Nick Charles
Practically Family
- Messages
- 989
- Location
- Sunny Phoenix
I had the priveledge of meeting a WWII vet my junior year in high school he was my buddies grand dad. He was a great guy and not knowing of his service never talked to him about it, not that I was interested at that time, but here is one of his stories. He passed a couple of years ago and Veterens Day is here again and I've been thinking about it. Here is the story.
Tom Dudones(buddies dad)
NationalStoryProject@NPR.org
Subject: "war stories"
I heard the NPR segment entitled "War Stories" on Saturday, June 3rd. I thought I'd send along a couple of stories my father told me concerning his WW 2 experience.
My Dad, Ray Dudones, was just 18 when he was drafted into the infantry in the summer of 1944. He was sent to the European theater with the 94th Division in January of '45, as a combat infantryman, carrying a B.A.R. His partner, and ammo carrier, "Pop" Hansen, was a rancher from Montana. Somehow "Pop" got drafted even though he was in his early 40s, thus earning him the nickname. I guess they made quite a pair, the farm kid from Wisconsin and the middle-aged Montana rancher, as they both managed to survive the war.
In February of '45, around Washington's Birthday, Dad and Pop were picked as part of a reconnaissance team that was to cross the Rhine River and scout out the German positions, in preparation for the allies attack. The squad was led by a 2nd lieutenant, one of the "90 day wonders" fresh out of officer training school. There were about a dozen men in all, that cold, clear night, as they climbed into the boat, to row across the Rhine. There was some concern amongst the men because the moon was out and the German sentries might spot them crossing the river. The lieutenant ordered the mission to go ahead as planned, regardless of the conditions. They had almost reached the far shore when a German sentry spotted the recon team and opened fire. With bullets whizzing all around them, Dad and Pop, who were at the bow of the boat, jumped out, and into the knee-deep water. They ran for the nearest cover - a partially sunken river barge, maybe 50 yards upstream, grounded on the muddy bank. They reached the barge and took cover, crawling thru a hole in the side.
The Germans were still firing, but Dad & Pop now had another problem to deal with. The recon boat and the rest of the patrol were paddling like crazy back toward the American side of the river. After a bit the firing stopped, and the recon boat shrank to a small dark dot on the silvery river. Dad and Pop were stranded in enemy territory, and they had no idea how long it would be before the allies would make their attack.. Cold and wet, they settled in to wait for their comrades to join them.
After a sleepless night, morning dawned , and with it, German soldiers. They were all over the riverbank area, and Dad could hear them talking as they patrolled the embankment. They came within a few dozen feet of Dad's hiding place in the sunken barge, but never bothered to look inside. Pop and Dad managed to hide out in that barge under the very noses of the German army, for three and a half days, drinking river water and eating moldy raw potatoes which they found in the barge. Finally the attack came, and the allies crossed the Rhine. Dad and Pop were able to join up with a unit , but not the same one they started with. They never saw the 2nd lieutenant for the rest of the war. Dad heard that the lieutenant was awarded a Silver Star for his action in leading the recon patrol that February night.
Almost ten years later, Dad ran into the lieutenant in a tavern. He went up to him, asked if he remembered him. No, said the lieutenant, should I ? “You're damned right you should! Im one of the poor S.O.Bs you deserted and left to the Germans back on the Rhine on that night recon patrol back in '45.” The lieutenant offered to buy Dad a drink, but Dad said no thanks, he had no stomach for it, turned his back and walked away.
At the end of the war in Europe, Dad was with the 1st Division, “The Big Red 1" . They were stationed in a village near Düsseldorf. It was May 7th - and they'd just gotten the news that Germany had surrendered. The war was over and the entire platoon was celebrating. They were getting some hot food that was set up on a big flatbed truck. The soldiers were eating, relaxing and just sitting around in the warm spring sunshine. The company captain , known as "the Old Man", was standing alongside the flatbed, talking with the First Sargent. There were lots of kids around, begging the G.I.s for food - especially chocolate. Some were still dressed in the uniform of the Hitler Youth. They were kids of maybe 13 to 15 years old or so. One of these boys standing at the rear of the flatbed, pulled out a hand gun, took aim at the captain and shot him in the back. The captain crumpled, dead in a moment. The First Sargent, seeing the kid with the weapon, grabbed, him, and disarmed him. He dragged the boy down through some brush along- side the road, and down an embankment. Dad said the Sargent was like a crazy man- just in a rage - at seeing his captain, who had led his company through the war, shot dead, now that the war was over. Dad and the others heard a couple of shots ring out from beyond the brush, down the embankment. The First Sargent came back alone. He picked up the handgun the boy had dropped, and hurled it out into the brush. Then he looked at the G.I.s and said something to the effect of "Anybody got a problem?" Nobody said a word. They carried the captain to the to the morgue. His war was over.
Tom Dudones(buddies dad)
NationalStoryProject@NPR.org
Subject: "war stories"
I heard the NPR segment entitled "War Stories" on Saturday, June 3rd. I thought I'd send along a couple of stories my father told me concerning his WW 2 experience.
My Dad, Ray Dudones, was just 18 when he was drafted into the infantry in the summer of 1944. He was sent to the European theater with the 94th Division in January of '45, as a combat infantryman, carrying a B.A.R. His partner, and ammo carrier, "Pop" Hansen, was a rancher from Montana. Somehow "Pop" got drafted even though he was in his early 40s, thus earning him the nickname. I guess they made quite a pair, the farm kid from Wisconsin and the middle-aged Montana rancher, as they both managed to survive the war.
In February of '45, around Washington's Birthday, Dad and Pop were picked as part of a reconnaissance team that was to cross the Rhine River and scout out the German positions, in preparation for the allies attack. The squad was led by a 2nd lieutenant, one of the "90 day wonders" fresh out of officer training school. There were about a dozen men in all, that cold, clear night, as they climbed into the boat, to row across the Rhine. There was some concern amongst the men because the moon was out and the German sentries might spot them crossing the river. The lieutenant ordered the mission to go ahead as planned, regardless of the conditions. They had almost reached the far shore when a German sentry spotted the recon team and opened fire. With bullets whizzing all around them, Dad and Pop, who were at the bow of the boat, jumped out, and into the knee-deep water. They ran for the nearest cover - a partially sunken river barge, maybe 50 yards upstream, grounded on the muddy bank. They reached the barge and took cover, crawling thru a hole in the side.
The Germans were still firing, but Dad & Pop now had another problem to deal with. The recon boat and the rest of the patrol were paddling like crazy back toward the American side of the river. After a bit the firing stopped, and the recon boat shrank to a small dark dot on the silvery river. Dad and Pop were stranded in enemy territory, and they had no idea how long it would be before the allies would make their attack.. Cold and wet, they settled in to wait for their comrades to join them.
After a sleepless night, morning dawned , and with it, German soldiers. They were all over the riverbank area, and Dad could hear them talking as they patrolled the embankment. They came within a few dozen feet of Dad's hiding place in the sunken barge, but never bothered to look inside. Pop and Dad managed to hide out in that barge under the very noses of the German army, for three and a half days, drinking river water and eating moldy raw potatoes which they found in the barge. Finally the attack came, and the allies crossed the Rhine. Dad and Pop were able to join up with a unit , but not the same one they started with. They never saw the 2nd lieutenant for the rest of the war. Dad heard that the lieutenant was awarded a Silver Star for his action in leading the recon patrol that February night.
Almost ten years later, Dad ran into the lieutenant in a tavern. He went up to him, asked if he remembered him. No, said the lieutenant, should I ? “You're damned right you should! Im one of the poor S.O.Bs you deserted and left to the Germans back on the Rhine on that night recon patrol back in '45.” The lieutenant offered to buy Dad a drink, but Dad said no thanks, he had no stomach for it, turned his back and walked away.
At the end of the war in Europe, Dad was with the 1st Division, “The Big Red 1" . They were stationed in a village near Düsseldorf. It was May 7th - and they'd just gotten the news that Germany had surrendered. The war was over and the entire platoon was celebrating. They were getting some hot food that was set up on a big flatbed truck. The soldiers were eating, relaxing and just sitting around in the warm spring sunshine. The company captain , known as "the Old Man", was standing alongside the flatbed, talking with the First Sargent. There were lots of kids around, begging the G.I.s for food - especially chocolate. Some were still dressed in the uniform of the Hitler Youth. They were kids of maybe 13 to 15 years old or so. One of these boys standing at the rear of the flatbed, pulled out a hand gun, took aim at the captain and shot him in the back. The captain crumpled, dead in a moment. The First Sargent, seeing the kid with the weapon, grabbed, him, and disarmed him. He dragged the boy down through some brush along- side the road, and down an embankment. Dad said the Sargent was like a crazy man- just in a rage - at seeing his captain, who had led his company through the war, shot dead, now that the war was over. Dad and the others heard a couple of shots ring out from beyond the brush, down the embankment. The First Sargent came back alone. He picked up the handgun the boy had dropped, and hurled it out into the brush. Then he looked at the G.I.s and said something to the effect of "Anybody got a problem?" Nobody said a word. They carried the captain to the to the morgue. His war was over.
