A JUMP STORY

By the bye one of the troops asked during the Berlin wall crisis how come we weren't going by truck to reinforce the garrison there instead of the legs? 1st Sgt. Doty said,"That's because they want to prevent a war not start one."
My first jump with the 504 was a night jump in Sept. 1960 out of the old paratroopers favorite the C-119. After that jump those planes were sent back stateside. I landed in a honey pit and on the ride back to Mainz, I had the back of a deuce and a half all to myself. Talk about smelling ripe.
Lou Schreiner

ANOTHER JUMP STORY

After an especiaaly heavy frost "B" Co. 1/504 made a night drop, the DZ being a large sugar beet field. Quite a few guys were busted up and rumors flew hot and heavy that it was up to 50% of them. Never found out how many it really was but it was a lot of guys.
For the uninformed between the frost, frozen sugar beets and plowed furrows it was like concrete.
We in "E" Co. jumped the following morning into the field and a lot of us were a little nervous to say the least.
As I was coming in a sargent was yelling up no sweat it's thawed out.
Paying him no mind I landed on the back of a fellow trooper whose name I forget. Luckily neither of us was hurt and I had to stand him quite a few beers back in Mainz.
I always kidded him that he was the softest PLF I ever made.
Lou Schreiner again

Pappy Wise flies

Ah, those were the days. Once upon a time the "E" Co. gun jeep went on manuevers. For some reason the crew consisted of me, Dave "Woof" Whittle, and Sgts. Bob Cunningham and Bob "Pappy" Wise.
Pappy was nicknamed by PFC Albin of Texas.
Sgt. Cunningham decided he was the driver and Pappy was riding shotgun. Me and Woofer were the loader and gunner riding the back of the jeep.
We come to a huge mud hole with what looked like a small pond in the center. The 3/4 ton trucks (mortar men) had bypassed this lake by climbing and embankment to the right of the hole.
Bob commences to do the same. Alas and alack, oh rue the day, for the jeep immediately decides to flip over to the left which is the drivers side. Me and Woof immediately do hasty PLF,s to the rear,and as we do so we see Pappy holding tightly to the seat which has become detached from the jeep and he flies through the air about five feet high and six feetthrough the air landing on his head which in retrospect was good. If you read this "Pappy" I am only joking. You were a great squad leader.
At the same time we observe Bob is nowhere to be seen. We hastily gathered troops and righted the gun jeep expecting to find Cunningham crushed to death. However, he had always been in gun jeeps and when the jeep flipped he was smart enough to duck under the gun and was therefore fine and dandy, just embarassed for flipping the jeep.
Naturaly the old man wanted to know why he was driving in the first place. Figures.
Lou Schreiner

I'm N.C.O. Material-Oh boyohboyohboy--Oh
must admit that I fell out on several p.t. runs,once due to a turned ankle,went on profile due to it,and several times due to an overindulengce of Demon Rum and his allies.
One fine day in May or June of 62, we went for a run, quite a distance as I recall, being led by a Sgt. who was the son of a race horse I think. Anyway people start dropping out, some of my pals and quite a few replacements which was understandable(30 days leave at home,then this intro to 504). Then I drop out due to throwing up a vile mix of wine,beer and cognac (known better to us troopers as Yak).
One of my buddies says hey you're a speedy four now aintcha. Me yeah so what.He well I think you are the ranking man why don't we check and if you are run us all in maybe we won't get our b- lls broken so much if we do so. We check (remember all those slick sleeves I've mentioned and these new guys were all P.F.C.s. So I get a column of ducks, in we go, shouting all that airborne stuff. New C.O. and top shirt are awaiting us (don't remember their names). I halt the troops throw the old man a highball and before I can say a word, he says, good work Sgt. rounding up these stragglers, what's your name. I say speedy 4 Schreiner. He, says good job that's initiative on your part, you'll make a good Sgt. someday. How long you in for. I tell him til August though I'm not sure (may owe bad time remember stockade tale)? Notice first shirt barely able to keep from laughing. Capt. says dismiss your men. Do so, stagger up stairs ready to puke again, visualizing 3 stripes, taking a burst of 6. Get a grip on myself, get to go home in August afterall.
Louie

Normandy - - - Omaha Beach
As a child I had always been a lover of all things military, and often unseen, listened in on my departed dad and his WWII buddies,talking about their experiences. I took a 3 day pass, went down to where they had been. Stood on Omaha Beach, looked out across the channel, it was relatively calm that day. Looked up and down the beach, imagining the 1st (Bloody Red One) and the 29th and all the rest in their landing craft. Climbed the cliff where the rangers went. Later inland where the troopers jumped. Saw Ste. Mere Egleise thought about the trooper who had hung up on the church and the dead men in their chutes dangling in the trees. Thought of those who got sucked into the fire in the town and died as their explosives went off. Strolled that cemetary in my uniform and saluted them all and cried as I did so. The sons, brothers, fathers,husbands, lovers and thought of what they might have been had they lived or the children they never sired. Most of them averaged 5 or 6 years older than I was as I stood there that day. I always try to remember them all on 6 June of each year, and so should you, we owe it to them. If not for those guys lying there and those who returned home we might all be speaking German, Italian, and Japanese. I like to think that maybe they have a special niche somewhere sort of a Valhalla and as they await their buddies who are going west at something like a thousand a day now, maybe they are listening to Glenn Miller and all that swing music.
If you know a WWII vet, go shake his hand, I know a lot of them though the numbers are dwindling every day, shake his hand, tell him thanks, and ask him to tell you his story of his youth and his buddies. You won't be sorry you asked.
Lou Schreiner

Jerry Ray Reminded Me The Ruins We Saw

This tale even though I remember it like yesterday belongs to Jerry Ray, my 504 buddy.
We had jumped somewhere on a plain in the middle of nowhere, ran a small exercise and then were taking it easy at the base of a hill. A lot of us climbed that hill cause as you know troopers are a nosey lot and we were often trodding the ground where our forbears had fought. I remember many times we were in and around parts of what once was the Siegfried Line and those dragons teeth and blown pill boxes were mind boggling when we thought of the guys that took them.
Anyway atop this hill were some ruins several hundred years old. We could see 15-20 miles all around us that's how flat the land was. A storm blew up, thunder, lightening, then sleet and hail then snow. A lot of us I think thought of what awesome power and beauty the Good Lord displayed that day.
Several of us also pondered the hard work toting those big rocks up that hill from who knows where and what became of them and whether their work was destroyed by a war or maybe neglect. Lots of history to be learned in Europe as well as in our GREAT COUNTRY if you take the time to look.
The town we were stationed in had celebrated it's 2000th year while we were there. I still have the plastic pin they were giving out commemerating this event. Case you don't know what I mean about history in our land go to Gettysburg, Antietam, Lookout Mountain, Valley Forge and a host of others. You may get a lump in your throat and have to cough, if you don't then I guess you will never know what made this country what it is.
Lou Schreiner

Airborne Willie "Entrepreneur Extraordinare"

This is another one that Jerry reminded me of, so the credit is his, I am merely typing it. Jerry says I type better than him (flattery will get you everywhere buddy). But I can close my eyes and see Willie as he was way back when.
Airborne Willie was another one of those stout (as in brave) troopers we knew. He was constantly volunteering for K.P. We loved him for it because we all hated pulling that duty. There was a method to Willie's madness though, you see he would requisition his sandwich building supplies. He would stand outside the gate or somewhere in the barracks and sell us all sandwiches at a fair price to help settle our coke laden stomachs as we returned from the various surrounding town ice cream parlors. God Bless Willie, Jerry and I hope you continued your great sense of business, buying low and selling high and made a million dollars. You deserve it old buddy.
The ham and cheese was good but UGH that damned horsec - - k. Bah. If you ever pop up around here or down by Jerry stop by we will pour you a coke and make you a sandwich and you won't have to pay.
Lou Schreiner
HOLLAND

I took a leave and went to Holland, spent the first two days in Amsterdam in civies. Then I put my uniform on and went up to Eindhoven and Nijmegen, and looked at that bridge that was too far. Peered into the depths of the Mass Waal River too. Thought of the troopers from the 101st, 82nd,British 1st Airborne Division I believe they were, and the Polish brigade. I said a silent prayer for all of those guys that fell liberating Holland and remembered having heard how pi - - ed our guys were when the British tankers stopped to brew up tea while their buddies were dying at the bridge. I had been told or had read of one of the towns where three troopers were buried and that the Dutch placed fresh flowers daily on their graves. Couldn't find it else I would have told them I was there and appreciated the sacrifice they made.
The reason I wore my uniform was that I was told by an older trooper that the Dutch loved us not only for freeing them but because when the dikes broke back in the 50's the 82nd raised a large sum of relief money for them.
Well they still loved you guys in 1961. The older Dutch rarely let me buy a brew and several invited me into their homes for a meal. As I wandered those places you fought in the back of my mind, I could see and hear my dad playing his guitar while he and his comrades sang Lili Marlene in German and English. Wanted to go to Belgium, see St. Vith, Malmedy, Bastogne, and the field where the SS murdered all of those GI,s but didn"t make it.
Lou Schreiner

Jerry D. Ray & Me An Enigma How We Were

It's kind of strange whenever I think about it as to why we were and are such good buddies though we've not seen each other in years. Jerry looked for me and I for him but kept missing each other for one reason or another. He is a red neck (not really) and I am a Brooklyn lad. It may be that the Yankee and that Rebel hung out cause I came from SOUTH BROOKLYN. I was the good looking guy he is too ugly for words (not true). We had a silly routine whoever saw the other guy 1st yelled friend. The other in need. Back & forth it went, in deed, true blue pal of mine etc. The guys thought we were nuts, cause then we would follow up with a half dozen or so strong man poses. Jerry is a stand up guy (NYPD expression there). We beat a few legs downtown from time to time. He hit like a mule,which reminds me even though he was married he was secretly in love with a mule. Trys to tell me now that it was only coffee. Sure and butterflys wear tiny jump boots. I could go on & on but I am restraining myself otherwise I'll get maudlin. We hope to see one another soon because we both have bad tickers and the big jumpmaster may need us to fill out a manifest on one of his big iron birds. This makes no sense and maybe should not be on his page but I am putting it here because if you knew him when you would know that he was a paratrooper in the finest tradition. Take care pal. God Bless you and yours.
Lou Schreiner
P.S.
When he got home and when I got home we were both told we talked funny. Guess we picked up each others manners of speech and regional sounds.