I was found to have some superficial cut on one of my arms and an advanced case of “trench foot.” I had never heard of that, and learned later that having wet and cold feet for a prolonged period of time cuts down on the circulation in them and they turn pale and have a weak pulse, and can cause muscular weakness in the feet and calves of the legs. At that time, our outfit had been in almost continuous action for over three weeks in a cold, rainy spell of weather and flooded rivers, and most of us had run out of a dry pair of socks, with no way to dry out the ones we we wearing.
The doctors/medics decided to evacuate me to a hospital in England for further treatment. The War Department sent a telegram to my folks saying I was slightly wounded in action, which must have caused them much worry until they received an airmail letter from me reassuring them that nothing serious had happened. When brother Lou got word that I was not far away from the base where he was stationed, he came to visit me. I was surprised when he showed up with a redheaded English female friend, and said he had another female friend along for me waiting outside, in case I was able to go out on the town with them. I had to turn him down since I couldn't get away, and we had a nice visit. When he got back to base, he wrote to our folks to reassure them that I was ok.
I was in the hospital in England for about six weeks and then was sent back to the U.S. on the Queen Elizabeth liner which had been taken over during the war to be used as a troop transport arriving there on February 19, 1945. I was sent to Camp Butner in North Carolina which was being used as a convalescence camp at that time, where I was discharge from the Army on July 12, 1945. I was back home in Monongahela in time for the big end of the war celebration when the Japanese surrendered on August 14, 1945.
Now my thoughts turned to going back to school. During my short stay in State College for the ASTP training during 1943, I had decided that I wanted to attend Penn State. I applied and was accepted, and started the paperwork to go there under the recently passed G.I. Bill that paid for veterans’ tuition, housing, and an allowance for living expenses. I would be only one of several thousand veterans of all ages going to Penn State.
`It was near Saarlauten that I found myself in a field hospital. I can’t remember what happened to get me there except that we were advancing toward the town of Saarlauten when my platoon came under a mortar attack and we tried to get into some cover.