European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 10, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Army seventh  soldiers receive a French Salute As they liberate Bourg during world War  and remembrance from the cover combat in Europe with surprising cd car. His eyes twinkled As he told his colourful stories shaking his head and laughing As he says hell never forget each occurrence. In november 1944, Loftin and his unit left England and landed in France at Omaha Beach. The 253rd combat engr a first Mission was to build roads in Normandy. Then came the Call for the engineers to join forces with the 7th  in Southern France. Although it was snowing almost every Day in the Foothills of the French Alps that Winter Loftin and his Crew built minefields and fortified Foxholes and barbed wire barriers to protect against a potential German attack. By february the strategy changed. The 7th  was ready to attack Germany. The 253rd combat engr a Mission was to build a plywood Pontoon Bridge across the Saar River near Sarre Gucci pcs in northeastern France and then sweep the area for mines leading to the paved Road. Loftin s recollection of that foggy february morning is vivid. The Saar River was torrential that morning because of the melting Snow. Artillery fire whistled around them. The 7th  planned to Cross the River and attack . The buildup alone of the 7th  firepower impressed Loftin. A a you a be amazed. You could look for Miles and see Battery Here Battery there a a he said. About 6 a.m., Loftin was in the first boat that was supposed to secure a Cable on the opposite Hank. Then the boat Sank in the icy Waters. Weighted Down by his heavy combat uniform Lof tin struggled to keep from being carried away by the current. Quot i done to know today How i got out a he said. A the water was cold too i Tell  chilled dripping wet and scared to death Loftin was t about to stand around and let his buddies work without him. A there was no Way i was going to drop out Quot he said. Loftin took the next boat and this time made it across the River. In a practice exercise it had taken lofting screw All Day to build a similar Bridge. But under the threat of enemy artillery the Bridge was built in just Over an hour. As the 7th  began crossing the Bridge his unit put up a sign that read a you arc now entering Germany Courtesy of the 253rd combat  ordeal is. Chinese wave in korean Warby Randy Pruitt stall writer Hen i Larold Lindsey arrived in Korea in August 1950, he did no to think the americans would be there Long. �?o1 thought a we re the americans. All we need to do is show a presence and  the North koreans run like  a that was t the Case. Before his unit was pulled Back into France. Loftin watched As the 7lh  bombarded  with so much artillery that he could read letters at night. Loftin shifted from one compelling Story to the next hardly Able to contain himself Long enough to finish one Story before he was starting the next. There was the Day he joined the  a nov. 11, 1936. The big Day was called armistice Day Back then in memory of the ending of world War i. It has since changed to veterans Day to Honor All veterans of the armed forces. There was the Day lofting a fellow Soldier spoke German with a Frenchman. His friends family had moved to America from Germany when he was a child a thus his perfect German. But the Frenchman was visually agitated and that piqued Loftin s interest in the conversation he could t understand. Finally Loftin asked his buddy what the Frenchman was saying. His buddy Wally said that the Frenchman was miffed that he had been born in Germany. A the said that if he Wasny to in an american uniform head shoot him a Loftin said. In March 1945, the 253rd returned to Germany this time to Cross the Rhine River near Worms. Loftin eventually found himself in Wurzburg where he met russian soldiers for the first time. A some of them were i done to know a really wild Bunch. They a drink anything gasoline if they had to a Loftin said. One Day Loftin was walking along a Road with a buddy when they were approached by a French Lindsay and the rest of America would awake one Day to find the . Bogged Down in a bloody quagmire in the land of the morning Calm. President Truman a decision with . Backing to Send american troops to Aid South Korea invaded by North Korea on june 25, would be costly. In three years 54,240 . Soldiers would die nearly As Many americans killed during 10 years of bitter fighting in Vietnam. Unlike Vietnam Korea did no to sear the National conscience. Korea was t broadcast nightly in full color into America s living rooms. Nor did the War provoke hag burnings and Street demonstrations. Nat King coleus Monu  and Gordon Jenkins Riih night Irene topped the charts in 1950. No popular songs of protest about this undeclared War blared Over american radios. And after the signing of the armistice in 1953, there was no outpouring of War novels to stir up the memories. Lindsey 61, is now the assistant manager of defense communication systems operations in Man who spoke English eloquently. The Man invited them to a party that evening at a local Guesthouse. At the party it was announced that the 7th  had joined forces with the 5th  which had come up from Italy through the Brenner pass. It was a source of Pride for Loftin knowing that the Day he had faced death in a frigid River was the Day the door to Germany was opened for the 7th  by his unit. Loftin was not spared the horrors of War. He saw people die. He saw an american prisoner of War who had been shackled and then shot Between the eyes. A when i had seen my first i killed that Hurt. Those were my friends and buddies a he said. That caused nightmares when he returned to Oklahoma in december 1945. After staying Home for a few months after the War Loftin returned to Germany in 1946 to work in Supply. He Rose to sergeant first class and retired in november 1958 at fort Binning a. He quickly returned to Germany to work for the military and retired from his civilian Job in 1983. Loftin resides in Eberstadt near the Darmstadt military Community. His wife Barbara whom he met at a tailor shop in 1947, died four years ago. They had three children. Today Good memories have replaced the bad ones. Loftin considers himself a Lucky Man. A i really thank my lord that i was Able to have a family a he said. A a lot of Guys did no to make  Mannheim Germany. He was stationed in Japan with the 11th airborne div when the korean War broke out. An Oregon native head enlisted in the  after attending the University of san Francisco for two years. He was 20 years old when he arrived in Korea and at his physical Peak. There were reasons for his Muscles. The son of an Oregon millwright sweated his Way through Ranger training at fort Polk la., then airborne school at fort Binning ga., and finally cold weather and Mountain climbing classes at , Colo. The condition of the american  in Japan shocked the private. Quot we had the Backbone the Skeleton of a military organization but Only the Skeleton a Lindsey said. Quot we had some officers who had combat training but other than that it was almost nonexistent. They were an occupation . They were fat they were  american soldiers he discovered were poorly trained clothed organized and equipped. The Page 4 a sunday november 10, 1991