Heroes: the Army
"...I looked up to see something and saw men lying in the fields get up and make a dash for cover. It came to me too late that they were under an artillery barrage. Just then everything went boom, the Jeep jumped to the right and stopped. Sarge and Hairless jumped out as did Ross and Dowd. I saw Ross holding his left arm with blood coming thru his fingers..."
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Edward L. Souder, standing near a U. S. Air Force T-38 Talon supersonic jet trainer, while on staff of CAP [Civil Air Patrol] Encampment at Perrin AFB, Texas in 1955. Ed possesses a Private Pilot Certificate and has logged some 700 plus hours of flight time. Photo courtesy of Edward L. Souder. |
Ed's Story: Continues
On this page, we continue with additional story material about Ed Souder who was wounded while with Co. F., 405th Infantry Regiment on the 28th of November 1944 when the jeep he and four others were riding in was struck by a near miss from a German 88. In effect, the injuries incurred as a result of the schrapnel from this German 88 effectively ended Ed's war.
Let us first go back a little ways to the training days of the men in Co. F. Below is a little incident that took place that adds some wit and humor to the training days prior to the men going off to war.
Ed would like to share this...
The Graphic Training Lesson
In August of 1944 the men of the 102nd Division had finished training at Camp Swift, Texas and were sent to Fort Dix, NJ for final training and inspection before being sent to Europe for armed combat. A recent addition to the officer ranks when the men got to Ft. Dix was a young lieutenant who, rumor had it, had been washed out of the Army Air Corps for flying his fighter plane under the arches of a bridge&emdash; contrary to air corps regulations &emdash; and so was transferred to an infantry outfit.
At this time all officers were given code names so that if they needed to be mentioned in radio communications in the battle area &emdash; hopefully &emdash; the Germans would not know who the officer really was. This young officer was nicknamed "Bird Man."
Much stress was placed upon this final phase of the training and lecturers were all told to make their presentations to the enlisted men as graphic as possible. So on the particular warm August morning "Bird Man" was assigned to present the training lecture "Care of the Body in Combat". He selected the place for this training lecture with care - and so - he stood on the steps outside the orderly room and seated the men of the company on the ground in front of the orderly room. He was on a porch slightly above their heads. He directed his "runner" to go to the mess hall and borrow a kitchen broom - one with the biggest diameter stick of the wooden handled brooms. This was to be used in his lecture.
"Birdman" was the youngest officer in the company &emdash; and the company commander had directed him to give this lecture (rather as a joke) to put this officer "in his place". With the men seated in front of him "Birdman" took out a package of Army Issue condums - and proceeded to demonstrate to the men the proper use of the rubbers &emdash; by using the broom handle, which he held between his legs, as the shaft for the demonstration. He rolled the rubbers up and down the handle several times and demonstrated the safe way to remove the rubbers after use. There was some "modest" response from the men of the company.
Intent on his topic "Birdman" did not notice the approach of the Base Commander and his inspection team of battalion and company officers. They stood to one side of the lecture area where they could see and hear the lecture but not be seen by "Birdman". However, they could be seen by the men seated on the ground, who were very much surprised to see such a team of high ranking officers come to a company lecture.
At the end of "Birdman's" lecture he asked if there were any questions. Having none from the company men, the Base Commander stepped forward and asked - in a loud voice - "Lieutenant, will these army issue condoms work well for EVERYONE??"
Without carefully considering his answer, the lieutenant said "Yes, Sir. They will work for any enlisted man &emdash; for any officer &emdash; and even for a BIG PECKER like you, SIR"
With some raised eyebrows - the lecture being over - the men fell in and marched off to another lecture on the training schedule.
The Ozark runner who procured the broom for the lecture &emdash; and sent in this report &emdash; suggested we not use names.
----- Edward L. Souder
Source of this story: Ozark Notes, Vol 51, No. 4, July/Sept. 1999, pp. 15.
With our sincere THANKS to Edward L. Souder and the 102nd Infantry Division Association
The Berated General
Here's the story I mentioned in an email -- Back in 1943 when I was first inducted into the Army -- after being processed at Ft. Snelling -- here in MPLS [Minneapolis] -- I was sent to have basic training at Ft. Knox, Ky and ended up in a replacement training outfit called the AFRTS. And the commander of that unit was a Lt. Blair. (1st Lt)
After about 4 weeks of training -- I was promoted to a non legal position and was awarded a rating -- good only at Ft. Knox of (Lance Corporal) this was a arm band worn on the left sleeve and had 2 stripes on a blue background It didnt mean anything but made me a soldier who sometimes drilled the other troops and did some other silly jobs like Mail orderly and prisoner guard. It didnt pay anything more but was a possible step up the command ladder provided I didnt GOOF off later.
Because I was sent to Ft. Knox and since I was supposed to get my 4 year college degree in June of 1943 -- I asked the co. commander if I could get a 4 day pass to go and attend the ceremony m MPLS, Mn. On June 6th 1943 and only be gone from training like on a 3 day pass plus 1 day. And this LT said he thought it was possible -- and would keep me advised. So I advised my Mother that it seemed likely that I could be able to attend the commencement on June 6th and she advised the college of this joyous happening. In the mean while I was awarded the Lance Corporal rating -- and --
On June 1st I again checked in with the Lt. and he said he was being transfered but would pass along my 4 day pass request to his next officer with a recommendation that this pass be granted, -- On June 2nd the new officer called me in and told me he didnt see any good reason to grant my 4 day pass request and that HE was going to not allow me to go on such a (foolish errand) and that my training in the Armored Force was far more important than going to get a degree awarded back home!!! Pass denied!!!!
So I contacted my Mother and the June 6th college award was DEAD!!
My Mother wasnt a lady to be so easily PUT DOWN -- so with little fore thought&emdash; she picked up the telephone and placed a "person to person" call to the Commanding OFFICER at Ft. Knox, KY about 9 AM on June 3rd and the base operator placed the call directly into the Base GENERALS office and when the call rang thru -- the Generals adjutant transfered the call directly to his commander GENERAL FOX who was just back from the fighting in North Africa and the battle to chase Rommell out of Africa. (General FOX was supposed to be a war hero but in truth was sent back to Ft. Knox to retrain the new tankers in the finer aspects of desert warfare. And so --
Without any direct information Gen. FOX picks up the telephone and my Mother -- tells him that SHE didnt think that HE had any business cancelling my 4 day pass PERIOD!!! That she felt that was wrong and told him that if he didnt do the right thing -- she was going to take it to Senator Shipstead (the Sr. senator from MN. At the time -- and the head of the WAR SERVICES committee in Wash. DC personally.)
My Mother didnt know anything about chain of command in the army and frankly didnt give a damm!! She stood all of 60 inches tall in her bare feet and was just as mad as HELL -- so she gives the General 1 hour to respond and she expected HIM to "do the right thing". They both hang up and Mother goes on to a days business&emdash; still spouting.
Seems that after the conversation -- Gen Fox calls his adjutant and sets something in motion. The Adjutant calls the new LT and gathers the facts regarding the soldier and reports back to the General favorably so the General directs the Adjutant to reissue the 4 day pass and get the word to me.
None of this information gets to me in the barracks.
General FOX goes off to his business and the wheels are set in motion to give me the pass as requested.
The next day our training calls for a 5 mile march out to the fireing range to fire the 37 mm anti tank gun on the 500 inch range so we get up early and after early chow we march out to the range It had rained some over night and there was some dry dust in the range pits so about 8 AM we get into possition and get set to fire the range -- this places the coaches belly down in the mud and dust to correctly site the weapon and we get well dirtyed-up doing so -- suddenly a staff car drives up and stops -- the car (truck) contains a driver -- and a bird colonel and since we NEVER before SAW a staff car out in the fireing ranges EVER!!! The Platoon Sgt. Reports to the Officer and after some discussion calles Lance Corporal Souder over and says to the Lance Corporal -- " Souder -- do you know how to report to a Col." So Souder says Come to Present arms and hold the salute until recognized and then follow the officers directions. So -- Souder says SIR -- Lance Corporal E.L SOUDER reporting as ordered. this staff car has the flag of the base commander uttering on the fender and after about a minute the Officer puts SOUDER at ease and asks some questions and then says -- That Gen. FOX the base commander is granting the 4 day pass and that -- IF -- I will get into the back seat of the vehicle -- he will drive me back to my Co. area and that in 15 minutes my pass would be waiting for me at the Co. CP. So dusty dirty SOUDER climbs into the staff car and off they go back to camp.
Meanwhile the whole training exercise is stopped dead in its tracks and all are standing open mouthed and wondering.-- No information is passed to them about what is going on -- After a 10 minute ride I report to the Company commander and he says OK Souder youve got 15 minutes to get cleaned up and in a class A uniform & report to me here -- so SOUDER does just that and he is given a class A pass and the Capt. Asks if -- SOUDER would like the base to dispatch a driver to get me into the city of Louisville and to the train station at once -- and that HE was directed to call the air base and see if there was a chance to get me on the flight to MPLS departing at 11 AM from the army field.?? The answer was YES Please!! and that the Capt would wire my Mother that I was coming and was due to arrive on June 7th -- a day late for the graduation -- but that General FOX had personally made this possible!!! Unfortuneately the airforce plane had departed at 1030 AM so Souder didnt get that flight.
Souder rides the train all night and get into MPLS on Saturday morning at 9 AM and goes down to the college and does get the certificate and has 1 day at home and takes the zephyr back to Ft. Knox and returns to training and no explanation is made about all that happened to get him his pass back to MPLS.
During his time on furlough Mrs. Souder says nothing to her son about what she did to get the general to grant the 4 day pass and it isnt until July 4th 1945 that SOUDER learns the amazing details of the whole affair.
Much later -- some strange things happen -- at the end of basic training at Ft. Knox the special training called ASTP opens up and SOUDER is transfered to Columbus Ohio and gets in the ASTP program without the usual qualifications as set forth -- WHY???
Again later -- SOUDER gets posted to the Co. Hdqrters spot as wire man -- radio operator and selected guide to very high ratng officers in Germany No explanation -- Just too a many strange unexplaind things.
Regards -&emdash; Ed Souder
The Brotherhood of the Balloon
In recent years, Ed has had even a tougher battle to contend with than the ones that he faced back in Holland and Germany in 1944.
The most recent battles deal with a foe that almost always wins: Prostate Cancer.
Ed has fought this battle to a stand still in recent years and one of the victories that he won was at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California
Mr. Bob Marckini is the founder of the The Brotherhood of the Balloon. The Brotherhood of the Balloon "is an independent organization consisting of men who have received Proton Treatment and are interested in supporting each other during the healing process, as well as promoting Proton treatment to others who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer".
Ed Souder went to the Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment of his Prostate Cancer and is a current member of the Brotherhood of the Balloon.
Bob Marckini, has written up his version of Ed's story and talks about Ed as a featured member of the Brotherhood of the Balloon.
Here is the member's story that Bob Marckini wrote:
"FEATURED MEMBER - Ed Souder
One of the primary reasons I chose Proton treatment for my prostate cancer was the strength of conviction of the former patients whom I interviewed - all 56 of them! I was also struck by their energy, enthusiasm and intelligence. Yet surprisingly they all came from diverse backgrounds. I suppose that's why I added the category of "professions" to the member database, back in December of 2000 when the BOB was conceived. And it wasn't just the physicists, pilots, physicians, college professors, scientists, lawyers and engineers that impressed me. It was also the clergy, the laborers, the policemen, and the farmers. They all had these attributes in common. And the reason I added the "Featured Members" column to our Newsletter, was to let members know about these special people who are a part of our group.
Most of the Featured BOB Members I've written about have been high achievers, groundbreakers, and leaders in their field - sports, the military, public service, business, volunteerism, or science.
Considering what is going on in the world right now, I thought I would feature a different kind of person this month; a man who spent his time in the trenches; a man who fought and almost died for his country...a man who gets angry with you if you even hint at calling him a hero. His name is Ed Souder.
Ed Souder (BOB 10/01) grows orchids - and most people know him as "the orchid man."
He calls himself an "orchid propagator," and during treatment, he was known to frequently bring orchids to his favorite Case Manager, Sharon Hoyle, as a way of expressing his appreciation for all she does for the patients. But I recently discovered, that Ed has done some other things in his life, besides growing orchids. As did many of our members, Ed spent some time in the military and served as a PFC, in Company F, 405th Regiment, 102nd Division, 2nd Battalion, from 1942 to 1945.
Ed was inducted into the Army in 1942 - first as an enlisted reserve man, and then in March of 1943 into active service, and sent to Fort Knox, KY. After basic training, he was transferred to Columbus, OH and studied at Ohio State University. That education was cut short when he was sent to Camp Swift, TX where he received his infantry training. In August he was transferred to the radio-wire section of the company and was given the responsibility for 1,500 yards of communications wire and the long range SCR300 in combat.
Ed was shipped overseas in the "John Erickson," a refitted German luxury liner with 5,000 other soldiers. His bunk was 15 feet below the water line ("Nice place to take a torpedo" according to Ed), and his destination was unknown to him at the time. The voyage was memorable: Cramped quarters, seasickness, salt water showers, cleaning weapons, standing watch, seasickness, fog, reading his bible, writing letters, submarine attacks...and seasickness.
Then there were the typhus shots. According to Ed, "They burned like hell and were so strong you could taste them. Afterwards, you were afraid your arm would fall off - and then you wished it had. We got these every 3 days; they gave us serious cramps and made us violently ill; helped us forget the sea sickness."
After 13 days of sailing, they landed at a reclaimed port in Cherbourg, France. Next was a march through deep dark countryside to a camping area where his first important job was to dig the company latrine. It rained every day for two weeks. Living in foxholes filled with mud and rain was the norm; staying warm or dry was impossible.
His company was transported to Germany. On the way they passed through many towns that were destroyed by the fighting. To their horror, they also saw, coming in the opposite direction, the mangled bodies of their comrades who were wounded in action. Ed clearly remembers one 18-year old soldier, under heavy sedation, missing a leg and encapsulated in a blood soaked body cast.
Reading the bible and praying helped Ed through some of the difficult times, especially when the fear became palpable.
In Tongeress, Belgium, Ed and his company were met by German buzz bombs, "the V-1s that sounded like washing machine motors, but when they landed near us, it was terrifying." While there, one of Ed's assignments was to lead General Montgomery to a key battlefield position under enemy fire. General Montgomery was commander of the British 2nd Army, to which Ed's 102nd was attached at the time.
Two days later, in a pine forest they had the distinction of being the first American troops fighting inside the boundaries of Germany. Ed's company was attacking the town of Geilenkirchen. He was the wireman, radio operator.
A friend, Willie Wilcox, who had been with Ed since training camp, was hit by a hunk of shrapnel, which cut off his leg 3 inches below the hip joint. Ed remembers trying to bandage it, but he couldn't stop the bleeding. Before he died, he gave Ed his crucifix to take to his mother if he (Ed) got back alive. Willie died a few minutes later. "So I left him in the mud, but first closed his eyes and stuck his bayonet and rifle in the mud, hoping he'd be found by a team of soldiers to be buried by God."
Most of Ed's wire construction and repair were done at night, and he worked with three other soldiers who were assigned to guard him. On November 28, 1944 it happened. He was riding in a jeep with two of his buddies when an artillery shell struck, blowing all three of them out of the jeep. Ed was hit hard in the left hip and buttocks with shrapnel, which penetrated deep into his body, fracturing his spine and severely tearing away adjoining tissue. He was temporarily paralyzed, thinking at the time it was permanent.
He remembers the searing pain and overwhelming fear, and in the subsequent hours and days, the transfusions, morphine, penicillin and sulfa drugs. First aid was done in Germany; then he was airlifted to England. In England nurses gave him a mirror to see the wound on his hip. It was 8 inches long, 6 inches wide, exposed to the bone and full of dirt and shrapnel. He had the first of many surgeries in there, but they couldn't remove the steel that was pressing on his broken spine. So they loaded him onto a ship, the "St. Machiel" for transport back to the USA. During this voyage, a cyclone hit, nearly capsizing the ship, and many of the injured were thrown about, only to suffer more broken bones.
And of course, there was the seasickness.
Ed remembers the joy of sailing into port in Charleston South Carolina and finally being home in the USA. He was sent by hospital train to Walla Walla Washington, where more surgeries were performed to repair his spine, followed by months of rehabilitation.
Infections and other complications slowed things down, but Ed eventually recovered. He remembers leaving the hospital and being discharged from the Army in June of 1945. "I went out and stood my last service retreat as a member of the Army. I stood to the east of the circle and as the salute started, I came up to present arms and held it as the Star Spangled Banner rolled over the Iron bugle, and the flag was grounded. I guess there were tears in my eyes." He remembers thinking at the time, "I pray that I may be as good a citizen as I was a soldier - as that was easy."
Several years later he had one more surgery to extract the last bit of shrapnel that was embedded in his spine. Ask Ed what he remembers most about his time in the service?
"Tough life then - and so few of us old doggies around to recall that now. Had some pretty good horsemeat as a substitute for beef, but I never really liked the horse meat . . . tasted funny."
Ed Souder doesn't consider himself a hero, because "he didn't do anything special."
Yes, lots of guys did what he did. Lots were injured. Many were killed. They are all heroes in my book, and I am honored to be a part of an organization of which Ed Souder is a member, particularly at a time when our military is overseas fighting to protect our freedom and bringing peace to the world.
When I sent Ed a draft of what I had written for the Newsletter, his return email stated, "Never thought Id be a featured member in the BOB notes -- me the littlest guy in the whole outfit." I'm sure Ed still doesn't realize what a giant he is, and that he's an excellent example of what has become known as "The Greatest Generation." I suspect we have a few more members of this extraordinary fraternity within the ranks of the BOB."
Additional Pages Devoted to Mr. Edward L. Souder's Military Career:
Edward
L. Souder: Letters Home
Edward L. Souder: Story Before Combat & Diary
Edward L. Souder: Ed's Story (Co. F., 405th Reg.)
Edward L. Souder: Additional Exerpts from Ed's Career
Edward L. Souder: Photo Album & Scrapbook
Ed's entire story, in his own (unabashed) words can be read on the website,World War II Stories -- In Their Own Words: Army Heroes, along with 28 other stories written by members of his infantry company. I highly recommend visiting the site and reading Ed Souder's story. I found it riveting. For those of you who wish to contact Ed, he can be emailed by clicking on the image below:
