in the service and all the guys I was friends with had either enlisted or were drafted. I was only 18 ½ years old and enlisted leaving my studies at Rutgers University. There are a number of memories of World War II that stay with me but the most vivid occurred when after landing in France on Omaha Beach a few weeks after D-Day, our division, the Tenth Armored Division was ordered to move out and go directly into battle with the enemy. We were ordered by General Patton to go directly into battle after Paris had been freed. We went though Alsace Lorraine into the Rhineland, where the main defensive line, the Siegfried Line, of the Germans was located.
I was pleased that I had been working with a Lt. Harrison who had come with a battlefield promotion from the Pacific. He treated me well and requested that I serve as his scout and operate out of his vehicle. At this time I had been ordered to join Lt. Harrison in the lead halftrack following three Sherman tanks and attack the Siegfried Line. As we started down a hill we saw the German line of defense in front of us. We were immediately placed under fire by the German 88’s and machine gunfire. The three tanks were stopped by the heavy fire and since we were the first halftrack in the column we were also under heavy fire. Our Lt. Harrison was riding in the front part of the halftrack and when he saw what was taking place he stood up to order the ten men in the track to dismount and at this time our half track was hit on the right front fender by a “88” which instantly killed Lt. Harrison. All the other men in our track except for me and one other soldier were also killed. I fell to the floor of the track and crawled out of the back and landed in a depression on the side of the road. I lay there until the shooting stopped and then ran up the hill to join the rest of our company. One other man also survived the attack. I ran up the hill and found our company digging foxholes. The men in my company thought I had been killed when they saw me miraculously appear on the hill.
After the war I went back to Rutgers University, changed my major from engineering to biological sciences. I then went to Columbia University and studied dentistry. I graduated in 1951, married Pearl Goldsmith in 1952 and had one daughter Janice Selinger
and a son-in-law Martin Kline. I now have two grandchildren, Howard and Lesley Kline.
- American Campaign Medal
- European Campaign Medal with three battle starts including Alsace Lorraine, The Rhineland and Central Germany
- Bronze Star—awarded to combat infantryman after participating in three battles and helping to pull two friends to safety after they were overcome in battle.
- Battle of the Bulge Medal—awarded after taking part in the Battle which ended with the German Army being beaten and forced to retreat to Germany
- Combat Infantryman Badge—awarded after taking part in fighting German Infantry in France, Luxembourg and Germany
- Army of Occupation Medal –In the Bavarian Alps after V-E day from May 8th 1945 to August 1945
- State of New Jersey Distinguished Military Service Medal awarded as recognition of Distinguished Service in the Army
- Victory WWII Medal—awarded after the war ended
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