Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
7:37 | Charles Smith spent his first Christmas away from home in the snow and ice of the Battle of the Bulge. He "did not think of death. It was almost like going to work." He remembers a scary night left alone on guard duty next to a graveyard.
Keywords : Charles Smith Recon Armored Battle of the Bulge Ardennes Forest
Just a farm boy from Tennessee, Charles Smith thought his basic training was a great experience. As a lefty, he was switched from a carbine to a machine gun because the spent shells kept hitting him in the face. Then, he "did not have to do much aiming."
Assigned to a recon company, Charles Smith came ashore at Omaha Beach shortly after D-Day and pushed inland. His first major encounter was the Battle of Saint-Lo. "Sometimes it seems like it was all a bad dream."
When his armored car was hit and his comrades retreated, Charles Smith provided covering fire and then spent a tense night alone in the vehicle, not aware of what had happened to everyone. He was awarded the Silver Star and French decorations as well.
After the Battle of the Bulge, Charles Smith had a pleasant interlude quartered with a Belgian family in the village of Trooz. Then, as he neared Berlin, he befriended a Russian soldier only fourteen years old, whose rifle was as long as he was tall.
The points system that determined your discharge date was unfair in the eyes of recon company member Charles Smith, so he stayed on when he was eligible to be discharged. Looking back on his experiences, he urges all veterans to record their memories.
