The Liaison Section, tho
small did a very important job in maintaining
contact with adjacent units; that
is, we had to know what the infantry
division on our right or the
British on our left were doing at all times.
Through combat or anytime, there is
nothing a G. I. welcomes
more than a good show. True,
we didn't always have the best, but
in times like we went
through, these shows did our morale a lot of
good. It is up to the S.S.O.
to keep the men happy,.. if possible.
As most of our boys
remember, it was very comforting to have
Father Callahan through
thick and thin of things and rain or shine
if the boys could attend
services, there was always a Chaplain
ready to do his job.
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Squadron
Headquarters Section [p 42]
Personnel
Section Mr. Delander
Medical Section
Capt Friedenthal
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Squadron History
[p 43]
-- AND THE MEDICS! The Pill-rollers,
those "mechanics" of
some sort or another as they
were often called.
A heterogeneous group of
twelve enlisted men and two officers
with but a single aim, one
unified goal in view -- to furnish the men
of the Squadron with the
best possible medical attention, provide
speedy, life saving
evacuation of the sick and wounded to rear
areas, accompany the
reconnaissance troops on combat missions
and to insure that an
adequate supply of aspirin was at all times
available!
Really no chastisement is in
order for the thousands of cc's of
tetanus, and typhoid, and
typhus, and yellow fever, and penicillin
serum they expended; it
wasnt their fault. Blame the Army or better
yet, the Krauts! Instead of
guns, ammunition, radios, and armored
vehicles their impedmentia
included splints, bandages,
plasma, morphine, peeps,
stretchers, ambulances and those
many varied pieces of
baggage which caused their 3/4 ton truck
to grunt and groan in mortal
anguish at the very sight of a twenty
degree upgrade. Preparation
and training of the Medics was as
tedious, as intensive, and
as thorough as undergone by the line
troops ...
Although the Detachment
consisted of but two Captains and
twelve enlisted men and
furnished medical aid for close to one
thousand men and officers
they were forced only once to call for
help from the Medical
Battalion. It was during those depressing,
devastating days at Hurtgen Forest
when most of our aid men
were sweating it out in icy
foxholes with the line troops within sight
of the precious Roer. It was
here that enemy mortar fire caused
the first of the Detachments
two fatalities, two faces we are certain
the Medics will miss.
Now, from the Medics
themselves come this: We cussed you,
called you gold-bricks,
damned you for awakening us for aspirin
or a nosepack, sometimes we
told you to go to hell! Some of us
will be friends throughout
life. We learned to like and admire a lot
of you those we couldnt
like personally we admired as a part of
the 85th; were rightfully proud of
the eyes and ears of the division.
Proud is the word! All we
ask that if we should meet on the
street don't pass us by but
stop and say a word, perhaps we can
drift around the corner -- out of
sight of the little woman -- to that
neighborhood bar. Who knows,
some bright gent may discover a
liquid form of A.S.A.
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