My military experience is a little different from that of most of the guys in the division.

I enlisted in Muskegon, Michigan in March, 1942. When I reported to leave, there was a sign on the door of the recruiting office, "Called to active duty, come back later." A new recruiter was assigned in April and away I went to Fort Custer, Michigan. Originally, I was supposed to go to Jefferson Barrack, for Aircraft Mechanics School. But my papers were changed to "Recruit, unassigned."

From Custer, I went straight to Orlando, Florida, and after a week, assigned to the 351st AAA Searchlight Bn.

At one time, we were told that we would be a training cadre for future battalions but that was changed in November, 1942 when a Col. Nicholson, from Washington, came to tell us that there was a hot spot having trouble and it was his opinion that our outfit could handle it. Away we went.

First stop-Camp Stewart, Georgia. Pack equipment. Get shots. Prepare for shipment overseas. Where to was anybody's guess. Next stop-Fort Dix, New Jersey. We were only there a couple of nights and then sent to Staten Island where we boarded the USS Annie Arundel, a Navy Troop ship. We had the ship all to ourselves for a couple of days before the rest of the troops were boarded.

We had had Thanksgiving in Florida, Christmas in Georgia and New Years in New Jersey.

Around January 26, 1943, we landed in Oran, Algeria in North Africa. When our gear was unloaded and ready for convoy, we headed for the Constantine area and later to Algiers. Most of the German air raids that we participated in were in port areas.

When the "Big Red 1" came back from the Tunis area they were brought into Algiers for staging, preliminary to the invasion of Sicily.

We were never transferred to that combat area although we had been assigned to the Seventh Army. We stayed in Algiers during that campaign.

Finally, we were sent back to Oran and boarded ships for Southern Italy. We landed in Salerno and waded ashore after the Engineers cleared the beaches.

We were dispersed around Naples for nine months; we couldn't move north because of the problems at Monte Casino and the beach-head at Anzio.

When the German Air Force ceased to be a problem in this area, we were transferred to a different mode. Our searchlights went to the field artillery and we provided enough light for night action that had been bogged down.

In Northern Italy near Bologna we were ordered to withdraw, turn our equipment over to another group, and return to the near-Naples area called Casserta, dubbed "Purple Heart Valley" earlier.

There, we received 15 weeks of intense Infantry training, shipped back north of Firenze, boarded LCI's and headed for France where the Battle of the Bulge was being fought. Shipped northward to Strasbourg, some of us were assigned to the 70th Division and sent to the area occupied by Service Co., 274.

There we were formed into a "Provisional J Company" and put into the line to hold while another company went to the rescue of Co. E.

After a few days Co. J was disbanded and I was assigned to I & R Section, HQ/1st Bn., 274th.

I remember when our I & R section was with an artillery position overlooking Saarbruecken. Some lone German set up a machine gun below us and fired a burst that went over our heads. He must have gotten out of there in a hurry because we went looking for him and could not find him.

After Saarbruecken, I was placed on temporary duty to interview former prisoners of the Germans. We had to determine their nationality, home country and city, etc.

During this time, we had to travel to Bn. HQ for "chow." One evening there, a sergeant was talking about where a guy would go if he were sent back to the states on rotation. I asked him about his personnel. He informed me that as I was a rookie from the States I'd have to stay a while in Europe.

I asked him to check my service record. The next day he called me at my temporary-duty station, double checked my location, and then told me to pack my bag, I was going home.

The day I headed back toward Marseilles, the Division crossed the Rhine. After a week in a place called Camp TD at Marseilles we boarded a merchant ship and discovered we were to be guards on a POW ship. We traveled to the states in a convoy. During that trip, we were notified of the death of Hitler. The young German soldiers, teenagers, did not want to believe it. They revered the man and didn't think that he could die.

Our ship docked at Newport News, Virginia three days before VE Day. On VE Day I received a 45-day R & R leave from Fort Sheridan, Illinois. This was my Dad's birthday; the timing couldn't have been better.

When I returned to Fort Sheridan following my leave, my points had been totaled and I received my discharge.

In the years since, I have become active in the American Legion. Following years of activity in the local Post and the District, I became State Commander of Michigan in 1969. In 1970, when I completed my term of office, the State Adjutant died. At that time I was asked to assume his duties. Now after slightly more than 16 years, I am planning to retire June 30, 1987. About a year ago, this office received an invitation to attend a "Change of Command Ceremony" for the 70th Division, Training. I couldn't let that pass. It was a beautiful affair. Trailblazers of WWII were officially represented that evening by Jack Apostol, F/274.

General Orders - 274th Honor Roll