The following article was written by Sgt 1st Class Pam Briola, 47th Military History Detachment, 70th RSC. It appears on pages 4-5 of the 70th RSC Publication, "Three Star Final", July/August 2001.

In May, 2001, members of the 70th Infantry Division Association traveled to the Vosges Mountain villages of France to visit World War II battlefields where they fought. They've made these journeys regularly over the past 20 years. They've also made many friends who live there and welcome them as heroes who liberated their country from the oppressive clutches of Adolph Hitler's Third Reich in 1945.  

This is the second installment of my continuing series on the 70th Inf. Div. pilgrimage. I interviewed many of the veterans during the trip including Bob Hays, a private first class assigned to G Go., 274th Infantry Regiment, during World War II who was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action in activities with the 70th Inf. Div. on or about March 3, 1945. Hayes tells how he earned his Silver Star...

"We had attacked down from Krukenburg Ridge of Spicheren Heights (France), down the escarpment to the Mainz-Saarbrucken Road with the intention of taking that and proceeding into the town of Stiring-Wendel.

"As we proceeded, our first impediment was a huge tank ditch; we got across that. On the right was a building constructed of reinforced concrete that proved to be a German strong point. Our best efforts to assault the building were rebuffed. We couldn't get access to the people holed up in there, firing automatic weapons. We finally got into the first floor of the building; there was a spiral staircase to the lower floor where they were holed up and still firing. As we tried to proceed down the staircase, they'd shoot at our ankle area. "We had sent back for a flame thrower, but we were bogged down. We were getting behind in our schedule of our objective of neutralizing this German strong point.

"I noticed that there were heat waves coming out of the stovepipe going into the basement, and an infantryman is rather resourceful. It occurred to me that on this cold day, that might give us a clue. So rolling near the stovepipe on the loading dock-type arrangement on the outside, I released the pin from a hand grenade...and anticipating about four-and-a-half seconds, I counted off three...I didn't want to signal my move. Then kicking off the stove pipe and reaching in at arm's length to make sure the grenade toddled down into the pot-bellied stove which I presumed was down there, I rolled back tightly against the building. I waited for the grenade to go off and then tumbled down the stairway, firing rapidly, followed by two of my comrades. The long-and-short of it was, we were able to neutralize this strong point. There was a large store of ammunition and weapons. We took 17 prisoners, including a German officer, and we were able to proceed and catch up and not be deterred or delayed further in our mission of going up into Stiring-Wendel.

"This was the essential detail of that action. Subsequently, I was cited. The citation alludes to gallantry in action and the effect of neutralizing this German strong point and permitting the continued successful attack of Charlie Company, led by (then-Lt., subsequently commanding officer) Capt. George Blanchard.

"I was a bit puzzled though, because so many of my colleagues had done courageous and effective activities at great potential hazard to themselves. And on several other occasions most of us, myself included, had been involved in the necessity of neutralizing German machine gun nests to achieve our goals. My comment and conviction is that, essentially, all combat infantrymen are truly heroes and patriots." 

Hays was discharged soon after the war ended. He used the GI Bill to go to college and became a medical doctor, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. He is now retired and lives in Syracuse, N.Y., with his wife, Beverly.

Bob Hays and his wife Beverly during the May 2001 Pilgrimage to France. (Photo: Pam Briola)

General Orders - 274th Honor Roll