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Show 5gt Sgt . Larry SwainFights Swain SwainFights Fights in .Three Three . Three ThreeTheatres ThreeTheatres Theatres of WarThe War WarThe The Japs7 Japs " ' Well the first time timei tim < i ( [ saw one I had a crazy feelinj feeling 1 [ [ wanted to put a collar on himthought him- him himthought him himthought - , thought he was an ape Then I Ithought Ithought 1thought thought Id I d train a couple forchore for forchore foichore chore boys but decided theywouldn they theywouldn I wouldn t pan out too good Ohsure Orsure Oh Ohsure sure they re really tough tighters fight fightera - ers era fightIers and seldom give up withou without withoutbemg withoutbeing withoubeing fight--I fight I < being bemg killed As good as the Germans Ger GerI Germans Germans I mans ? Well the Germans are'th areth are'the arethe are'thebest are'thcbest arethcbest ' ' best trained soldiers i in n nth t theworld h e eworld eworld world but they do stop fighting figbting figbtingwhen fightingwhen fightingwhen when they see see-they see they see'they seethey ' - they haven't havent ' ' go goa goa gota a chance Things sort of even eventhemselves eventhemselves evenhcmselves themselves up Sgt Lawrence LawrenceSwain LawrenceSwain LawrenceSwain Swain ought to know he saw sawthe sawthe sawthe the J Japs aps in the Southwest Pacilic Pacific Pacilicand Pacificand Pacificand and the Germans in Africa and andEurope andEurope andEurope Europe and was wounded in ineach ineach ineach each theater The Vernal paratrooper paratrooper para paratrooper trooper is one of the few to havereceived have haverecel havereceived received recel ved three Purple HeartsLarry Hearts HeartsLarry Larry enlisted in 10 May 1942received 1942 1942received received his training at Ft Ben Benmng Benrang Benning mng rang Georgia Camp RobertsCalifornia Roberts RobertsCalifornia California a place in Texas Texaswhich Texaswhich Texaswhich which the boys fondly remember remem remember rememier ber as Camp Mud Camp Shel Shelby Shely by ) , . Mississippi and at the 1942 1942Louisiana 1942Louisiana 1942jouisiana Louisiana maneuvers From Fromthere Fromthere Fromthere there on it was the real thfng- thfng thing- thing thinggoing thing thinggoing - in with the iir first t QJ\ QJ qn \ QJGuad on Guadalcanal Guad Guadaleanal Quadalcanal aleanal alcanal nine days of Qf hot hotaction action ' . , " r - J ! Larry can't cant ' rem remember inber Ehe 'I I ' < the name nameof nameof namiof of the Island 1and where he was first firstwounded firstwounded firswounded wounded , isays 'says says ' he couldn't couldnt coul4n't coul4nt ' pro- pro pronounce propounce prcnounce - - nounce pounce it If he toUldl toUldlbu could , bu but shraf 'ap- 'ap ap shrap- shrap sh shrapeel shrafto 'apnel ' - - nel eel In his s1d side find and h hip p : sent hiJn him hiJnto himto to Sydney Australia AustraUa by plan plane planeand planeand planand < and then back to tq the Stites States States.Elsenhower's States.Elsenhowers StatesElsenhowers , . E1sehhower's E1sehhowers Eisenhower's Eisenhowers ' invasion In'Vaston InVaston ' ofAfrica of ofAfrica o : Africa In Nov NaY 1943 found Larry LarryIn Larryin Lamin In on that show too After 40 40days 4days ( , days of the kind of fighting fild\ttng fild ttng \ that thatparatroopers thatparatroopers thaparatroopers paratroopers are tra.tlied.in- tratlied.in tra.tlied.in tratliedin tra.tlied.inJumps trained . . in-- in injumps In - - - Jumps jumps aUd11den behind enemy ' lines , sudden aUd-11 aUd 11 sud- sud sudden - den raids on enemy positionsand positions , snd and rough and aQd apd tumble Hand to tohand tohand t thand < hand stuff-he stuff he stuff--he stuff - - - he received wo wound pds pdsin ds dsin ; in the head , face , and nd hand hand'ancspent handancspent ' and andspent ] spent time in an African hospi- hospi hospl hospital hospttal - tal tat before being returned to the theUnited th thUnited < ' United States For a time hel helserved he heserved h hserved < served as an instructor at FtSill Ft FtSill FtSill Sill , , . Oklahoma , and then went wentto wento ' ' to Fort Meade , , _ Maryland 8J.Yla 8JYla ' . , , when where went'j wentj was acttvat C1 European I Iservice service i iAfter serviceAfter After landing at Belfast BeUast , . Ire-I Ire I Ire- IreIland Ireland Ir&land Irland - & - land in April , 1944 , he receivedtraining received receivedtraining receivedtraining training in Ireland and then inScotland In InScotland inScotland Scotland and Wales The first firstpart firstpart firstpart part England of May he moved to Eng Bag- Bag Bagland " - land land , , where everybody was wait wait- waiting waiting waiting - - ing for the big evasion When it itcame Itcame itcame came he and the others in his hisoutfit hisoutfit hisoutfit outfit took oft off on the night of ofJune ofJune ofJune June 5th and landed on thebeach the thebeach thebeach beach Larry was in France for for71 71 days,46 days46 days , 46 of them fighting fightingwithout fightingwithout fightingwithout without relief or supplies , , with without . out washing or pr shaving , "fight fight "fight-- "fight- " - " - ing fng "fighting "fightfng off the land " About the 8thof 8th 6th 8thof 6thof of August he was shot twicethrough twice twicethrough twicethrough through the stomach , and only onlynine onlynine onlynine nine days later got five bulletsin bullets bulletsin in the legs and had both ankles tinkles anklesfractured tinklesfractured anklesfractured fractured with shrapnel Flownto Flown Flownto Flownto to England he remained in a ahospital ahospital ahospital hospital there until unt11 the 25th of ofSeptember ofSeptember ofSeptember September After that he went wentA wentA A W 0 a L to Belgium where hemade he hemade hemade made an unauthorized Junction Junctionwith junctionwith junctionwith with his outfit Sent back toEngland to toEngland England : , he sailed for Americaand Americaand America AmericaCarolina and lanaed landed in Charleston South SouthCarolina SouthCarolina Carolina the first fjrst part of November Novem November November ber After ten days at BushnellHospital Bushnell BushnellHospital BushnellHospital Hospital he came home to Vernal Ver Ver- Vernal Vernal - nal t6 to further recuperate.i recuperateLarry recuperate recuperateLarry .i i . Larry modestly admits thiut that 'f f ' , " F11 ? f " ' , - , - jif4 if4 lunbehind dew"tbehind he'a hea if4he'a he'st hest he ' made JI1.ade JI1ade . ade "quite quite " a W xew dew"t dewt j , " Ju1.nPIJI Ju1nPIJI lun . } behind enemy lines , annumber an and th thnumber < , tcWell Mwel1 number of these Is known to tQ tc M IMwell wel1 Well ! over a hundr hundred , . He reCC\lv reCC lv receiv receivod received \ . ed od "compleUnfmore compleUnfmore a Qr : Bronzs nzs Star for ' " .com com 'cometlig cometlig 'cometligmore . ' $ more letingjmore missions behind hlnd nen1Y enemy letingj encmslines nen1Yl1 enemylitter l1 litter soldier sokBier es than any other C combat cbmba mbat sot sok . dler Bier In France " * " * , , and he be vfSfl Vf M gl glen . + ' en a Silver SUver Star St r for gaUfnW gaf gallantryafter ln 8Iii.I 8IiiI . , paratroopehhad rshad paratroopshad after at r a group grouts of s six six paratroops paratrooJ ) rs had battolion taken a town : from a b\tnl b tnl battal ' \ . , ththree 'thethree thethree ion of Germans Besides th ' 'the the < J1.asJa three wound wound.n\ wound.n wound.nal wound.medals woundmedals jnedals . \ . al $ he hG also haia J1.asJ J1asJ has hasa . a French Purple Purpl Heart teart ! . . ButLar But Lar , . * 1,1 11 " , . ' \1 1 \ " ' 1lr ' ! ' " J ) . " * . . . . . "I I " 11 s + tf ' " "f\\J "f f J " . \ \ # ' A ; \ \ \ WA { , Mk it . J . . .w w . ti tilr " lr ' 'l l t ' ' r 1 : n > nty ty \"Y "Y Y \ " 1"Y < y sa sait says 1 . itS S hets hefts he's hes ' tot tiot t not ot too tab ProUtof proud ProUt\ ProUt rouct \ . of ofrounds of h bJ . $ ) " moUhds wounds rounds , , saysoat says urnost -oat oat Most " , - of t them Wen wero Weze Wen"just "just just 'JUt JUt 'just " wero'JUt Weze'just ' , plain carelessness cfU'elesness cfUelesness cyelessness ' : ; . " r/I r I F . . / . Sat Sgt . S W 1nd jai has a . gre great t nse rise t 9 haveone pj ? humor urnqrf iumgr Ph and haSr haSra sa sags SSKSTS s th t that > tt t tp t\"haY t "haY haY to \ " have have ,1 1 ! > , ,1pn vipne pn one , is a r real ol as1 . asset tr to-any to any toany ( ' - y combat/ combat combatsp.dler4 riombat riombatspldier.y'yUot o bat batspldier ' ; / sp.dler4 spdler4 spldier spldier.y'yUot spldier.yyUot spldieryyUot 'haw.gone haw.gone hawgone . , . ' ! ' 5A Jot tot ot of , , tip Us / 'WoUldlb WoUldlb ' would vtoUldhave vtoUldhaveg ' ve " . g ori o crazy cr crftzy.if crftzyif izyr . U we WI ) hadn't hadnt badn't badnt ' been . ' beenable n abU able geri to see bee the funny tumw std side sido of - l scar-tpug scar tpug us situfUQn s1tu situations , tI n & " ' " , , he Jje tie contends eontenda eobtends . . ' And MId % Xid then on Qn tb the other otber sld side sldo Larry Larryslt Lorryshows s svs slt ? \vs vs Ws \ plent plenty plentl ) of indication indlcatlQn tbtit that thathe thathe he heq heows e q , . ' knows ows very well weU what thisWars this thisWar's War's Wars ' ' all about abo st . |