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The following is excerpts from some of Lew's email:
On September 7, when asked if Lew knew Carol:
"Yep Carol and I have been corresponding for some time now. She is a very
special person and I am very fond of her. She is part native American and
all heart. I'm proud to call her friend.
Lew"
On September 20:
"Yes Allan I weighed 120 pounds shortly after liberation. I'm not sure
how accurate the scales were, but I was skinny as a snake. I put weight
on fast though I ate every thing in sight"
On September 24, when we were discussing the supernatural:
"I am quite prepared to believe in at least ESP and I do not rule out
"Ghosts" "Guardian Angels" or what ever. I suppose most families have
had some experience along those lines. During WW2 my wife had a
nightmare every night for weeks. Some nights it scared her so bad she
would have her mother sleep with her. The dream was always the same I
walked away from a wrecked Bomber alone and was threading my way through
a bunch of snakes. It stopped all of a sudden and never recurred. In a
day or two she got the missing in action telegram so she felt like I was
alive because of the dream. So in her case a night mare helped her to
cope.
In my case I've had a few of what I call hunches. I made it a rule not
to interfere with my social life as long as it stayed within bounds, but
one night my youngest daughter was going out with some kids for a ride.
They were nice kids and I had no objection to her going with them as a
rule, but that night I had a "feeling, hunch?" that she shouldn't go.
When I told her I didn't feel comfortable about her going she didn't
argue at all just stayed home. Of course you all know the outcome, wreck
half the kids dead and the other half badly hurt."
September 27:
"Mary I hardly qualify as a maker of history. I have submitted a few things to Allan and Bea. If more is desired it will be forth coming. In the meantime I am terribly frightened of being a boor. You know millions of stories came out of WW2 not to mention some nasty ones since. So I would assume people are sick of hearing them.
Peace
Lew"
Also on September 27:
"Allan thanks for your interest, but when I get started I haven't sense
enough to quit. I feel I am better equipped to be a clown and even that
I'm always worried about overdoing. You people have been amazingly
patient with the senile old fart.
I have no objection what ever about talking about my war experience. I
simply do not want to bore people out of their gourds. To answer your
questions, yes I was captured and was a POW for 15 months, first in East
Prussia then in Poland.and the last three months marching. We were
given an 800 mile walking tour of Germany at the expense of the German
Government. Unfortunately the cuisine stank, the facilities stank and we
stank.
If you paid any attention to my post to Alison you would see my entry to
the bump in the night club was my wife's recurring dream. One thing that
made it realistic was I was the only one away from the ship. The other
nine men were killed. I loved those guys you become very close when your
ass depends on the other guys doing their job. I also lost my favorite
brother at the battle of the bulge. No, war does not have pleasant
memories for me, but amazingly talking about it helps to cleanse it from
my system.
ce le guerre
Lew"
On September 28, 1999:
"Allan
No it was not a pleasant excursion. Any where from ten to thirty miles a
day on 3 boiled spuds. We were seriously weakened by Dysentery so a lot
of guys didn't make it.
As for treatment yes and no. Some guards were good eggs and others
assholes. The usual cross section you would expect in a bunch of men
regardless of nationality. Of course different languages made
communication difficult, had to use care lack of understanding could
cost your ass, as you well know. We always had a bad time marching
through cities and towns. The people hated our guts naturally so we were
spit on and hit with rocks, clods or any other thing handy. Sleeping in
barns or open fields was the norm. This was ok we didn't expect a hotel
suite. What was tough was very little food and very small allotment of
water. No bath for three months and crawling with body lice. We became
very weak and they had to give us more and more breaks as time went on.
They told us if we fell out we would be shot and we believed it. One
of the toughest things to me was not knowing where to or how long.
Sometimes your imagination can play tricks on you, like wondering if you
will be putting one foot in front of the other forever. Often I was so
sick, tired and discouraged I would wish I was dead. For the most part
though I was pretty upbeat I've always been somewhat of an optimist. I
didn't really fold till about a week before we were liberated. We were
liberated by an English tank unit that was shelling a town near us. I
trailed with the Brits for a time which was a no no, but those guys had
been fighting a long time and didn't give a shit and I sure didn't. They
gave me a complete British uniform since mine was rotted off me,
showered and shaved me and sprinkled DDT on the bugs and away we went.
Had a ball for a week until I got caught up with. The Brits treated me
really great I swear I don't understand the animosity of some people
toward the English. Any other things you care to know? I would prefer to
answer question rather than put it in story form."
Also on September 28, 1999, and, of course, my favorite:
"My aching back list, what right have I to toot my horn when we have a
double amputee on the list. How come we're not listening to Allan instead
of this senile old fart. I am assuming Allan lost his legs in Nam. Shit
that was a rotten war I am so glad I was not mixed up in that one. I
doubt if a lot of people realize the effect of kind of stress those boys
were subjected to. They weren't fighting a different uniform, they were
fighting shadows. Around every turn of the trail was a potential booby
trap. What people do not realize is even if the trap is not there the
expectation was there and the stress. On top of trying to fight an
impossible war they didn't even have their country behind them. No
thanks, I'll take two of any other war to one Nam. My hat is off to you
Allan, I shall hold my crowing down.
Lew
An understanding Vet."
On October 25, 1999, after Lew received a "Brass Razoo" from Anne in Australia, he wrote:
"My very dear FFLers
Due to unprecedented and unexpected market reversals I find myself in
straightened circumstances. Therefore I am offering a very rare
Australian coin for auction. I do reserve the right to refuse any bids I
feel are unreasonable, since this coin is not only extremely rare, but
holds a lot of sentimental value to me. I will accept bids until
midnight Sept 12, 2002.
Thank you"
On October 26, 1999, Lew wrote:
"Thank you Allan that chokes me up. However as to Heroism there was none
displayed by this temporary warrior. I mostly was watching my ass. Had
there been a tree at 26thou I would have been cowering behind it. As you
well know the any normal human is scared half to death until the action
starts and the Adrenaline starts to run then a guy just automatically
does the job he was trained to do. No Allan no Heroism here in fact I
was scared so bad and so often that I got to thinking I was a coward. I
used to be kind of proud to be with my fellow prisoners the way they
reacted to adversity and/or danger, then I realized I wasn't weeping or
wailing either and that made me feel better. So I'm content to be
neither Hero or base coward. Class me a 20 year old week end warrior,
bucking for civilian. God I hope I don't fall off this soap box, I'm
afraid of heights."
On November 2, 1999, Lew wrote the following when questioned about his war experience:
"Allan
Thanks for the kudos, but I still maintain there was no Heroism shown by
me. The Captain was correct about a domain of men/boys in a tough
situation being lots of help to each other, sure I helped at times and I
was helped many times. I think I stated that I was proud to be
associated with some of those guys. That to me is not heroism that is
simply assisting one another to survive. I think anyone in the same
circumstances would have done the same.
Barbara found all those stories (she is a web witch) and put links on my
page without asking me. She is another one insisting I'm a hero, If I am
where in Hell are all my medals I never even got a good conduct medal.
After fifty years or so they sent me a POW medal. I tossed it in the
trash, but my wife gave me Hell and fished it out. I tried to explain I
didn't want my grand kids knowing the only medal I got was for
surrendering. She was adamant so I guess It's around someplace.
By the way some of those stories on those links are liberally laced
with bullshit. I can't remember how long we were on the coal freighter,
but it was no five days. I do think it was longer than I say in my
story, but since I didn't know I felt it better to err on the light
side.
There was only one bunch ran with bayonets and dogs and I was one of
that bunch, true we were handcuffed two by two and had packs of a sort
which was bad news for some of us back a ways since everyone shed those
fast and it left low hurdles for the rest. Our shoes were not taken, nor
was any of my clothing taken I was never strip searched what would have
been the object of them going to that much trouble. Where would we get
any thing like a weapon or for that matter any thing of value. I realize
my story does not jibe with some of the others for which I am sorry I
can only relate as I myself remember. Through the years I have read
three other accounts of that run so far that makes four different
stories. I can't explain why in tight situations everyone sees
different.
Also in one of the stories they state there was wagons, sheesh if I had
known that I'd have been on one. They didn't tell us if we fell out we
could ride they told us if we fell out we would be shot. Quin Sabe?
who knows? I do know lots of times we would hear shots in back, maybe
that was to scare us in which case they were successful as far as I was
concerned they scared the shit out of me. They also say 600 miles. We
were told our bunch marched 800, again who knows? It was a damn long way
and we were in damn poor shape to do it. Of course that need not mean
anything since there were a lot of different groups tottering around the
fatherland, thhht!
Senile old fart I'm losing the thread somewhere I'll maybe catch you
later and bend your ear with my pissing and moaning."
On November 10, 1999, Lew wrote:
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
some stay awhile and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never , ever the same."
On December 9, 1999, Lew wrote
..."We also heard that Eleanor Roosevelt was
going to make all POWs wear black arm bands, so when I got to Boston and
nothing met the ship no band no cheering crowds not even Red Cross
ladies with coffee we kind of wondered if we were in disgrace since the
whole ship was filled with ex-POWs. When I was released at Camp Beale
for an 80 day hospital leave I only went as far as Sacramento and got a
hotel room to think things over. I finally called my sister in law and
asked if I should come home. WOW"...
..."Why my wife and kids could love a mess like me I fail to understand"...
Here is the URL for Lew's web page:
http://www.angelfire.com/ut/haas/
Lew's Obituary:
http://www.angelfire.com/ut/haas/LewsObit.html
http://www.enteract.com/~rheller/ww2/
Lew's WWII story:
http://www.angelfire.com/ut/haas/MyView.html
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