<Begin Segment 31>

TI: So let's, let's talk about your first experience with battle.

VW: Okay. Well, I remember we were... from Rome, well, in Rome, I was in a courtyard. And there were tens of dozens of other GIs there, along with maybe some of our guys. And I wondered what they were doing in the courtyard of the Vatican. And there was the Sistine Chapel right there, and then I'm wondering what people were doing there. And they didn't know... nobody seemed to know exactly what was gonna happen. And then pretty soon, out on the balcony came Pope Pius XII. And he blessed, and held out his hand. I felt pretty good about that, although I'm not Catholic, but I felt pretty good about that. He blessed us before we went into battle. And so that was rather significant, I thought. Pope Pius XII.

TI: And when you said you felt pretty good about that, I mean, did you feel anything spiritual?

VW: Spiritually, yes. Yeah. And it just seemed like, you know, that would help if we ever got into a bad situation, and which it did. I can't say that that was the purpose of it, but being close to God is always, I think, pretty important. I don't care where you are or what you were doing, it's important.

TI: Good.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.