<Begin Segment 22>

TI: So eventually the training for the 442 finished.

FS: Yeah, we, yeah, we, you know, again, the new guys were integrated into the, into the regular rifle companies, and then we went on, we went on winter maneuvers in the Mississippi swamps. Then we were, I guess I can recall we, we had a review, major review, and George Marshall came down and reviewed the unit.

TI: So this is General George Marshall?

FS: General George C. Marshall, yeah, you know, the head honcho at the time. And he, that meant that we were ready to go.

TI: Now, this is curious. Was it, was it normal for General George C. Marshall to review the troops or inspect the troops before they would go overseas?

FS: No. George Marshall, from what understand, had a special interest in the 442. He was one of the people who were responsible for the unit being, forming, being formed, and that's my understanding. And you'll have to talk to a historian about that, but it was my understanding, and that was the reason he was down there. Big, tall man, stood head, he was a head, head taller then all us guys, but he was a very impressive-looking guy, 'cause I remember he walked down between the companies and looked at everybody. And the story was that was the kiss of death, we were going to go overseas. And so that was the, I think that was the thing, we'd completed our training.

TI: And do you recall the feeling you had when you were all assembled? You have probably spit-and-polished...

FS: Oh, our class-A uniforms, you know, or whatever they called 'em. [Laughs]

TI: And the, the top general coming to see you. How, how did that feel for you guys?

FS: Well, you know, I, I don't know whether I was impressed or not, but I, I think so. Because you see, everybody knew who George Marshall was, and I think we were impressed. As I recall, somebody said, "Hey, that's the kiss of death. We're going." And sure enough...

TI: So you guys passed review, so you guys, so what happened next?

FS: Yeah, we're... so then -- and I'm trying, let me get the sequence. I was in, in the 1st Battalion, that's A Company, and the 100th Battalion was already overseas fighting down at Cassino. So what they did was they broke up all the companies in (the 1st Battalion) until we were all assigned to, to either the 2nd or 3rd Battalion.

TI: Right. So all the, all the companies in the 1st Battalion were broken up.

FS: A, B, C and D. A, B, C and D were rifle companies. (Narr. note: D was a heavy weapons company).

TI: And some of them were, I think, were left in Mississippi to train.

FS: Yeah, they selected a certain number of cadre to, to stay on and train the, train the new, the draftees in. So I was assigned to K Company, and several of us from A Company went into K Company, and others went all over. So actually, I was not an original member of K Company. I was original to go overseas, but I was, yeah. So we were just randomly assigned to different hutments and different, different platoons at that time.

TI: And during basic training, you were, you were trained as a, a rifleman?

FS: Yes. I was trained as a rifleman.

TI: And then when you went to K Company, you were assigned to be a rifleman, or something else?

FS: Well, I started out being a bazooka man in A Company. And then I was assigned, assigned first of all to a rifle company, and then they needed an ammo carrier in the, in weapons platoon, so I went to the weapons platoon. And I was, for a while I was kind of a float. I was, I worked as a runner for one of the, overseas, I worked as a runner for the, the platoon leader, the officer, and then about two days after, after we were in combat, I went to the, to the mortar section and I stayed with the mortar section for the balance of the war.

TI: Good.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.