European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 27, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Day i1v Damasus by Francis Chase or. " illustration by Vincent Sandoval a Strang e happening one easter sind a on the Street called straight where three men Lay feverishly crying for water j i a i a. At is one of those latter Day legends that drifts like the desert Sands across the Western Mediterranean and eastward to the . I heard. It first Over an excellent breakfast of Bacon and eggs in the dining Roo of the general Maude in Baghdad from a British civil servant homeward bound from India who tried not at All. Successfully to dress its telling in probe of scepticism. The second time. I heard it almost six months later was in Beirut from a franciscan Gardener at the monastery of san million. And i said to myself this is the East where there is much talk of miracles. But in the re telling of the tale one significant fact stood out. The name of the sergeant major involved was the same Robert Brett Hunt of Coventry. The third time was in the old City of Jerusalem from a coptic guide in the spice Mart in King David Street. We had stopped to look at an Olive press operated by patient oxen which hitched to the resolving press Arm circled end Lessly much As they might have in the Lime of Christ. He had prefaced the Story with a cold statement of fact. Forten centuries from the time of the crusaders and beyond. East and West had met in this very place to Exchange their goods without bothering to eve Exchange ideas a rid come really to know each other. There were he said thing sin and of the East that the West dared not even dream and in this telling too the facts were basically the same with sergeant major Rebert Brett Hunt of. Coventry the principal. Now As a usual thing these near legends of the East concern some nameless character Are impossible to pin Down and each time you hear them a flesh of different fact is throw Over a roughly similar Skeleton but this was a tale which could be pinned Down and Bpck in London i. Took the trouble to Check with the War office. I Learned that there was a ser  Brett Hunt that he had served in the near East was wounded at Damascus in a Dawn action on easter Day 1941, and was now in a military Hospital in Sussex suffering from both Shock and paralysis. Having More Orless vicariously followed him  Damascus and being curious As to the basis in fact of the very curious Story that concerned him it was a simple matter to motor Down from London and Corner him in his wheelchair on the Green Lawn of the Hospital. It was Only when i asked him to Tell me about Damascus that the queer look came into his eyes a look which quickly gave Wayto outright ,." he said clamming up another of those. No i assured him. Irm not a psychiatrist. I m really interested i what happened  and there after a rather thorough appraisal he  history. I remember waking up that Day he began with the horrible unease you feel when nightmares have plagued you and you re not yet awake enough to separate dream from reality. Only this was much worse. There was a bake oven heat bearing Down upon through Hen cobblestones  smell of warm Camel dung. I was lying Only Back and the. Sun was directly Over head. T remember trying to turn Overto get that desert Sun out of my face and not being Able to. About the sometime i began to realize How thirsty i  the Sun i judged it to Beabout three in the afternoon which meant i d been there since Sunrise. If did t have a drink i thought i d go completely mad. A and then i began to remember. We. Were in Damascus and for two Days we d been trying to get across the Street called straight from the jewish Quarter. Only the Vichy French had machine gun emplacements in the shuttered buildings across the Way and their crossfire was terrific. The  All for bringing up heavy stuff and blasting. Them out into the open but the brass would t have it. They kept talking about the French doing that in 1925 and not wanting to repeat their mistake. So Tommy could take it with hand arms and guts. But that was t what caused the awful unease. It was t just lying there with a blasted spine so you could move anything except your head that caused the awful feeling. It was t even the thirst which was hellish enough. It was something else. It was something that had to do with Green Fields and quiet streams and a girl s Chestnut hair blowing softly in the wind at dusk and a toddler he could t  when t saw him last walking uncertainly but still walking Down a Garden  was the Way he was in the last. Snapshot she d sent me a toddler walking Down a Garden path in Cov entry. " the last snapshot had come two months before just As we were leaving Lydda in Palestine. No word since then. The mail clerk who knew How i Felt kept saying it was Security held up the mail. Of course this syrian operation was hush hush. If you remember we were moving out with a lot of free French to beat the nazis to the punch for once if we could. They d moved a lot of technicians and tourists in on the Vichy French Ard we were Rushing in before anything worse happened. There was t much doing till became to Damascus. Then fighting through the narrow streets with their shutter d houses with no artillery and no tanks was t a boxing Day picnic in Coventry. By the time we reached the Street called straight we were halted in our tracks. They d had plenty of Timeto line up their automatic fire and when you showed a head it rained Lead. And that was when the news about Coventry came to us. Jerry had Laid it Low in a Baedecker raid. So there would t be. Any More letters. Any More snapshots. It s hard to try to make you see How i Fel t. I m just a clerk in a textile House really. Just an Ordinary Chap with a wife a baby. I m fairly Good Christia without much doubts doing what i think is fair and proper. So Why does it have to happen to me i know what you think. In time of War it can happen to anyone. But have you had you whole family wiped out like that and he snapped his angers. It in t easy to think straight then. For example i Kepi thinking of Jacques Revier. He was Afree Frenchman fighting. With us. Jacques did t believe in anything which was Okay. But he did t seem to want anyone else to believe in anything either. I remember when Matuszek the pole from Birmingham used to Pray a night Jacques would sneer at him. Well i could understand god making something like this Hap Jaen to him. But Why me. " i walked Back to the company com Mand  was in a basement a half Block Back from the Street called straight. My platoon had. A show of some sort for morning and the old Man wanted to see me. Revier was standing. Outside and he looked at me sort of funny when i passed him to enter. A lot of the Fellows were lying around on their packs. Inside there was a pot of Coffee on the stove that bubbled an whistled and the room was full of sweaty smells. The old Man was tired and he Only. Looked up. When i came in. There was a syrian in a Long Nightgown with  old Man said this syrian. Knew  out and he thought he could take us Down some Alley in the dark and work us across the  we could flank the Vichy gunners and when we fell on them from behind the battalion would take them full Force from the front. We were to Star Tat Dawn. " i took the syrian Back to the Outfitwith me. We told the others what the Deal was and some of them slept. Idin t. Just before Dawn we filed out. The syrian led us through a lot of dark streets through a covered Bazaar. I was Back of the syrian Revier was behind me Matuszek behind Sevieri remember and a were  out into the Street called straight everything v As still As could be when someone kicked a tin can. They might have dropped a match in a powder dump with the same effect. It rattled. Across the cobblestones with a noise that would have awakened the dead. The Vichy French weren t dead. All hell broke Loose. I did t remember anything More until i woke up. It was hellishly hot _ and the machine gun slug had caught me in the spine so i could t move. Matuszek was lying just off to my left and i thought he was dead until i heard him cry for water for the love of Christ. Then from somewhere Down below my feet i could t see him Revier sneered and said Christ would t help him any by if he could figure out some Way to shut up  machine guns for five minutes our owner St Aid men  it was every rime one of us started to move forever time someone started out to get us Lead would Spray. There was a big Pool of dried blood on the cobblestones near Matuszek s head and he kept on moaning for  tried t 5 Roll Over away from him but All i could do was Roll my head. The syrian Lay Over there. He said he want Hurt bad a leg wound. I tried to talk to him but my Tongue was swollen and leathery and Only a croak came out. That was when it happened. I swathe Shadow first. It fell across the syrian s face and beyond onto the yellow cobblestones the Shadow of a Man stooping a tall Hump backed  remember thinking the fool hell get us All killed. But not a shot had come from the Cool shuttered windows across the Street where death peered Dow through a Hundred slotted eyes. Only the stillness and the White sunlight and the slowly moving Shadow were in the Street with us. By a great Effort i Man aged to get my head Back so that i could see him. He was tall and slender even a while leaning Over Matuszek bathing his fevered forehead with Coo water. What i had taken for a Hump Back was a huge Goatskin of water he carried Slung across his shoulder. He wore a White Robe As other syrians did and i remember noticing How the hem of it had become stained with Matuszek s blood. He moved from one of us to theother this strange Gunge Din quaffing our thirst and bathing hot brows uncool water As Calm and unhurried As if he were tending sheep in some rustic Meadow. And still there was no disturbing fire from those behind the shuttered windows. Then it was my turn. When he Bent Over me and his Coo hands stroked my hot head As i gulped \ at the cold water i saw his eyes. I have never seen such eyes Brown and deep deeper than i. Could understand. Deeper than i can eve Hope to understand. Then just As he had come he was gone. Tell me i said to the syrian who had lived always in Damascus who is he Why did he come like that Why did they let him come like that1i Don t know who he is the syrian answered., although i be seen him around from time to time. All that i know and he paused  moment cleared his Throat is that he is a i Carpenter by Trade and  i from nazareth.". " in Hen he had finished sergeant-?1major Brett Hunt Lay Back in his ". Wheelchair perspiration formed in Diamond like beads on his forehead. A. Although the afternoon was Cool and Sharp. " the others i said. They saw it too Revier. I  they did although never saw Revier again. I wanted to. Badly. I understand he was discharged i for disability in Beirut shortly after. I i particularly wanted to see him be cause and he paused As if searching. For words because i Learned later what had happened. You see Revier get out of France at Cherbourg just ahead of the germans. His wife and three children did t. I sort of owe him an apology but he d disappeared some i where into the near East. I know where he  now at last i was certain of what i had Only suspected before. You can write to Hirn at the monastery of san Emilion Iris Beirut he is known there As brother Sebastian and his Job is to  flowers"-.,. Weekend March 27.1948.3