Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:25 | The end of the war was a big moment for Kenny Bell. For the first time in a long time, he went into town and celebrated. That was in Brittany, but before he went home, he had occupation duty in several places. In Austria, he had a big German command car for his personal transportation. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Keywords : occupation duty Austria mechanic Wolfgang motorpool Saint Nazaire France Kenny Bell
He was a young country kid trying to make his way in an Army full of more sophisticated people. Kenny Bell got the manual for the artillery pieces and read it at night until he knew the guns inside and out. He volunteered to go overseas when he was sent to a stateside post. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
His division was devastated by the sinking of the SS Leopoldville, so Kenny Bell was not sent to Battle of the Bulge. The 66th Infantry Division was instead given the assignment of containing German troops around submarine bases on the French coast. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Kenny Bell relates the story of a man on his gun crew who went into the nearby French town and came back with five gallons of wine. That night, while he was having a little party, a fire mission came in. Not good for accuracy. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
The war was over and the guy wanted a souvenir. Kenny Bell told him that that his idea was a bad one, burning out the load from an artillery projectile so he could keep the shell. In Bell's pocket was what everyone thought was a pack of cigarettes, but was actually the secret to his success. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
After World War II, Kenny Bell wound up an Army lifer. He became known as a fixer, a sergeant who could come into a dysfunctional unit and straighten it out. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
