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Jack Myers

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It was a huge convoy to England and almost everyone on the troop ship was seasick. Jack Myers did not get sick but he had gone up on deck as the ship sailed from New York harbor in the middle of the night and that made him a little apprehensive. His first big battle was at Antwerp, where he had to intervene when his squad leader went a little crazy. (4:35)

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It wasn't easy at the Siegfried Line, says Jack Myers. There were tough pillboxes and bunkers, but he was a gunner on a tank destroyer and he could put a three inch shell right through the gun portals. The Germans had much better tanks, but the American armor was endless, a massive force that could not be stopped. Especially once they got the new 90 mm gun. Mr. Meyers also describes a Christmas Eve incident that shows the human side of war. (4:08)

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They were pinned down by German artillery when the platoon leader told Jack Myers to put a shell into a church steeple where he thought a spotter might be. It worked and they moved on. It was the kind of thing he did all the time but it had resonance after the war. (4:01)

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It was a pre-dawn mission and Jack Myers was a little nervous about going out ahead of the lines in the big tank destroyer, but that went OK. It was when they got back that things got scary. Soon after that, they were redeployed by rail through Southern France and into Southern Germany where they picked up a little fresh pork. (3:51)

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The war in Europe was over and Jack Myers returned to England, where he had an amazing chance encounter. After his voyage home, he used the GI Bill to great effect, learning a trade which supported him for over fifty years. He has some words for those who criticize Harry Truman for using the atomic bomb. (3:07)

Jack Roan

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He thought some of the things he had to do in basic training were stupid, like getting up early and running, but Jack Roan came to appreciate later the preparation he got there. He went first to North Africa, where he encountered the legendary General George Patton. (4:43)

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Jack Roan has a scar on his arm that he received from a mounted German soldier who attacked him in a manner that was straight out of the nineteenth century. It took place in North Africa, where he found himself without a unit after being in the hospital. They had shipped out, so he volunteered for Ranger training. Big mistake. (4:23)

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The Battle of Cisterna began on January 30, 1944. The 3rd Ranger Battalion was supposed to travel down the Mussolini Canal and make it to a certain point by daybreak, but rain and mud slowed them down. By morning, the Germans were ready for them and had a distinct advantage. Jack describes the surrender of hundreds of Rangers that followed. (4:38)

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On his way to a German stalag, Jack Roan was shown a camp where prisoners were starving, perhaps to scare him. When he got to his own camp, it was large and filthy. He jumped at the chance to become a laborer for a German farmer. (6:49)

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He was sick with dysentery, but Jack Roan was determined to escape. The Germans were marching prisoners aimlessly on the road, so security was lax. He and two others made their move during a big storm. They hid in the woods and took potatoes from fields until they made contact with allies. (6:59)