As a matter of fact ... this is from my transcript of the interview:
AE: Yeah, he (Russell Loop) lives in Indianola. I was going to give him a call. I met him. This was a Bronze star that you got?
AS: Silver. It tells you on that paper.
AE: I'll read this again, and you tell me what you remember of it. You were describing it before. "April 25, 1945, in the vicinity of Schafferei..."
AS: ...When they hit the building on us...
AE: "A tank platoon was counterattacked by 50 SS troops...":
AS: I don't know how many there were, all I know, I comes running around the back, round out in the open...Well, I figured, if they're gonna get us, they're gonna get us one way or another. I knew there were, our infantry was behind me and I knew the other tanks were maybe 100 yards away from where we were. So I went around and got into the, clear enough, because there was big fire, I mean you could see, the building got hit, that's how I got..."
AE: The building got hit...
AS: And I jumped without shoes or anything, I jumped out. I figured, you'd better get around. I did, and I got in the tank, and I drove out, and must have scared half of them, and I swung around and I went back and I picked up the lieutenant and Fletcher.
AE: Fletcher?
AS: Fletcher. He was my assistant gunner. Driver and gunner. (Hugh H. Fletcher from Afton, N.Y.).
AE: Now the tank that was hit, was anyone killed in it?
AS: That was, no, one hit, and one was on fire. Two of them got damaged out of that. And the other three tanks, the one I saved, and the two on the corner from the other...
AE: Had people been in the tank when it was hit?
AS: No. Nobody was in the tanks. They were trying to attack that night. See, they figured they could get, hit, do some damage. They must have known the Army company of infantry was over on that side, they come from the wooded side. Somebody was on guard, I don't know if Horn was on guard of something, because you can't do nothing, you don't know at night, it's dark, and when they started, then you got the lights, because the tank was burning...
AE: "Okay...'At risk of his life, Technician 4th Grade Schifler raced through a hail of fire...'
AS: Don't ask me. I tell you, there's miracles, you wouldn't believe. I was sitting in the tank and the guy was in the foxhole, and the medics was walking, was running up and down. The guy in the foxhole was killed, none of the medics that were carrying the guys got hurt. It's, nature or something takes care of you. Figure that. You'd be surprised how some of this happens. Your mind's nowhere, you know, to fight or that, your mind is, get out and get that, before they burn them or damage everything. you know, you don't, there's no idea of you're gonna do this, that's why it's buddy-buddy in the Army. If nobody went out, we would have lost all three tanks, and maybe got killed.
AE: But it was you that went out?
AS: Well, I was right there. You know, I already had it figured. I figured when I put the tank in that barn, if something happens, we've gotta move. It sure happened.
Thanks again love reading about these unbelievable men. Aaron when you interviewed my dad did he ever mention what he did on the day he was awarded the Silver Star from the 90th it says gallantry inaction, he really never talked about it, just saying everything was in slow motion.
If you can recall anything I’d appreciate it. I know when you did the interview he was taking a lot of pain medication for the cancer he was fighting, just wondering what he had to say about that day.
This is from the transcript of my interview with your dad!
AE: Yeah, he lives in Indianola. I was going to give him a call. I met him. This was a Bronze star that you got?
AS: Silver. It tells you on that paper.
AE: I'll read this again, and you tell me what you remember of it. You were describing it before. "April 25, 1945, in the vicinity of Schafferei..."
AS: ...When they hit the building on us...
AE: "A tank platoon was counterattacked by 50 SS troops...":
AS: I don't know how many there were, all I know, I comes running around the back, round out in the open...Well, I figured, if they're gonna get us, they're gonna get us one way or another. I knew there were, our infantry was behind me and I knew the other tanks were maybe 100 yards away from where we were. So I went around and got into the, clear enough, because there was big fire, I mean you could see, the building got hit, that's how I got..."
AE: The building got hit...
AS: And I jumped without shoes or anything, I jumped out. I figured, you'd better get around. I did, and I got in the tank, and I drove out, and must have scared half of them, and I swung around and I went back and I picked up the lieutenant and Fletcher.
AE: Fletcher?
AS: Fletcher. He was my assistant gunner. Driver and gunner. (Hugh H. Fletcher from Afton, N.Y.).
AE: Now the tank that was hit, was anyone killed in it?
AS: That was, no, one hit, and one was on fire. Two of them got damaged out of that. And the other three tanks, the one I saved, and the two on the corner from the other...
AE: Had people been in the tank when it was hit?
AS: No. Nobody was in the tanks. They were trying to attack that night. See, they figured they could get, hit, do some damage. They must have known the Army company of infantry was over on that side, they come from the wooded side. Somebody was on guard, I don't know if Horn was on guard of something, because you can't do nothing, you don't know at night, it's dark, and when they started, then you got the lights, because the tank was burning...
AE: "Okay...'At risk of his life, Technician 4th Grade Schifler raced through a hail of fire...'
AS: Don't ask me. I tell you, there's miracles, you wouldn't believe. I was sitting in the tank and the guy was in the foxhole, and the medics was walking, was running up and down. The guy in the foxhole was killed, none of the medics that were carrying the guys got hurt. It's, nature or something takes care of you. Figure that. You'd be surprised how some of this happens. Your mind's nowhere, you know, to fight or that, your mind is, get out and get that, before they burn them or damage everything. you know, you don't, there's no idea of you're gonna do this, that's why it's buddy-buddy in the Army. If nobody went out, we would have lost all three tanks, and maybe got killed.
AE: But it was you that went out?
AS: Well, I was right there. You know, I already had it figured. I figured when I put the tank in that barn, if something happens, we've gotta move. It sure happened.
As a matter of fact ... this is from my transcript of the interview:
AE: Yeah, he (Russell Loop) lives in Indianola. I was going to give him a call. I met him. This was a Bronze star that you got?
AS: Silver. It tells you on that paper.
AE: I'll read this again, and you tell me what you remember of it. You were describing it before. "April 25, 1945, in the vicinity of Schafferei..."
AS: ...When they hit the building on us...
AE: "A tank platoon was counterattacked by 50 SS troops...":
AS: I don't know how many there were, all I know, I comes running around the back, round out in the open...Well, I figured, if they're gonna get us, they're gonna get us one way or another. I knew there were, our infantry was behind me and I knew the other tanks were maybe 100 yards away from where we were. So I went around and got into the, clear enough, because there was big fire, I mean you could see, the building got hit, that's how I got..."
AE: The building got hit...
AS: And I jumped without shoes or anything, I jumped out. I figured, you'd better get around. I did, and I got in the tank, and I drove out, and must have scared half of them, and I swung around and I went back and I picked up the lieutenant and Fletcher.
AE: Fletcher?
AS: Fletcher. He was my assistant gunner. Driver and gunner. (Hugh H. Fletcher from Afton, N.Y.).
AE: Now the tank that was hit, was anyone killed in it?
AS: That was, no, one hit, and one was on fire. Two of them got damaged out of that. And the other three tanks, the one I saved, and the two on the corner from the other...
AE: Had people been in the tank when it was hit?
AS: No. Nobody was in the tanks. They were trying to attack that night. See, they figured they could get, hit, do some damage. They must have known the Army company of infantry was over on that side, they come from the wooded side. Somebody was on guard, I don't know if Horn was on guard of something, because you can't do nothing, you don't know at night, it's dark, and when they started, then you got the lights, because the tank was burning...
AE: "Okay...'At risk of his life, Technician 4th Grade Schifler raced through a hail of fire...'
AS: Don't ask me. I tell you, there's miracles, you wouldn't believe. I was sitting in the tank and the guy was in the foxhole, and the medics was walking, was running up and down. The guy in the foxhole was killed, none of the medics that were carrying the guys got hurt. It's, nature or something takes care of you. Figure that. You'd be surprised how some of this happens. Your mind's nowhere, you know, to fight or that, your mind is, get out and get that, before they burn them or damage everything. you know, you don't, there's no idea of you're gonna do this, that's why it's buddy-buddy in the Army. If nobody went out, we would have lost all three tanks, and maybe got killed.
AE: But it was you that went out?
AS: Well, I was right there. You know, I already had it figured. I figured when I put the tank in that barn, if something happens, we've gotta move. It sure happened.
Aaron
Thanks again
So nice to read what my dad felt and thought about what he did that day.
Thanks again love reading about these unbelievable men. Aaron when you interviewed my dad did he ever mention what he did on the day he was awarded the Silver Star from the 90th it says gallantry inaction, he really never talked about it, just saying everything was in slow motion.
If you can recall anything I’d appreciate it. I know when you did the interview he was taking a lot of pain medication for the cancer he was fighting, just wondering what he had to say about that day.
Thanks
Andrew (312) 805-9150
This is from the transcript of my interview with your dad!
AE: Yeah, he lives in Indianola. I was going to give him a call. I met him. This was a Bronze star that you got?
AS: Silver. It tells you on that paper.
AE: I'll read this again, and you tell me what you remember of it. You were describing it before. "April 25, 1945, in the vicinity of Schafferei..."
AS: ...When they hit the building on us...
AE: "A tank platoon was counterattacked by 50 SS troops...":
AS: I don't know how many there were, all I know, I comes running around the back, round out in the open...Well, I figured, if they're gonna get us, they're gonna get us one way or another. I knew there were, our infantry was behind me and I knew the other tanks were maybe 100 yards away from where we were. So I went around and got into the, clear enough, because there was big fire, I mean you could see, the building got hit, that's how I got..."
AE: The building got hit...
AS: And I jumped without shoes or anything, I jumped out. I figured, you'd better get around. I did, and I got in the tank, and I drove out, and must have scared half of them, and I swung around and I went back and I picked up the lieutenant and Fletcher.
AE: Fletcher?
AS: Fletcher. He was my assistant gunner. Driver and gunner. (Hugh H. Fletcher from Afton, N.Y.).
AE: Now the tank that was hit, was anyone killed in it?
AS: That was, no, one hit, and one was on fire. Two of them got damaged out of that. And the other three tanks, the one I saved, and the two on the corner from the other...
AE: Had people been in the tank when it was hit?
AS: No. Nobody was in the tanks. They were trying to attack that night. See, they figured they could get, hit, do some damage. They must have known the Army company of infantry was over on that side, they come from the wooded side. Somebody was on guard, I don't know if Horn was on guard of something, because you can't do nothing, you don't know at night, it's dark, and when they started, then you got the lights, because the tank was burning...
AE: "Okay...'At risk of his life, Technician 4th Grade Schifler raced through a hail of fire...'
AS: Don't ask me. I tell you, there's miracles, you wouldn't believe. I was sitting in the tank and the guy was in the foxhole, and the medics was walking, was running up and down. The guy in the foxhole was killed, none of the medics that were carrying the guys got hurt. It's, nature or something takes care of you. Figure that. You'd be surprised how some of this happens. Your mind's nowhere, you know, to fight or that, your mind is, get out and get that, before they burn them or damage everything. you know, you don't, there's no idea of you're gonna do this, that's why it's buddy-buddy in the Army. If nobody went out, we would have lost all three tanks, and maybe got killed.
AE: But it was you that went out?
AS: Well, I was right there. You know, I already had it figured. I figured when I put the tank in that barn, if something happens, we've gotta move. It sure happened.