Short Story of my grandfather

[inmemoryofruze]

Both my aunt (his youngest daughter) and great uncle (his brother) told me about a little story my grandfather told them.

I had to laugh when I heard it.

During the initial artillary bombardment on Dec 16, 1944 (I am assuming), my grandfather jumped to avoid being hit by enemy shells. What was alittle comical was where he landed. It was a nice pitt of raw sewage where they kept the waste of the men.

Needless to say, once the shelling stopped, no one wanted to help my grandfather out of the pitt. I wonder why?

[floydragsdale]

Hello:

What your Grandfather jumped into was, I beleive, a slit trench. It was, without much doubt, an outdoor army latrine.

With about 200 men in a ccompany, field sanitation was a neccessity; where ever an Army was located.

I recall the area of our "latrine slit trench" on the 16 of December 1944. It was on the reverse sloap of a hill our platoon was positioned on; also it was about twenty yards between bunkers.

The size was approximately 2' wide, 20' long and 6' deep (when fresh dug). Jobs No. one or No. two could easily be accomplished at such a facility. As a cat does, everyone, when finished, covered the feces; however with a shovel. Obviously, paper tissue wasn't at the site. G.I.'s always kept that in their helmet liners.

Your Grandfather was one of many soldiers who stepped in or, jumped into one; accidently, or on purpose.

Floyd
424th Regiment