SEARCH RESULTS

Herman Buffington

---

Herman Buffington pays tribute to one of his Sergeants on Okinawa, William B. "Willie B" Holeman, who was known for not sending his men anywhere he wouldn't go. Willie B was trapped on a small hill and surrounded by the enemy when Buffington took a group of volunteers to get him and his men out of there. (9:20)

---

Herman Buffington was taking some potshots at Japanese troops on the other side of a large ravine where they were foolishly cooking their rice out in the open. When an officer came by and asked how he was doing, he remarked that he was trying to mix a little lead with the rice. The man asked for the rifle so he could give it a try and he proved to be an excellent shot. Buffington could smell the brass and he was right. It was General Simon Buckner. (4:52)

---

It was late night guard duty and Herman Buffington heard something. Then he saw a figure crouched in the brush. When the next flare went up, he sighted and fired. The figure didn't move so he shot him again. When he found out why there was no reaction, all he could do was laugh. He did get a souvenir out of the encounter, a silk Japanese flag. (4:36)

---

With many others, Herman Buffington was preparing for the dreaded Japan invasion when the atomic bomb ended the war. That was great news for him, just back with his unit. He had been in the hospital recovering from a shrapnel wound when a red haired lady from the Red Cross caught his eye. This was going to be trouble, he thought. (2:56)

---

Herman Buffington recalls two peculiar incidents from his time in the Philippines after the war. One involved several hundred new Jeeps headed for the bottom of the ocean. The other involved a thankless assignment as a lifeguard. (4:48)

---

The man had been shot up pretty bad, remembers Herman Buffington, who carried him back to the camp. All the way the wounded soldier had pleaded with him to leave him there, but once safe in a foxhole, he wouldn't let go of Buffington's hand, even when the medics prepared to evacuate him. (5:19)

---

Herman Buffington displays his Bronze Star and Purple Heart, along with the rest of his decorations from Saipan and Okinawa. He pays tribute to today's soldiers and explains how he never understood the importance of what he was doing in combat. (1:35)

Herman Goldman

---

Entering the Rome-Arno Campaign as an infantry replacement, Herman Goldman heard for the first time the "noise of war." The artillery fire "gets into your brain." D-Day overshadowed this fierce battle against crack German troops. (4:36)

---

Herman Goldman recalls the difficult mountain terrain of the N. Apennines Campaign in North Italy. His unit would have had no K-Rations or ammo without the locals and their mules. (3:55)

---

Herman Goldman acknowledges the fallen American soldiers of the Italian campaigns still buried there and also recalls the pride of his first vote, marking his "X" at the front, and the misery of yellow jaundice in a foxhole. (5:12)