American Valor Quarterly Issue 12 - Spring 2015 | Page 30

every president and secretary has been
bombarded with eye witness statements
saying, “You have to give this guy
his rightful medal.” But that hasn’t
happened and it’s probably been too
long for that to happen. I don’t know.
After taking Herresbach, we pushed
through Germany and faced very little
resistance. The farther we advanced
into Germany, the more the Germans
seemed to be pulling back. One of the
most vivid memories I have of that
part of the campaign came was when
we discovered the Wöbbelin death
camp. As I led H Company during our
operation, I remember coming across
barbed wire and then seeing the mass
of skinny men. We approached the gate,
and blew off the lock, astonished by
what we saw. There were dead bodies
everywhere. Those that were conscious

seemed barely alive. I don’t remember
seeing anyone who weighed more than
65 pounds. It was terrible to witness,
and it was there that I finally realized
the greater cause we had been fighting
for. After seeing Wöbbelin, I fully
realized what our mission was all about.
We had to destroy the monstrosities
brought on by the Nazis before they
engulfed freedom loving people
everywhere.
It was shortly after the liberation
of Wöbbelin that the Germans
surrendered. The war was over in
Europe. Eventually, we made our way
into Berlin, where the city was occupied
by four nations: France, the United
States, Great Britain, and Russia. Our
section of the city bordered with the
Russians, and as company commander,
I spent quite a bit of time with them.

Although the Cold War wasn’t too
far away, we had a common enemy
in WWII that brought us together.
The Russians were our brothers in
arms. In December, 1945, they finally
pulled us out and back to the States
and we paraded in New York City. It
was quite the scene. We marched 100
blocks down 5th Avenue in a ticker
tape parade. Mayor LaGuardia and
Governor Dewey were there with
other dignitaries to greet us. When the
party was over, I got on a train and
headed home to Wisconsin and then on
to Camp McCoy, where I signed up for
the U.S. Ar ^H