THE STORY TAKES PLACE ABOUT SOME TIME AFTER I WAS ASSIGNED THE CO. "E" 9TH. INFANTRY. A BATTALION OF RANGERS HAD TAKEN OVER HALF OF THIS PARTICULAR TOWN WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT AND MY COMPANY WAS TO SECURE IT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY WHEN THERE WOULD BE AN ALL OUT FIGHT TO GET THE REMAINDER OF THE TOWN.
NOW ONE MUST REALIZE THAT I WAS FROM AN ARTILLERY UNIT IN THE PACIFIC AND GROUND COMBAT WITH AND ENEMY WAS QUITE NEW TO ME.
WE HAD TAKEN OVER AN ABANDONED ENEMY POSITIONS AND I WAS TO SET UP MY MACHINE GUN IN THIS PARTICULAR ONE. THE EMPLACEMENT WAS VERY GOOD AS THE MOUND OF DIRT AND ROCK WHERE I POSITIONED MY GUN MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO TRAVERSE THE GUN 360 DEGREES. I SET THE GUN UP AND SECURED MYSELF FOR WHAT WAS TO COME. HEADING IN THE DIRECTION OF WHERE THE REST OF THE COMPANY WAS I HAD A CLEAR FIELD OF FIRE EXCEPT FOR A LONG ROW OF LARGE VINES TO MY LEFT. OTHER THAN THAT MY VISION WAS FAIRLY CLEAR.. IT WAS GETTING DARK AND ALSO IT STARTED TO RAIN QUITE HARD.
NOW BEFORE I GET AHEAD OF MY STORY THERE IS SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO EXPLAIN. USUALLY A PERSON WOULD GET TWO HOURS ON THE GUN AND FOUR HOURS OFF. AND ALSO THERE WOULD BE TWO MEN IN THE GUN. BUT COMPANY STRENGTH WAS DOWN AND I WAS ALONG THIS PARTICULAR EVENING. WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT THE SEASONED MEN KNOWING FULL WELL THAT I WAS NEW AND SCARED HALF OUT OF MY MIND FORGOT ABOUT THE TWO HOURS ON AND FOUR OFF. WELL HELL, THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME GOING TO SLEEP. THIS WAS TO BE MY FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T REALIZE IT AT THE TIME.
I HAD A 45 AUTOMATIC ON MY HIP AND A LIGHT MACHINE GUN WITH 150 ROUNDS TO PROTECT THE COMPANY AND MYSELF..
WELL AS THE NIGHT GREW ON IT SEEMED THAT EVERY RAIN DROP WAS A GERMAN SLIPPING UP ON ME. I LOST TRACK OF TIME AT THIS POINT. I STARTED WALKING IN CIRCLES TURNING THE GUN AS I MOVED, THIS SEEMED LIKE THE THING TO DO. THEN I THOUGHT WHAT IF I'M FACING THE WRONG WAY WITH THE GUN IF SOMEONE WAS TO SLIP UP ON ME. BY THIS TIME I WAS A NERVOUS WRECK, BUT ALERT AS HELL. WHO THE HELL WOULDN'T BE IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS ONE. SO I REMOVED THE 45 FROM THE HOLSTER AND AS I WALKED IN THIS SLOW CIRCLE I HAD THE 45 KIND OF POINTING BEHIND ME. THIS SOUNDS QUITE CRAZY BUT THE SECURITY OF THE COMPANY AND OF MY REAR END WAS IMPORTANT TO ME AT THIS TIME.
THE RAIN WAS STILL COMING DOWN AND IT WAS PAST THE TIME FOR MY RELIEF. WAY PAST AS I FOUND OUT LATER. WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I CAUGHT THE GLIMPSE OF A FIGURE COMING TOWARD ME FROM THE DIRECTION ON WHERE THE COMPANY WAS. I THOUGHT FINALLY A RELIEF. TO BE SAFE I HAD THE MACHINE GUN POINTING AT HIM AND ALSO THE 45 AUTOMATIC.
AS HE APPROACHED ME AND AS I WAS GOING TO CHALLENGE HIM FOR THE PASSWORD. HE SPOKE FIRST. IN GERMAN, I GUESS HE WAS EITHER LAST OR COMING OUT TO THIS POSITION TO RELIEVE THE GERMAN THAT HAD BEEN ON THE GUN BEFORE OUR RANGERS TOOK IT OVER.
WELL I'LL TELL YOU I ALMOST FROZE THIS BEING MY FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY AND JUST POSSIBLY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER BECAUSE I CUT LOOSE WITH THE MACHINE GUN AND WITH THE 45 AUTO. OF COURSE THE GERMAN WENT DOWN AND WELL HE SHOULD HAVE AFTER ME FIRING SEVEN OUT OF THE 45 AND 150 OUT OF THE MACHINE GUN. I JUST COULDN'T LET OFF ON THE TRIGGER.
VERY SHORTLY HALF THE COMPANY TURNED OUT THINKING THAT THE BULGE HAD STARTED ALL OVER.
WHEN THE TURMOIL HAD SUBSIDED IT WAS JUST ONE LONE GERMAN AS I MENTIONED BEFORE AND HE WAS LOST. THE CAPTAIN CALLED MY OVER AND AT THE MOMENT ALL I THOUGHT OF WAS PRAISE BUT I WAS WRONG. WITH ALL THAT FIRING I HAD HIT THE GERMAN ONCE IN THE LEG JUST BELOW THE KNEE. I MUST HAVE HIT HIM WITH THE FIRST SHOT OUT OF MY 45 AUTO AND KNOCKED HIM DOWN AND THE REST OF THE SHOTS EITHER WENT WILD OR OVER HIS HEAD.
WELL AFTER THAT WHEN THEY NEEDED SOMEONE WITH A MACHINE GUN WHO DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD CALL.. OLD DEAD EYE. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT I WOULD HAVE EVER BEEN ABLE TO LIVE THAT DOWN. ALTHOUGH AS TIME WENT ON I WASN'T THE ONLY TRIGGER HAPPY ONE IN THE COMPANY. COMBAT DOES SOME VERY FUNNY THINGS TO A HUMAN BEING WHEN STRESS COMES INTO PLAY. THAT NIGHT I BECAME A BETTER INFANTRY MAN EVEN WITH ALL THE RAZZING I HAD TO PUT UP WITH AFTER THAT. THEY SAY LIVE AND LEARN AND I BELIEVE IT. SOME OF THE UNLUCKY ONES DIDN'T DO SO WELL. A HELL OF A LOT OF IT IS NOT BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.