The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Interviewer:
Veteran:
Interviewer:
Veteran:
{Tape stopped,
Veteran:
like you're behind a wall. When this was over, I took this gun, and the officer
that was with them, I got him, too, and I took the stars off of his shoulder. I've
got them in yonder. The Rotary had this deal the other day, and they wanted us to
bring any souvenirs that we had, so I took this.
Did you ever get hand grenades or bombs real close to you while you were in the
foxhole?
Bombs but not grenades. Just artillery.
I guess you were saying your prayers.
I was converted.
then restarted}
We were digging in-making a foxhole is what you called 'digging in.' It was
still daylight, just before dark, and a big artillery piece across the valley over
there was shooting, and he shot about three times, and he was lined up right at
his. We were right in the line of it, but we didn't think much of it, but what he
was doing with those spy glasses, he was getting us in his line, and he'd keep
dropping back. Well, after it got dark and you can't get out of your foxhole and
run, every time he would shoot, he'd see where it landed and it left a big ball of
fire and a big hole, you know. You could hear him shoot from way across the
valley---RRROOOOOOM! You'd peak up, and you were right in line, and he'd
keep dropping it the same distance every time. We were all in this big perimeter,
and from the distance the rest of them dropped, the next one was gonna drop right
on us. That's when the cold sweat started pouring. It hit so close it shook the
ground, but it didn't go off. I was in the bottom of that hole, and I said, "Lord,
I've been married six months. I need to go home." Cold sweat was pouring.
When I heard him shoot again over there, this one never had gone off, and I
thought it might have been a delayed action. If it did, it would blow the whole
hole out, you know. When the next one came in and it fell short, I was kind of
relieved, but that was a long night. When it got daylight, there was a big artillery
piece sticking in the ground out there about this deep, and it was a dud and didn't
go off.
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