European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 9 71st inf div vets retrace Wii route by Tony Nauroth Nuernberg Bureau chief Germany John Earl and the boys Are tracing the route they fought across Europe 40 years ago to become the easternmost deployed division at the end of world War the boys Earls affectionate name for 26 veterans of the 71st inf div entourage discovered that politics can really mess up a great dinner the trip to on the Enns River in began in world War ii under military the trip this year began As a Wistful Why not when now retired and living in la was watching Day coverage on television last Earls answered his question with one of her own what have you done for peace lately not he the former first lieutenant wrote letters of invitation for a three nation reunion of veterans from his own 71st inf the russian 5th guard airborne which met them at the and the German army group which was sandwiched Between the to share a dinner and Champagne Toast in the City Square of just North of on May the bubbly to be shared came from a warehouse where the germans had brought seven floors of bottles from France for safekeeping during the Earl said the bottle is half and the contents Are probably vinegar by but were going to drink it he Earl wrote letters to the state the White the soviet the austrian and the mayor of most of the letters went unanswered or were Given for letter its comforting to Earl that All these countries have the same red he also contacted the Wall Street the Cleveland Plain and various veterans which printed his letter announcing his reunion that How they All found each i had to write Over 400 letters to pull together 26 he eight of them lounged in a bar during a Stopover in Nuernberg Friday they talked until 3 about their memories of the fight to and about their Hopes for the a few wives sat nearby but declined to get these were soldiers stories for soldiers former Charles Obrien was looking Forward to standing on the Bridge where they met the in a Little worried that the scenery might have he Obrien is retired and living in he remembers when germans crossed the Enns ahead of the advancing russian there were so Many of them German they had to guard he Pete Falcone owns a bar and Grill in he had a slightly yellowed picture with it showed him As a 20yearold staff sergeant sitting on the Hood of a jeep in he pointed to a building and Odd shaped tree in the you see that that the place i want to he Stuart Olson is a Carpenter from he and Falcone were in different squads of the same platoon during the they Are the Only ones of the 26 who actually knew each other during the they haunt seen or heard from each other for 40 Olson said he wants to find the spot where the colonels jeep Driver was literally blown out of his boots by an 88mm round three Days before the War it was a shame for him to come All the fall of 1 945 front lines soviet front lines i German pockets of resistance Chicago Tribune map source Adas of Tow second the Axis Empire area of control Chicago Tribune graphic sources world Book encyclopedia and Chicago Tribune news reports that Way just to have that he he also wants to see if the building is still standing where the whole damned company lined up at a whorehouse to they took their chances because any Soldier caught fraternizing with displaced persons was fined a hefty sum for that but nobody paid any attention to it and nobody really enforced Olson former Roger Godfrey of remembers the House to House searches his unit conducted in he wanted to find the House where he caught his foot on a Windowsill and fell fac first into the the boys laughed when he told the but he said at the time he was worried that he might suffer an ignominious end with Victory so Godfrey groused a Little at the officers who monopolized the girls time and made the enlisted men guard the Railroad Godfrey shot a Quick glance at who was special services officer responsible for troop pm privileges and mail i didst mean nothing by Godfrey its just that it was so there was a hint of a sir in his when conversation came around to the the topic eventually turned to president reagans sunday visit to the Pitburg cemetery where 49 Waffen is soldiers Are i have no hate for Falcone they were just doing their Job just like we they were As scared As we Olson the rest is Earl Drew a distinction Between the toed troop and the executioner in the s we can forgive them for everything else they did but not the but stressed that he is on a Mission of peace and and the boys Are Here to commemorate not celebrate he were Here to make new German they found one Friend in a restaurant in Bayreuth one of their stops along their route of she was a they didst remember her but she told my father hated but i love you because you gave my Mother you kept us people should not hate each cant you do something about it Earl deferred to today generation of troops in As Well As their leaders in All the capitals of the nations we won the peace in its up to these Young Guys to keep he in the May 6 Issue of time an article mentioned that the recent reunion Between soviet and veterans in East might turn out to be the Only commemoration where East meets West this year due to the tense political climate following the shooting of army Arthur Nicholson by a soviet guard in East the boys Hope despite a Lack of Clear official response from either the United states or the and without any confirmation other than from the mayor of who said hed be glad to Greet the boys still anticipate some kind of soviet representation when they reach the Enns were Earl if the russians that if they dont that were still going to make our speeches and drink our if the world Doest want to recognize then that their