I know that our 1st Battalion casualties were very large on Dec. 16, 1944. I know for a fact that most of the heavy weapons people of Company D were either wounded or killed. The few who were left withdrew about noon or a little later.

     As company aid man I stayed behind. I remember that Sgt. John Enlow's machine gun squad was very short on ammo that morning. After they left I met up with Tom Cleary, another medic. So Cleary and myself were under the command of Sgt. Newman.

     The three of us along with a couple of other boys from Sgt. Newman's platoon looked after several wounded and remained in a hut at the front line for about three days. Of course we were surrounded on all sides.

     Finally Sgt. Newman, who was wounded, told Cleary and I to take some of the walking wounded back. We started out in what we thought was the direction to Krinkelt. On the way were numerous artillery time fire shots.

     As everyone knows the snow was very deep. We had to stay on the road as much as possible. We made Krinkelt just as the last of our boys were getting out of town. Tom Cleary and some of the walking wounded were captured. The rest of us lucked out.

     I finally got into Elsenborn and ran into our regimental aid station. The first person I saw was Major Cole, regimental surgeon. The regiment got replacements and was in numerous skirmishes - capturing many German soldiers later in the Ruhr Pocket.

     Sorry we didn't have more people to donate information for the book. I thought Dr. Tobias had written enough to fill a book. I checked out the casualties in the back of the book and didn't recognize many names.

     I joined the 99th Div. 393rd Regiment 1st Bn. medical detachment in December 1942, so I knew most of the original people. Of course in Camp Maxey so many of the originals were transferred out before the ASTP boys came in. I was on special assignment at O'Reilly General Hospital in Springfield MO, for three months at the time the changes were made so when I came back a lot of the boys were new. We even had a new battalion surgeon, Capt. E. Bauer, and his assistant Lt. R. Tobias. Both of them are still kicking around.

     So now the bulk of the originals are gone. We read our books, take trips, and remember. Sure would be nice to have a reunion of all those boys from 1942 Camp Van Dorn MS.