Dear Readers..Actually this started a very interesting time in my life..It is now I have to get in the garage and take out all the documents..I have for those four years plus...Oh the Rosary more on that later,,,Phillip
JMJFort Meade Md. 1952
2053rd Supply Co,,
Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret.
Overseas
One night I said to myself I had not said the Rosary (a prayer) in a long time..That night among other things I started to thinking about going overseas again,,A lot of soldiers were going to Germany.So I put in to go to Europe...I had been state side 8 months aproxitmatly, Some of that spent in the hospital,,So In Dec I was given orders to go to Europe...On the 24th dec we were on a ship in New York harbor.It was a very windy day so much that the ship was being pushed from one side to the other. Starboard to port...but before the day was over we left the harbor and on Christmas day we were headed for a harbor in St.-John's Newfoundland..We went through an opening with ice on both sides then we were in a harbor with water calm no waves..Little houses all around in a circle,That is where we spent Christmas..for a couple of hours.
then it was back to the open sea.One day down in the compartments as we called them I was talking to a soldier laying on a bunk,.He told me about his niece in Rhode Island and gave me her address.He told me a little bit about her and I put the address away,Her Name was Virginia Grossi..........One day I was on the stern (back) of the ship where the heads were (bathroom).Not to far away a door that led to the back of the ship.I open the door and stepped on the deck,I was amazed,,In front of me a wall of water from a wave I looked up and it was difficult to see the top of the wave.then the ship went down and momentarily the propellers came out of the water,...As we got closer to Germany we were in a fog.I was on deck on the bow of the ship (front). On the starboard side I heard a ships horn the the horn from our ship as a ship got to close and near most hit us,...For a few seconds I could see the ship passing us by.On the ship as the days were passing by I got a little booklet on how to learn German.So I learned numbers how to greet people..I thought I was learning very well.Then we got to Bremerhaven...(spelling??) We got on buses and the first thing I observed was a building that had been bombed but never rebuilt,So we went to Zweibrucken where we were proccesed.and get our first beer after waiting in a very long line,Then the interview with the officer and he said'you are going to France" Here I had been learning German so now I would have to start all over again,
Then we got on a train that would take us to france.It was an old Army type.It was night as we traveled
the next day were in France,Where I caught a train to Chatellerault for my assignment in Ingrandes France.
Jan 1953......Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret.
