I left Berlin in December 1945 to proceed to Antwerp, Belgium, for embarkation for home. I arrived at Staten Island, N.Y., 30 December 1945. I then boarded a troop train to Salt Lake City. I was separated from the Armed Forces on 8 January 1946. I am proud that I was able to serve my country and especially proud to have been a member of the elite 'Parachute Infantry'. Our unit received a Presidential citation: 'By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I have today awarded The Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for extraordinary heroism to the 551st parachute infantry battalion. Darrell G. Johnson The 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion is cited for exceptional heroism in performance of duty in combat against the enemy at the beginning of the American counteroffensive in the Ardennes, Belgium, culminating in its heroic attack and seizure of the critical, heavily fortified, regimental German position of Rochelinval on the Salm River. A separate battalion attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, the 551st began its grueling days as the Division's spearhead by successfully executing a raid on advanced German positions at Noirefontaine on 27 and 28 December 1944, delivering to XVIII Airborne Corps vital intelligence for the Allied counteroffensive soon to come. On 3 January 1945, the 551st from the division's line of departure at Basse-Bodeux attacked against great odds and secured the imposing ridges of Herispehe. Punished by artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire as it moved across open, up slope terrain, the battalion lost its forward artillery observers, causing an acute lack of artillery support for its week-long push against two German regiments. On 4 January, the battalion conducted a rare fixed bayonet attack of machine gun nests that killed 64 Germans. On 5 and 6 January, the 551st captured the towns of Dairomont and Quartiers, parrying German counterattacks while often fighting in hand-to-hand combat. At less than half strength, on 7 January the battalion confronted its final critical objective: Rochelinval on the Salm River. Initially repelled into a hailstorm of artillery and machine gun fire toward a high ridge of entrenched enemy, the 551st finally overwhelmed the defenders and captured Rochelinval, shutting off the last bridge of egress to the Germans in a 10-mile sector of the Salm River. The next day, January 8, Hitler ordered the German Army's first pullback from the Battle of the Bulge. In fighting a numerically superior foe with dominant high ground advantage, the 551st lost over four-fifths of its men, including the death of its inspirational commander Lieutenant Colonel Wood Joerg, as he led the last attack. Disbanded a month later, the battalion accounted for 400 German dead, and took over 300 prisoners. The 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion fought with a tenacity and fervor that was extraordinary. In what United States Army historian Charles MacDonald called the greatest battle ever fought by the United States Army, the 551st demonstrated the very best of the Army tradition of performance of duty in spite of great sacrifice and against all odds.' Derald V. Johnson I remember being drafted into the Army Infantry the Monday following my high school graduation in June of 1945. I was inducted at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City. From Salt Lake City, I was sent to Camp Roberts, California, for basic training as a drill and learning Army discipline. Soon after I was called to serve, the war in Europe ended and in September of 1945, the Japanese surrendered. There was still a need for occupation forces in Japan, and I was prepared for serving under General Douglas MacArthur in Japan. Consequently, I was sent to Fort Ord, California, for further training (especially to see if I could swim far enough, should the occasion arise.) I was then sent to Fort Lawton, Washington, for overseas duty in Japan. Our unit was assigned to a troop transport ship named the 'Herald of the Morning.' Having had training as a cook, I was given duty as a cook aboard the troop ship. That duty kept me busy during the 38 or so days it took to sail from the United States to Japan. I believe it was December 28, 1945, that our ship landed in Yokohama, Japan. After landing in Japan our company was assigned to an Army Replacement Depot by the name of Zama, Japan. At Camp Zama, our unit was employed as cooks for supporting units at the Repple Depot. As part of that unit, I met several friends and learned how to work with others to get the work done. As a side benefit, we had enough free time to see some of the beauties of Japan and to get acquainted with some of the Japanese people. I was able to learn some of the Japanese language, some of which I retain to this day. Although I am not conversational in Japanese, I am able to speak some of the language. After serving some time at the Repple Depot in Zama, I was transferred to Tokyo and assigned to a Signal Corps Photographic Unit. This new assignment enabled me to expand my knowledge of photography 102 and to see much more of Japan. I was able to see Tokyo as a bustling city, the Japanese diet, and the Imperial palace and surrounding moat. After serving in the Armed Forces, I was honorably discharged in April, 1947. Upon returning home, I tried to work as a cook but didn't find the work satisfying. In 1948, I enrolled at Weber College in Accounting and Business. My experiences at Weber College were very pleasurable and enjoyable. The academics, social life, and intramural sports activities made the college experience fun and yet provided a challenge to learning. The social activities provided opportunities to participate in dances. Our social club even organized a dance and arranged for a great dance band and provided for royalty for the dance. In July 1949 I met my wife, Larae Ferrin. Our memories arising from being a veteran of WWII are positive. Sterling D. Johnston Sterling served in the Philippines during World War II. During the years following the war, he did not speak much about the details, presumably because it had been such a painful experience. However, he did take several pictures, many of which speak louder than any words he could tell us. The photos left nothing to the imagination. Another item he kept was a copy of a leaflet dropped from Japanese warplanes, threatening to kill each American soldier in an effort to intimidate the troops. Something worth noting is that even though he experienced many dreadful things, there were a lot of times that he and his buddies made some amusing memories while they were there. We know this through his stories and the scores of photos he took. For example, he often spoke about a pig that he and his buddies put in a cage. Later, they placed a python in with it and found that the snake had swallowed the pig whole. To demonstrate how large the snake was, they hung it from a thirty foot sign; and its end barely touched the ground. There was also a spider monkey they kept as a pet (in fact, we still have pictures of the monkey on Sterling's shoulders). Even though they used to have fun with it, the monkey was rather mean and used to pick up its Poop and throw it at them! After the war, Sterling was adamant we would never have a monkey for a pet. The ugliness of war came to light when he told a gruesome story of a time when they pulled up to a beach, and the enemy immediately began firing at them before they could even get out of the boat. To the best of our knowledge, it was a transport such as an LCVP or LCM. The men were to keep their heads down until the boat landed, and the back of the vehicle would open up for them to get out. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers had held his head up too high just as enemy machine gun fired. His head was instantly severed, and the men were forced to look on as it rolled around in the boat. These stories stick out in our minds, though there were many others. But as you know, many veterans do not discuss the specifics of the horrors of war, and Sterling was not much different in this regard. I suppose we are left with Hollywood to tell the stories for us. Submitted by Ona Johnston, wife Wallace Marion Knight Wallace served in the U.S. Army with the rank of technical sergeant from August 1944 to February 1946. Wallace received his Army basic training at Camp Walters at Mineral Wells, Texas. He was reassigned to the Recovered Personnel Division in Leyte, Philippines. His last assignment was to the Santa Tomas Prison Camp in Manila, Philippines. The honors he received were the Rifle Marksman Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and Pacific Command Medal. Ralph L. Kofoed Ralph served in the Infantry Dental Corps with the rank of captain. He served in WWII mostly as an American Graves Registration Investigator. He served in Europe from 1945 to 1947 and has so many memories of his experiences there. One of his special memories is with one special veteran named Charles 'Bud' R. Earls, second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. Ralph has a Stars & Strips picture, September, 1944, of the Siegfried Line with Brigadier General Truman Boudinot of the Battle of the Bulge. This picture was sent to him by 'Bud,' maybe his last communication and the only one before he was killed in action. Bud was killed, but this is a story in itself! Ralph served in the Dental Reserves from 1952 to 1962. He was a member of the active reserves for 17 years. 103