OneMansCourage

November 7th
Donald's convoy left Villedieu on their way to La Ferte Mace,
France. Near St. Hillaire, they captured two escaped German
prisoners wearing American uniforms and driving a stolen truck.
The battalion covered 73.6 miles and bivouacked in La Ferte Mace,
France.

Donald's crew received new orders that they would now be moving
through Paris, France, covering 69.8 miles before setting up
bivouac in La Ferte Vidame, France.

November 9th
The battalion left La Ferte Vidame and marched through Paris,
covering 94 miles before setting up camp in Clichy-Sur-Bois,
France, two miles east of Paris.

Donald took a moment to write home.

November 10th
The battalion left Clichy Sur Bois and covered 39 miles, setting
up camp in La Ferte Jouarre, France.

November 11th
Company B left La Ferte Jouarre, covering 66 miles, and bivouacked
at Chalons, France. Their orders were changed from Fresnes-en-W to
Briey, France, and it was at this point they learned that Blood
and Guts, General George S. Patton was visiting the area of Briey.

Minnie received a letter from her son:

Dear Mother and All
I suppose you have been wondering why I haven't
written for some time. Well, it's just like this. I
really haven't had the chance to do any writing.
Instead, I have been doing a great deal of training.

Right now I am somewhere in France, thousands of
miles from Muriel, and can't see her. That's hell,
isn't it? This is very pretty country around here.
The buildings are very old. All built of stone.
What's left of things anyway. The rest of them are
all blown to hell.

The people here are very old fashioned. Still wear
wooden shoes. I sure wish I could speak French right
now so I could talk to them or at least know what
they were saying. How's everything coming around home
now? How did the grain run?

Say, did Jack ever get his furlough and get home?
Later on, I'll send you a piece of German money to
keep as a souvenir if you want. Also, I would like
you to send me a fountain pen. I guess this is about
all I have room for now, so I'll close.

Your Son,
Don

November 12th and 13th
The convoy trekked 89.5 miles from Chalons to Briey, France, where
they set up bivouac. Shortly after arriving, the men received
orders that they had 48 hours to perform all the necessary
maintenance on their tanks. This included changing all medium
tanks from steel to rubber tracks, adding flotation wedges to the
new tracks, and preparing for combat, all in the freezing rain.

Nazis taught, and strongly believed, that the one unforgivable
crime a soldier could commit would be to abandon a disabled tank,
either in attack or in defense. They must stay inside their tanks
and use their guns as long as the enemy (Allied forces) was in
range. According to German prisoners, if there's an enemy
counterattack, the tank becomes a pillbox of great strength, which
mustn't be abandoned until it's on fire or in imminent danger of
being captured, in which case it must be blown up.

The Nazis used various forms of camouflage to adapt themselves to
the snowy terrain, such as taking a piece of white cloth and
fitting it over their steel helmets. This helped blend in with the
snow. They also painted their vehicles a grey-white color with
irregular gray stripes to help blend in with the snow.

November 14th
Per orders of the 95th Infantry Division, Company B, along with HQ
Company, moved toward the vicinity of Rombas where reportedly one
division stumbled on mines, some of which were plastic and not
easily identified by their mine detectors.

The primary mission of the troops was to destroy or capture any
occupied forces in Metz, along with seizing the Metz fortresses.
Orders were to maintain aggressive radio contact within their
commands and increase the use of all available weapons in the
attack. Soldiers had to stay vigilant of
booby-traps set by the enemy. For example:

This grabbed Ed's interest because not only was he a tunnel rat in
Vietnam, he was also in demolition, and blowing things up was
right up his alley.

Ed's biggest explosion in Nam would have to be the time he was on
a search and destroy mission, somewhere along the Cambodian River.
Ed and the platoon he was supporting were deep in the jungle when
they stumbled upon a village. As they searched the hooches, they
found a tunnel and, naturally, Ed was the one ordered to
investigate it.

After he was lowered into the hole, Ed began crawling through the
tunnel. The tunnel opened up into a larger tunnel where he could
almost stand up straight. The further Ed crawled, the larger the
passages got. He came to a fork and decided to go left. It then
opened up into a huge cave.

In the cave were 55-gallon drums of gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil
for as far as the eye could see. Some of the barrels had a Shell
Oil sticker or emblem of some kind on them. Ed couldn't tell if
the barrels were actually from Shell Oil or if the VC had put the
stickers on the barrels themselves. Regardless, he was given
orders to blow it up!

Ed set his chargers, using a half-hour fuse. Then he, and the
other guys left the area real quick. Thousands of gallons of fuel
exploded into a huge mushroom cloud of flames that shot up over
the tree line. It was by far, Ed's biggest explosion.

November 15th
It was a cold, foggy, and wet morning when Company B engaged in
their first day of combat, killing or capturing many Germans. On
division orders, Company B was attached to the 378th Infantry
Regiment, supporting the attack of the Third Battalion as they
cleared the town of Semecourt.

By evening, Company B advanced south into Woippy from
Maizieres-les-Metz, meeting stiff resistance from the enemy.
Troops were exposed to heavy weaponry, bombings, tank fire, and
automatic weapon fire from low flying aircraft, also known as
strafing.

Fewer than three miles from the heart of Metz, the battle for
Woippy continued until the last German was either captured or
driven out of the town.

Company B withdrew for the night to the vicinity of Bellevue,
where they refueled and re-supplied vehicles for the next day's
combat. Throughout the night, heavy mortar and artillery fire
continued, with no casualties reported.

Col. Smith, Commander of the 8th Armored Group, praised the
battalion for their swiftness in preparing for combat in a short
period of time, stating, "It was particularly gratifying to note
that assault guns, mortars, as well as all the medium and light
tanks went into action, this despite the difficulties of terrain
in wet and muddy weather. It's believed the success of the 95th
Division attack on that day was due chiefly to the all-out tank
effort."

Donald wrote home.

November 16, 1944

Dearest Son

Got your letter asking me to get Muriel a Christmas
present. Yes, I will. By the way, have you gotten the
box I sent you? If not, I sure hope you'll get it by
Christmas. I sure sent it soon enough. The first of
October.

Tillie Kluthe has been quite sick, but is better now.
Grandpa and Dad are still picking corn and will be
for quite some time. Of course, Dad don't get out
very early on count of so many chores to do first.
But I guess we'll get through sometime. We sure have
a lot to do before winter really sets in. It's been
quite cold lately, and it looks like snow. I sure
hope not.

Well, I got a letter from Jack, but he doesn't get my
mail for some reason. He told me he wouldn't for
quite a while. Gee, I'll be glad when he does. Grace
is going to school every day. Also, Grace is learning
a piece for her Christmas program, and she sure
thinks she's big.

I sure wish and pray to God you both be home for next
Christmas. It would be the happiest day in my life. I
couldn't ask for a better Christmas present, could I?

Well, dear, I must close for now, as there's not much
space left. The best of luck and may God be with you
always.

Love,
Mother and Dad

Donald engaged Ed in a conversation about firefights and the
blood-pumping, gut-wrenching fear that a soldier experiences
during one. Ed recalled one of the scarier skirmishes he was
involved in.

"I was with an Infantry Company on a search and destroy mission
when we broke up into squads of seven, maybe ten guys. I had my
thirty pounds of C-4 and all of my blasting caps with me. As we
headed deep into the jungle, we came to a clearing, and that's
when a tri-.50 opened up on us from a bunker. It was complete and
utter pandemonium."

A tri .50 is three .50-caliber machine guns, mounted on one
tri-pod. One bullet measures about 5.45 inches from end to end.
All three guns are able to fire at the same time and are
devastating enough to down trees.

"I saw guys with their arms and legs blown off their bodies. It
freaked me out so bad that when I turned to run, I ran right into
a tree. I backed up and ran into it again. Finally, I just hugged
the tree and moved my body around it. I remember my heart pounding
out of my chest. Those of us lucky enough to survive fell back
into a huge ditch, and the firefight was on! I knew I was a dead
man. There was no doubt in my mind."

November 16th
General Patton was now riding in Donald's tank and gave him the
authority to command and drive the tank as they continued to
support the Third Battalion of the 378th Infantry Regiment in
clearing the towns of Vigneulles, Saulny, and five other villages.
The 377th, 378th, and their attachments foiled an attack by the
Germans at Fort Gambetta.

By now, the roads were covered with abandoned equipment,
half-loaded trucks, and artillery pieces. The regiments and their
attachments reorganized in preparation for the last stage of the
advance into Metz.

November 17th
Company B continued their support of the 378th Infantry Regiment
clearing the villages south of Ft. Plappeville, meeting light
resistance from the enemy. As other companies approached Ft.
Julien and Ft. Champagne, enemy resistance increased considerably.

November 18th - 19th
On the morning of the 18th, it had been reported that 400 Gestapo
agents (Nazi secret police) evacuated Metz through Ft. Bellacroix.
Company B was still supporting the 377th and 378th Infantry
Regiments in their advance to the river at Metz. Companies
experienced small groups of men fighting from barracks and
buildings still under enemy control in Metz.

German troops began large-scale demolitions, destroying all
bridges over the Moselle River in the 95th Infantry Division's
zone. Large explosions were heard in the area of Chatel St.
Germaine, and clouds of smoke were seen rising from the area of
Ft. Jeanne D'Arc. The Nazis also set off explosions in Ft.
Bellacroix that leveled homes and trees on an entire block.

Staff Sgt. Burke led tanks beyond friendly infantry in an attempt
to dislodge enemy platoons in well-protected positions within the
buildings in the town of Sansonnet. Sgt Burke's heroic actions
against the enemy allowed the friendly infantry to continue its
advance.

Throughout the night, Companies B and C continued to support the
377th and 378th Infantry Regiments in their advance to the river
at Metz. Fires were observed burning in the Fortress City, and it
had been reported that enemy troops positioned themselves within
buildings, as well as other fortified locations in Metz.

In preparation for the river crossing, Company B worked through
the night and into part of the following morning in a rush to
change to the new flotation connectors.

Donald's tank, crew, and General Patton were the lead tank as they
forcibly crossed over the Moselle River into Metz under heavy
enemy shelling, with the men of Company B playing a major role in
the capturing of the Fortress City.

The 95th Infantry Division and its attachments captured Metz in
fourteen days, discrediting those who said it couldn't be done.

The men received a Certificate of Commendation.

Certificate of Commendation

HQ 95th Infantry Division

November 23, 1944

For outstanding and especially meritorious service,
this certificate of commendation is awarded to the
778th Tank Battalion.

Citation: The 778th Tank Battalion (less Company A)
closed in on Briey, France 13 November 1944 after an
overland journey from Normandy, changing treads from
steel to rubber, and performed necessary maintenance
in time to move into forward positions on 14 November
and joined in the coordinated attack launched against
the City of Metz on 15 November.

The high state of training of the Battalion was
demonstrated by the speed with which it organized for
combat. The courage and determination of its officers
and men was proved during the battle.

Company D fought initially with the 377th Infantry
and later joined Task Force Recon in its triumphant
drive along the east bank of the Moselle River.
Company B battled through the forts northwest of the
city with the 378th Infantry, and Company C fought
its way into the city with the 377th Infantry.

The outstanding performance of the 778th Tank
Battalion during the period of 15-22 November
contributed in no small degree to the success of the
95th Infantry Division in capturing its assigned
objectives in the Fortress City of Metz.

Harry L. Twaddle (Signed)
Commanding Major General

The 95th Infantry Division and their attachments took many
prisoners in Metz, including the capture of General-Lieutenant
Heinrich Kittel, Commanding Officer of the Metz Fortress' and the
462nd Volksgrenadier Division.

General Kittel was in an enemy hospital, captured by Company K of
the 377th Infantry Division with a leg wound, and although under
the influence of morphine, General Lieutenant Kittel refused to
surrender the remainder of the Metz fortresses.

While interrogating General Kittel, allied forces learned he'd
been an active officer during World War I (1914-1918) and
attended military and staff schools. After completing his
schooling, General Kittel became an instructor for six years in
gunnery and firing techniques, and a sub adviser in the testing
and use of new weapons.

At the beginning of the Russian Campaign, Kittel was under the
control of Army Group Nord and later was given duties of Stadt
Kommandant (City Commander) in several of the larger Polish and
Russian cities that were captured by the Germans. He became a
General in 1942.

General Kittel stated he had been given the assignment in Metz
because he'd been in command of several fortified areas along the
Russian front, stating that he was an expert on forts and had
managed to escape several times from that front.

"If my capture is to be put in the papers, mention I was wounded
or my family might suffer," General Kittel requested.

Also captured were classified documents issued by Kittel,
Commandant of the Fortress Metz, including the following order
concerning the defense of Metz.

November 14, 1944, 1200 hours

Commandant of the Fortress Metz

Command Post

I have taken over command of the Fortress. The
witnesses of the thousand-year-old borderland fight
are 'watching' the soldiers presently engaged in the
battle.

It is my duty, as well as that of all officers, to
hold the Fortress Metz even to commit our lives. I
expect that all soldiers, when committed, will prove
themselves worthy of their German forefathers who
fought on the battlefields of Metz in 1870 and 1940.

The battle efficiency of the troops here is varied.
The evils of meager training, unwise commitments,
inefficient administration, and soft-heartedness
revenge themselves chiefly on the reserves. The
reserves aren't here for countering breakthroughs
occurring through carelessness or lack of Recon and
liaison work.

The counterthrust with reserves is too often played
around with, thus using unnecessary manpower, which
is more needed, in other places. Therefore, I demand
especially from the line unit commanders, to keep
sharp watch at all posts, continuous visual, and
patrol recon in forward positions and liaison with
adjoining units.

Every commander from platoon leader up must have a
small reserve. A commander without reserve is only a
mailbox and therefore superfluous. In committing his
last reserve, the commander himself is to be
committed.

The seriousness of the situation compels me to say
the following: I will report every commander and
every unit from whose ranks prisoners and deserters
are missing. The families of prisoners will have to
suffer the consequences.

It is unbearable to find out from artillery
Operations that groups of soldiers, without any
resistance, leave their arms, some of them
surrendering to the enemy and others abandoning their
weapons and disappearing.

1. Any 'goldbricks' found in the city of Metz will,
based on my authority, be shot. Deserters and
prisoners should consider that our own arty would
fire at such groups as if they were the enemy.

2. I forbid that any army unit or public welfare
institution in Metz, or surrounding areas, give any
supplies to soldiers, no matter how long they have
been separated from their unit of supply.

3. Messengers, signal personnel, and the like must
have written permission to obtain rations. (A short
note is enough). Obtaining food elsewhere will cease
immediately. All soldiers in Metz must be assigned
to a unit within 24 hours.

4. The welfare of our fighting soldiers must be
improved. It is the duty of the commanders to see
that soldiers will have at least two warm drinks a
day, that handling of food and consumption of
alcohol is supervised.

It is possible that the enemy tanks or troops will
break through the outskirts of the city. The troops
are to be instructed about the following:

During the day, the machine guns and the bulk of the
troops will occupy the second and third floors (one
and two flights up) of corner building. Two guards
must protect the house entrance. The corner of a
house will be manned by no less than a squad.

At night, the troops will be on the ground floor.

Hanging around street corners and disappearing at
the sign of enemy fire is forbidden. Every street
must give an appearance of emptiness and ambush.

The opening of fire in streets is effective only if
the enemy cannot find any cover.

Instead of extending in-depth, the defense must be
linear and should be echeloned in height up to the
roofs on street corners and individual streets.

Panzer Faust-troops must be on the ground floor.
Window open! Ambush!

Running about in the streets is prohibited. While
occupying a house, it is necessary to establish a
messenger and supply route through the courtyard
garden (wall breakthroughs etc) which isn't under
enemy observation and fire.

Local fighting quickly exhausts the energy of
troops. Therefore, everything must be done to stop
the enemy outside the towns. Penetrating tanks have
to be taken care of with Panzerfaust.

Rumors take on gigantic proportions. All blabberers,
rumormongers, deliberate liars, Commanders who invent
false reports in order to shirk their duty, ghost
seers, and the usual clown have to be reprimanded for
their stupidity by cold-blooded people.

For example, on November 14, 1944, the rumor
circulated that in ten minutes enemy tanks would be
in the city. Instead of immediately arresting that
type of rumormonger, I was annoyed with questions
as to the truth of the report. Every commander must
maintain the point of view; Where I am, exist no
rumors but facts.

What my own eyes haven't seen is 99% swindle.

General Lt. Kittel (Signed)

It Doesn't Pay to Oppose the 95th

Proof:

Conservative estimates place the number of enemy
killed by the 95th Division in the Metz operation at
1577; enemy wounded 3547; prisoners of war--6117.
This makes a grand total of eleven thousand, two
hundred and forty-one casualties inflicted on the
enemy by members of this division.

The total number of enemy companies estimated
destroyed in the fighting since 8 Nov is 66 or the
equivalent of a full strength German Infantry
Division.

The following is a list of the units estimated
destroyed in and about the Metz area. It must be
noted, these statistics are based on Prisoner of War
figures only and as such do not account for approx
1200 Prisoner of War who passed from the frontline to
Prisoner of War camps in the rear without
interrogation at divisional level.

During the 36 hours involved, about 2000 prisoners
were processed through the divisional cage. The time
factor involved in questioning these Prisoners of War
and the space limitations of the Prisoner of War
enclosure necessitated that the 1200 unprocessed
prisoners be passed on directly to higher HQ.

Estimated destroyed components of Germany's 462
Infantry Division
1215 Infantry Regiment
1010 Sich Regiment
1419 Fortress Battalion
1462 Pioneer Battalion
1462 Artillery Regiment--1, 4 and 6 Companies

Batteries
1462 Panzer Gr Battalion--1 Company
1462 Sig Battalion--1 and 2 Companies
1462 At Battalion--2 Company
1462 Feld Ers Battalion--1 Company
1462 Fusilier Company

Estimated destroyed components of the 19th Infantry
Division
73 Infantry Regiment--1, 3, 7 and 8 Companies
74 Infantry Regiment--3 Company

Estimated destroyed miscellaneous units
10 Co, 17 SS Division
Sich Battalion Honjas
Stellungsbau Battalion XI/1
Festungs Pioneer Battalion 55
Flak Battalion 496--2 Battery
Flak Battalion 673--3 Battery
Stellungs Battalion III/1--3 Company
Festungs MG Bn 810--at least two Companies

It is requested that the above be disseminated to the
men most directly concerned in the capture of the
Prisoners of War, which made these estimates
possible. Not only the infantry men on the line, but
the cook in his kitchen, the trucker who hauls the
supplies, and the mechanic who keeps the truck on the
road can each be credited with having done his part
in the making of the victory, and of having done it
well.

November 27th
Company B moved toward Boulay-Moselle, supporting the attack on
the 377th Infantry Regiment. Reportedly, a bridge near Boulay was
preventing companies from moving to the attack sooner because it
was too narrow to carry the tanks with their new flotation
connectors. Within two days, a new bridge was constructed, and
Company B advanced in the attack north and east to Bouzonville.
Northeast, toward the Saar River, allied forces stumbled upon
small groups of enemy infantry pockets destroying bridges along
the Saar River.

November 28
Company B advanced with the 377th through Bedersdorf, continuing
on to Berlingen and Rettnach, taking the brunt of increased high
velocity fire from the enemy. The enemy continued their
withdrawal toward the Saar River, increasing their mortar and
artillery fire at our forces.

November 29
Company B was still supporting the 377th Infantry Regiment, and
at sundown prepared to stop an enemy counter-attack from the
direction of St. Barbara, where reportedly twelve enemy tanks
were in the area. The enemy forcefully resisted attempts to
retake the town before being forced to withdraw from the area,
making St. Barbara one of the roughest fights yet for the tanks.

November 30, 1944
Battle of Saarlautern
Donald's first taste of mortality came when the Nazis blew up his
tank just before he and his crew were to cross the Saar River.

"I remember that day very well. Those Germans were sneaky. There
were two Nazis in an antitank ditch. One German exited with his
hands up, as if to surrender. The second Nazi followed the first
one out of the ditch. What we didn't know was the second guy was
concealing a bazooka. As the first Nazi approached our tank, he
dropped to the ground and the second Nazi fired the bazooka right
at our tank."

Covered in blood from the same shrapnel that maimed his crew,
Donald desperately called out, but no one responded. They were
all mutilated by fragments and burned. The smell of charred flesh
inundated the tank. Body parts were everywhere.

"Somehow, I managed to crawl out of the burning tank through the
hatch. I remember dragging myself along the ground to get away
from the flames. I remember my body had a burning sensation,
almost as if I was still on fire. Then, I collapsed."

Donald suffered first and second-degree burns over forty percent
of his body, and it appeared the enormous amount of blood on his
head and face made it difficult for him to see, or so he thought.

As the sole survivor of his tank, Donald laid there, falling in
and out of consciousness, praying allied forces or God reached
him before the enemy did; however, his greatest fear came true.
He was now a prisoner of the enemy and paralyzed with fear. Fear
of the unknown.

"I don't know how long I laid near my tank, but the next thing I
remember, the Nazis cuffed my hands behind me, held a machine gun
to my back, and marched me to an enemy hospital. If I fell,
they'd drag me along the ground or kick me."

After arriving at the hospital, Nazi soldiers put Donald on a
worn-out gurney and left him in the hall.

"I remember the pain. I was in a lot of pain. All I wanted was
for someone, anyone, to give me something for the pain, but that
never happened."

Donald laid on that gurney for days without pain medicine. Then,
after being restrained, and without a drop of pain medication or
sedation, the German doctors pulled Donald's eyeball out of its
socket. They ran a magnet over the eyeball to remove the
shrapnel, and then snapped his eyeball back into its socket, like
a rubber band. This injury left Donald permanently blind in his
left eye.

Donald remained on that gurney for many days without a drop of
pain medication before the Nazis forced him into an overcrowded
boxcar carrying perhaps sixty or more injured prisoners in a
single boxcar, which comfortably held perhaps forty.

Prisoners traveled for days without lights, ventilation, food, or
water before reaching their destination of Stalag 12a, one of the
many prisoner of war camps in Germany.

The military found Donald's dog tags in the area where the
Germans destroyed his tank, and the natural course of action was
to declare him missing in action.

Military Morning Report for Company B read:

I often wondered what the 'D' in D-Day meant and learned some
believed it to mean departed, disembarkation, or decision.
However, the Army started using the codes H-Hour and D-Day to
indicate the Day and the Hour that an operation would begin. These
codes are still used today.

Leaving for Europe
Donald left for Europe on September 4, 1944 and arrived in
Cherbourg, France, on September 15, 1944, making his battalion
part of the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach.

"Before we landed, off in the distance we could see and hear the
heavy artillery shells exploding up and down the beach. It didn't
take a rocket scientist to figure out that danger and death were
waiting for us at the water's edge. I love my country, Eddie, and
if I were killed defending it, I knew my death wouldn't have been
in vain because our reasons for being there were honorable."

Donald took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Those of us coming ashore were warned to stay vigilant of
snipers, mines, and large boulders that had been strategically
placed along the beach by the Germans, but what they failed to
mention was the power of the enemy's defense. It was much stronger
than anyone expected. Dead bodies were everywhere, and I mean
everywhere! It was a damn bloody mess, which made it even harder
for us to advance."

Donald closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to remove the
images that were still so vivid in his mind.

Obviously, the traumas of war are still in the blood of this
combat veteran, demonstrating the wounds of war aren't always seen
by the naked eye.

As a point of interest, today there's a 172-acre site located on
top of a cliff that overlooks Omaha Beach. It's called The
Normandy American Cemetery, and there are 9,386 American Soldiers
buried there. The remains of 14,000 other soldiers originally
buried in that region were returned home at the request of their
loved ones.

The 778th Tank Battalion moved to its first bivouac (temporary
camp) and staging area in Les Pieux, France, where they drew their
first equipment for combat. Their target was Fresnes-en-W, France,
approximately 500 miles from the staging area. Vehicles and trains
carried 65 tons of ammunition and, in addition, each tank carried
a complete replacement set of rubber tracks.

After two weeks, the battalion moved to Bric-Quebec, France on the
Normandy Peninsula, waiting for their next orders of movement.

Donald took the opportunity to write home.

December 17, 1944

War Department

The Adjutant General's Office
Washington, D.C.

Mrs. Minnie M. Schuman
White Lake, South Dakota

Dear Mrs. Schuman:

This letter is to confirm my recent telegram in
which you were regretfully informed that your
son, Technician Fourth Grade Donald W. Schuman,
has been reported missing in action in Germany
since 30 November 1944. I know that added
distress is caused by failure to receive more
information or details.

Therefore, I wish to assure you that at any time
additional information is received, it will be
transmitted to you immediately. If, in the
meantime, no additional information is received,
I will again communicate with you at the
expiration of three months.

The term 'missing in action' is used only to
indicate that the whereabouts or status of an
individual is not immediately known. It is
emphasized that every effort is exerted
continuously to clear up the status of our
personnel.

Under war conditions, this is a difficult task,
as you must readily realize. Experience has
shown that many persons reported missing in
action are subsequently reported as prisoners of
war. As this information is furnished by
countries with which we are at war, the War
Department is helpless to expedite such reports.

The personal effects of an individual missing
overseas are held by his unit for a period of
time and are then sent to the Effects
Quartermaster, Kansas City, Missouri for
disposition as designated by the soldier. Permit
me to extend to you my heartfelt sympathy during
this period of uncertainty.

Sincerely yours,

J.A. Ulio (Signed)
Major General
The Adjutant General