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John Harms

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After being promoted to colonel, John Harms gained a variety of new responsibilities that he was asked to take on. He learned to lean on the consultation of his staff, who he personally chose himself. (4:28)

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Racial tensions in Vietnam were very high between black and white soldiers, which John Harms was tasked with helping resolve. On one particular mission, he and his battalion came across a lost NVA company that they laid pretty heavy fire on. (4:42)

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The terrain of Vietnam made the job of John Harms and his battalion difficult. Trying to figure out the location of the Viet Cong was a constant challenge that they had to put up with. (7:06)

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Cooperating with local forces was very important to the success of Marines in Vietnam. Maintaining health while on the ground was also a necessity, as disease spread quickly among open wounds and less than ideal climates. (7:48)

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According to John Harms, the Vietnam War was an unnecessary war that didn't need to happen. There were a lot of complications in America at the time that led to the war being a losing game. (5:28)

John Holeman

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The training in California was hot and the Atlantic Crossing was a nightmare, according to John Holeman, who was on his way to France as a replacement for the hard hit units who had been in fierce combat. The first thing his unit saw when they got to the top of the cliffs at Omaha beach gave them pause, and when they were in transit through a rail yard, what they found in the next car gave them cheer. (5:22)

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John Holeman caught up with the 44th Division at Luneville in France. They made the new replacement a B.A.R. man. Heavier than a rifle, the Browning Automatic was, essentially, a small machine gun. Their first day moving out, a German artillery barrage sent him into a wet ditch, where he decided on a wardrobe adjustment. That same day, he watched a lone German fighter pilot parachute from the only enemy plane sent against them. (4:00)

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The front was disorganized, so outposts were made around the French farmhouse where John Holeman's unit was situated. After his watch, he noticed some men gathered near the farm's gate. Soon he would have a prized war souvenir. (3:15)

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John Holeman was grateful for the air support as his unit fought across France. "That's the only thing that saved our hides!" The further they went, the more the German army was made up of teenagers and old men. At the Maginot line, he had a heart stopping encounter with a mortar shell. Eventually they were stopped by the worst winter in fifty years. (5:09)

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Holed up in bunkers in the deep snow, John Holeman's unit was on Patton's flank when they were surrounded by Germans on the move. It was December 31st, and for three days, they fought the desperate enemy, who could not hold the position. (3:47)