大象传媒

The following story appears courtesy of and with thanks to Harold F Plank and James D Plank.

Time went on, but finally the USS Bienville docked in Oslo Harbor, our troops were put aboard, and we sailed away on October 16th. We let some British troops off in Southampton, England, and then left the next day and started out through the English Channel into the Atlantic Ocean. We ran into a very severe storm; but we were too far out to go back and take shelter in some harbor, so we rode it out. I believed I was on my way home, so I wasn鈥檛 too concerned about it.

Finally on October 31st, we landed in Boston harbor and were taken to Camp Miles Standish. There we got rid of some of the equipment, and we were sent by train to Indiantown Gap. We went through a lot of paperwork and were finally discharged on November 7th, after which I went to Harrisburg and took a train to Williamsport.

My honorable discharge shows that I was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal (if you can believe that), Distinguished Unit Badge, Combat Infantry Badge, Europe African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with six bronze stars and bronze arrowhead, and World War II Victory Medal. The six bronze stars represent various battles and campaigns. They were Sicily, Normandy, northern France, Rhineland, and Ardennes, Central Europe.

On the train ride to Williamsport, I was talking with some civilians; and one fellow asked me where I was going. I told him, 鈥淭he Wellsboro area.鈥� Well, he was a salesman headed for Wellsboro, so if I wanted to, I could ride with him from Williamsport to Wellsboro. That was really a godsend, and so I made it into Wellsboro probably around 11:00 at night; and he let me off on the corner by the red light, where the Wellsboro Diner is now. I walked down the sidewalk a little ways toward where Dunkin Donuts is now, and there I sat my duffle bag down and stood there wondering what in the world I was going to do next. I hadn鈥檛 been there too long, when a car pulled up, and the driver said, 鈥淲here are you headed, soldier?鈥� I said 鈥淚鈥檇 like to get to Westfield.鈥� He said, 鈥淲ell, we鈥檙e from Elkland and didn鈥檛 intend to go that way, but we can just as well.鈥� He said 鈥淐limb in,鈥� and I told him after I got in that I lived between Little Marsh and Westfield and that was OK by him. It was election night, and the driver had taken election returns from Elkland to Wellsboro, and they were now on the way back home. I tried to get him to let me out at the mouth of the road that goes up to where my folks鈥� place was, but he wouldn鈥檛 have anything of that. He took me right up and parked me in the driveway at home, then left.

I took my bag and got onto the front porch, and I could hear a dog in the house just a 鈥測ippin鈥欌�� and 鈥測appin鈥欌�� away. I didn鈥檛 know what kind of a dog it was, but I tried the doorknob and it opened. I found the light switch and turned the lights on; and it was only minutes until footsteps were galloping down the steps from the sleeping quarters overhead. My sisters, Margie and Eileen, and my Mom and Dad come 鈥渁 barreling鈥� down the steps to greet me. It was after midnight at that time, but I don鈥檛 think we did anymore sleeping. It was the first time in two-and-a-half years we鈥檇 been together. It was quite a homecoming! I think we just sat there and drank coffee and visited. I do remember the next day getting my picture taken outside with my parents. Margie, knowing that I would be home soon, had gotten my old 鈥�32 Chevy out and shined it up and had it all ready to go.

From there on, I was home. Praise the Lord!

'This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by 大象传媒 Radio Merseyside鈥檚 People鈥檚 War team on behalf of the author and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

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