THEY STILL REMEMBER THAT SCENE
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While waiting for his departure flight from Dallas he popped outside . As usual he was wearing a hat displaying his pride at having been a trooper it bears among other things an 82nd Airborne Division patch.
He hears someone yell "attention" and notes three elderly gentlemen 70 to 80 years of age saluting him. He returns their salute and they ask if he had been in the glider unit and he tells them that was a little before his time. They tell him they had all been bomber pilots and had flown missions before and after D-Day and said they would always remember all the wrecked gliders and parachutes scattered around on the ground, in the ocean,in trees, and so on. They said that the 82nd was a mighty fine outfit and had done their job but taken a hell of a lot of casualties from what they had seen as they flew over the battlefield.
Jerry thanked them for their service in WWII and their regard for our old unit the proud 82nd Airborne Division and just before he left he came to attention and saluted them and wished them well.
BAUMHOLDER-LAND OF FUN AND GAMES
Oh, the joy of Baumholder training facility. The only place where an infantryman dug his foxhole by marking an X on the ground. We gun jeeps made three X's (just Kidding). But ask the troops who were there the ground was too hard to dig so we made X,s to designate our holes.
And lovely Bad Kreuznach, where the lemonade flowed and the frauleins looked like Patton tanks that is if you ever got there.
Once me and Becker were given a light thirty caliber machine gun dropped off at the side of a hill and told to expect a patrol some during the night. Naturally the army drops us off around 1700 hours and the guys who are running squad tests won't be around til 0latehundred or so.
Anyway we discover the hill is actually a blown pillbox from WWII days. There is what seems to be a small wood 700 yards away so we explore that and find out that it surrounds what was once a Jewish cemetary.
All of the tombstones which have Hebrew writing on them were toppled or smashed and the graves were all sunken in the coffins are rotted bones all over etc.
The moon comes up and we commence talking about werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and so on.
Around 0300 there is a blood curdling scream,we two bold daring troopers have what little hair we had stand on end. Al commences blasting away with our belt of blanks. Turns out the guys on patrol were zipping along and one of them fell into one of the graves and broke his leg.
This is a true story, the only thing I'M not sure of is if it was Becker that was with me that night.
Lou Schreiner
 PILLBOX
FOUL DEED OF THE MONTH CLUB
When first I arrived in the land of my forefathers we were restricted for 2 weeks orientation. Howsoever an enterprising soon to be a good buddy named Harley Hayes a slick sleeved E-2 (oh there were many) produced for me a pass complete with the E-1/504 rubber stamped glider patch on it that made it legit.
Downtown we went with a group of troopers in search of coca cola, etc. As the coke flowed and I told my background it seemed that I was accepted. I was then told about and asked if I wanted to join The 504 Foul Deed Of The Month Club. Not wishing to be boorish I joined.
The rules were that one had to do at least one foul deed monthly and then votes by the members were cast and the winner paid for no cokes on payday.
No names will I divulge which will become obvious dear reader. Some of the milder deeds were; portion of one's anatomy and the nozzle on someones air matress, a picture of someone's sisters posted on the company buletin board next to the guard roster with an attached condom, someone's false teeth and a portion of someone's anatomy, and an oil painting of a guys fiance, that had the O,s from someones name tag glued over her eyes suggeting glasses.
You get the idea dear friends. After a time the officers who are known for no sense of humor put the kibosh on this due to an armed forces network dedication of the song Dance With Me Henry for a hospitalized 504 officer. I can say no more about the foregoing since to divulge more would not be fair to the troops involved.
Ah yes the officers. Can you name the company commander who went AWOL one weekend with his maid leaving behind his family shortly after a brillaint speech by the battlegroup commander about being sick and tired of Delinquency Reports, AWOLs and the like.
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Lou Schreiner
HARLEY HAYES
THE MAJOR CAME CALLING
Once upon a time, while standing guard at a forested road in the Tannes mountains,at the usual odark hundred hours, I was scared out of my wits by a cuckoo bird (even though I was aware of them they always startled me).
Along comes a major who was an umpire for our war games from the 1/505. Asks if I have a range card;I show him; Asks if 106mm is clean? Yessir! He opens breech observes two quarts of cognac (used to oil gun), two large loaves of black bread, some bratwurst and a jar of mustard (used for simulated loading of weapon). Says gun needs oil trooper. We use a half quart of our oil. He leaves. I wake up Woof Whittle to pull guard he smells oil on me; We commence to oil gun and simulate firing with bread, wurst etc. Pappy Wise gets up to answer natures call helps us oiling and loading. Stay up all night.
Cunningham wakes up in morning is highly annoyed he missed out on our weapons cleaning and action drills. All is forgiven when me and Woof go for more oil and ammo.
Lou Schreiner
 WOOF WHITTLE
THE FRENCH MORROCANS VISIT US
During an administrative break during Operation Wintershield, the company is flaked out catching up on hard earned z's. Me and some troops from the mortar section were shooting the breeze by my gun jeep by the usual crossroads.
Around 0300 we here squish, squish, turns out to be a company or so of French Morocan troops marching along looking frozen to death since they seemed to be wearing khakis. When they come abreast of our company mess truck apparently starving while freezing they launch an impromtu attack to get our rations.
Shields and his merry band of cooks counterattacks he with a cleaver, our troops awaken and take up the defense. The Frenchies beat a retreat as they run past my position, I am happy to report one of them ran into the butt of my trusty garand. A trooper I shall not name ( some of you may know who it was) stuck about two inches of his bayonet in some frog butt. Tremendous scream from said Morrocan. Our guys had a good laugh, aside from some minor abrasions all were well.
Lou Schreiner
THE KRAUT SAD SACK SOLDIER
Shortly after the Morrocans visited us during Wintershield same guys by gun jeep hear squish, squish, squish. We sound the alert figuring Froggies returning. Bayonets are fixed, entrenching tools grabbed and so forth.
But instead of the Frogs it is German Soldaten.
Their C.O. stops and asks us where we are on the map he has in his hand. We refer him to our C.O. who is a little further up the road.
But.......As he stopped his column of troops to chat with us, administrative break or not his troops take up prone posistions in the mud aiming their guns at their respective sides of the road. Except one who remains in roadway standing up. Kraut NCO chews him out, he must give wrong answer. Sgt. bends his submachine gun over his head. He crumples they march off. We call medics, they put him on stretcher and load him in a jeep take to field hospital. Tell us he had a severe concussion when they come back.
Lou Schreiner
TAKEN PRISONER BY EAST GERMANS
A young trooper (not me) who must remain nameless (hint he and I had drawn up a formal declaration of war witnessed by several other troopers signatures- We would attack each other all over the place except when sleeping or in chow line...We also signed a formal truce after various minor injuries months later) went down town shortly after his arrival in Germany.
He was coerced into partaking of numerous beers and that potent steinhager that came in clay bottles. Wending his way back to post he inadverntently arrived at the supply depot which at the time was guarded by Krauts. While sneaking in (he thought it was past bed check he was captured by the guards. He speaking no deutsch and they no english call for the M.P.s, they take him into custody and call the O.D. He did not know the O.D. since he was a new Lt. Recalling his orientation he only would give name, rank and serial number for he was convinced he had crossed into East Germany. Having been told of the wily Russians and East Germans he initially thought the M.P. jeep and O.D. were an elaborate hoax to fool him into revealing military information.
All except him had a good laugh no punishment since he had stood up as a trooper should.
Lou Schreiner
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