16-168 Garand Picture of the Day - 506th PIR Camp Tocca

[Bob Womack]

What is the rest of the story ?

Did not think they gave him a fair depiction in B.O.B.

It was an interview for a preservation project and he spoke at great length. He was the 506th's first battlefield commission, by the way. A funny anecdote: He really respected his first sergeant and always thought to himself, "If I could ever be as good a soldier as him I'd be a real soldier." He felt he never got there. After the war at one of the 506th reunions he was sitting in the bar with a martini and the first sergeant came up, poked him in the chest, and said, "You were an S.O.B. but you brought us home." He just turned and walked away. Shames considered that the biggest compliment he ever got. His unit suffered the least casualties of any in the 506th.

When they got to the concentration camp in the interview, he gave a couple of details, then sort of stared off into the distance. Eventually he said, "I don't want to talk about that any more."

Bob

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