Things are a lot different now than they were 60 years ago. But, if I recall correctly, if there was even one shot fired at our troops from any location, the artillery and Air Force was called in, and the area was almost devastated, but it saved a lot of American lives. Case in point, at Salerno, Sept. 1943, the Nazi's holed up in a village (Battapaglia) just about two miles in from the beach head. We suffered a lot of casualties until the Navy was called in with 16" and 12" shells. I believe Bob (Ex Pow) was also in this area.
Yours in peace,
Bernie
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Dear Herr Weiss...Here is the July 26, 1952 wedding picture to complete my contribution to PROJECT: "IT STARTED WITH A KISS"...I am, of course, the blushing groom...TSgt. Howard A. Ellis, USAir Force. (remember, I was a USArmy corporal in Berlin when I met my wife in 1949); the bride is Fraulein (now Frau) inge (Ingrid) Ilse Ellis of Konigsberg, Prussia, Germany, and of Berlin. The best man is Sgt. Nolan S. Criswell, U.S. Army Berlin Command, from Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A., and the maid of honor is his fiancee, (now Frau) Fraulein Ursula Gunther, also of Berlin. The chaplain performing our wedding rites is Major/Chaplain Melvin R. Miller, Tempelhof Air Force Base Lutheran pastor. Of course, the "document" is our Military-issued marriage certificate. Frau Ellis and I do wonder if the completed project - the entire list of participants - will be made available on the internet through the alliiertenmuseum website?
"DOC" ELLIS
Thank you again for the opportunity to participate and do extend my honors and respect to Herr Doktor Trotnow and the rest of the Alliiertenmuseum staff.
Gotta tell ya, back in the MID-1940s I was an army buck sergeant at the Pentagon dating a WAVE...first name Lena...anyhow, great gal, but every time we were on a date and I was driving to the trystin' place (just being funny again), Lena would not only tell me how to drive my 1936 Ford coupe but where to drive, when to turn, bend, cross a bridge, WHATEVER. One day we were driving to a pub on 17th Street in D.C., and I took what to her was the wrong turn...she began yelling at me, "IDIOT, this is the wrong way, DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO TURN LEFT FOR ANOTHER TWO BLOCKS...YAKITY YAKITY YAK..."
I GOT SO DARN MAD, I pulled the Ford to the curb, put it in neutral and got out..."Damn, it, woman, you don't like how I'm driving...YOU drive" and before I could get to the other side to get in, she slid over to the driver's seat and drove off IN MY CAR leaving me on the sidewalk.
Well, I took the bus back to "South Post Fort Myers" where I was billeted and the next morning when a buddy dropped me off at the Pentagon parking lot, there was my blue Ford parked in its usual space.
I checked it out and like Scotchtaped to the steering wheel was a short note..."TO HELL WITH YOU, ELLIS...and if you ever get on a ship watch your back or someone will shove you into a cargo hold from the top deck...ex-Love, Lena"
I saw her many times after that in various parts of the Pentagon but she NEVER spoke to me again. The only thing that made me happy about the whole thing...she married an Army PFC who had a "bad boy" reputation with the opposite sex...women he WASN'T married to…
LOVE THE NAVY...GOT A SON WHO'S A SEAL...AND BEEN ON MORE SHIPS THAN MOST SAILORS...troop ships of course to say nothing of the State Island ferry boat...DOC ELLIS
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Chocolate is a Vegetable
Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans.
Bean = vegetable.
Sugar is derived from either sugar cane or sugar BEETS.
Both of them are plants, in the vegetable category.
Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.
To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk,
which is dairy. So candy bars are a health food.
Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.
Remember "STRESSED" spelled backward is "DESSERTS"
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The date of the liberation of Stalag VIIa was April 29th 1945, not 1944. I wonder how many know that it was liberated a second time on May 1st, 1945, when General Patton arrived and wanted to be included for the Signal Corp photographers. The POW's didn’t complain because they got to see old Blood and Guts up close. He made a trip through the compound along with the ranking British and American POW's. I had a supply of news papers from my home town and they were appreciated by the former POW's. The men from the 14th Armored gave the former POW's items they had liberated during the war. We fed them and took them to the airport for the first leg of their trip home. That is the rest of the story.
Milton Long
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Men can read smaller print than women can;
women can hear better.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:
$6,400
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The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour:
61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse
has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th,
John Hancock and Charles Thomson.
Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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From U S Legacies Magazine
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