Heroes

Pfc Mason Hamel Armstrong  There's a plaque dedicated to Private First Class Mason Hamel Armstrong (D.S.C.), F Co. 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division for action at Neufmoulin. This bazooka man was a unique and daring individual indeed. He hung out of the bedroom window of a small whitewashed house beside the road in Neufmoulin in the heart of the Ardennes and did some serious damage. Almost single handedly he took out two loaded half tracks that constituted one fork of Peipers spearhead. On the 18th December Peiper had divided his force at Stoumont in a desperate attemt to reach the river Meuse in the west. The 82nd's General Gavin was particularly impressed with Mason Armstrong and F co's efforts when he saw the devastation he'd wrought on the German column. 1st Lt Edward C. Arn wrote (quote): Within seconds I heard a blast from one of the company's bazookas in Neufmoulin. And then another. I discovered later that one of Beaudoin's bazooka men, PFC Mason Armstrong, had worked his way from the wooded high ground North of town into the second story of a residence and had fired down on two Kraut half-tracks … knocking out both. Several weeks later, by the way, I put Armstrong in for the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the Nation's second highest award, for this particular action. He got it too.  I heard a jeep coming down the highway behind me. I nearly fell down into the Grand Mont rivulet when it pulled up and a tall, lean paratroop officer - with two stars on his helmet - leaped out. "Who's in command here?" "I am, sir, Lieutenant Arn, "F" Company, 119th Regiment, 30th Division … at your service!" I was flabbergasted and showed it. "I am Jim Gavin of the 82nd Airborne Division". He waved away my salute, which I brought up from about 30 feet under that road, with a grin, "Looks to me, Lieutenant, as if you've had quite a night of it" "Yes, Sir, we have but my men have secured Neufmoulin and we are about to complete its occupation. We have also set up a road block" "Good! You'll be pleased to know that my people will be relieving you here and moving through your positions. We're on the ground now in this emergency. I'll go on up ahead and have a look around if that's alright with you, Lieutenant." "Yes, Sir!". I responded withe wide-eyed admiration. Major General James Gavin, Commanding Officier of the entire and very famous 82nd Airborne Division, out ahead of the whole division with a jeep and a driver! I was dumfounded and so were my men with me. James Hanney 168th Combat Infantry bat James Hanney 168th Combat Infantry batt. How many of you have heard of the Prumerberg ridge? For six days and nights the Mr. James Hanney and the rest of 168th Combat Infantry resisted the sustained attacks of the determined 18th Volks Grenadier regiment in the most inhumanly cold conditions. It was - 28c up there on that small ridge. James was eventually wounded and helped down from the ridge by his best friend Frank Galligan. I recall James telling me that he still wore 3 pairs of socks and that his feet hadn't been warm since that long week in 1944. Below is  a letter that I received from his daughter.  Sept. 27, 2005 Hope this finds you & your family well. You were the one that showed my Dad, sister, brother in law & myself aroundthe Ardennes last summer July 23, 2005 and gave us memories we will never forget. Our unforgettable day we spent with you taking my dad back to St.Vith where he was 61 years ago. The actual monument and fox holes where he fought his final battle of the war and got wounded. on the middle photo he's standing beside his best friend Frank Galligan who saved his life. Frank was later wounded crossing Rhine and spent 10 years in hospital.(still alive- 84) Also Robert Zimman from my dad's unit whom we saw listed at cemetery on the MIA wall. Lost crossing Rhine. The trip was such closer for him and so special for us to piece together stories and time we had heard so much about through our growing up years. To stand in the Ardennes Forest next to his fox hole was unreal. Major Arthur C. Parker here's an excerpt of of a letter written by General Gavin to Major Parker. July 2, 1980 Major Arthur C. Parker Leeds, Alabama 35905 Dear Major Parker, In The Battle of the Bulge, I was commanding the 82nd Airborne Division and we were originally given the front from Trois Ponts to Vielsalm, including Their Dumont. I was in the town of Fraiture, one mile northeast, the afternoon you made your great stand at the crossroads. That stand your defenders made at the crossroads was one of the greatest actions of the war. It gave us at least a twenty-four hour respite, so I thank you and all the brave soldiers who were under your command for that. With best Regards signed Lieutenant General James M. Gavin USA (Ret) Commander, 82nd Airborne Division Lt. Charles L Boggess At 0200 Christmas morning CCB marched thirty miles west to the 4th Armored Division's left flank. At 0700 the 37th jumped off from Bercheaux and swiftly took Bauxles-Rosieres, Nives and Remoiville. At dawn on 26 December the 37th struck again, taking Remi, Champagne, and then seizing the high ground near Chochiment, only three miles from Bastogne. LTC Abrams, commanding the 37th, made the undramatic statement, "We're going in to those people now." The lead vehicle in that attack was a Sherman named "Cobra King" and commanded by Charles Boggess Jr., of Greenville, Ill. LT Boggess was CO of Charlie Company, 37th Tank Battalion. There were but eight other tanks in Company C when the "move out" order came, but at 1515 hours all nine sets of sprockets turned, leading the 37th armored northward to the embattled 101st. Two towns lay between the 37th and Bastogne. Their names were Clochimont and Assenois, and they were both heavily defended by elite German troops. Beyond Assenois was a heavy wood, concealing the blockhouses that enclosed the road to Bastogne. Company C's mission was to barge through these defenses in high gear, stopping for nothing and leaving the mopping up to the companies following, which were supported by the 53rd Infantry. At 1645 1LT Boggess shook hands with LT Webster of the 326th Engineers, 101st Airborne Division and in twenty-five minutes LTC Abrams and his S3, CPT William Dwight, reported to BG Anthony G. McAuliffe, acting CG of the 101st. 82nd hero meets 101st hero 82nd hero James 'Maggie' Megallas meets 101st hero Roy K Manley. I had the unique honor of interviewing them both for the forthcoming documentary that I've been working on with my co-writer Mike Collins. Wait for the documentary to see this meeting and hear the remarkable conversation they had. Roy gave me a silver dollar and said "That's my calling card", what a guy!!! They were both amazing.