Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:20 | After capturing an entire German Panzer division, Hubert Aaron's outfit was moving up the Rhone River Valley when he was wounded in an ambush. Evacuated to Naples, he found out how great was his sacrifice.
Keywords : Hubert Aaron Rhone River Montelimar France wounded machine gun Frank Williams Naples amputation hospital wheelchair McCloskey General Hospital Temple TX Lawson General Hospital Georgia Purple Heart Silver Star Bronze Star
Hubert Aaron was drafted in 1943 and after a short stop in North Africa, his unit joined the push into Southern Italy. Soon he was celebrating his twentieth birthday in combat. He recalls diving into the mud in a cabbage patch as the bullets punctured the vegetables all around.
Hubert Aaron says, "I know I'm going to heaven because I spent three months in hell at Anzio." During this battle, he directed some artillery fire that was highly accurate, but then he was on the receiving end as an incoming enemy round put him in the hospital with a concussion. After being pinned down for three months and nearly being pushed back into the sea, the Allies finally prevailed.
After breaking out at Anzio. Hubert Aaron's unit marched into Rome, the only American unit to capture an enemy capitol during World War Two. He received a Silver Star for actions during that operation. When he went into St. Tropez, with dry feet for a change, he ignored his platoon leader's order to move out through an open field. Then he let his Thompson submachine gun do some talking.
