European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 07, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The belgian and the real Mccoy John l. Sofnin Kuci on dec. 7, 1941, Pierre Reysenn was a Young belgian citizen serving in the . Army at Schofield Barracks near Pearl Harbor. He teamed English and became an american As he fought his Way across the  . Kominicki senior staff writer Pierre Reysenn had a hangover that sunday morning m december 1941. The army had come through with three months of Back pay a the princely sum of $90 a and Reysenn and a few friends had spent the night before reveling at a Beer Garden on the hawaiian Island of Oahu not far from Pearl Harbor. By 7 30 on the morning of dec. 7, the 27-year-old private first class was hunched in line at the Schofield Barracks Chow Hall hoping a plateful of pancakes would help ease the throb in his forehead. Quot i was standing there with my mess kit and i heard some noise Boom Boom and saw smoke billowing off by the Harbor. I remember the smoke looked like a Rosary in the sky Quot said Reysenn now a 77-year-old worker at Pitburg a Germany Quot thought it was the Navy practising War games but then t saw one plane coming Down at us Low right at us he opened up with his machine guns and i saw the Sand on both sides of us moving and i said a son of a gun he a not shooting Blanks the stunned Reysenn took cover behind a Palm tree and watched As wave after wave of japanese planes swarmed Down on the bewildered american troops. A one banked so close to me that i can still see the Pilot still see his face. Another one came Down in a Steep dive and when he pulled up he dropped a bomb on the water Tower t think. The blast was big and very close and shrapnel was flying everywhere through the air. The a you this anyone who was there who says he was not scared is full of  adding to Reysenn s confusion that Day was the fact that he spoke almost no English. Born in Marche in Tamenne in the French part of Belgium Reysenn a policeman had been sent to new York to guard a collection of diamonds on display at the 1939 world s fair. By the time the exhibition had run its course the following year the belgian government had capitulated to the nazis and Reysenn decided to remain in the United states. Broke with no English and without any Job prospects he tried to join the  army four times but was sent away because he was unable to answer the Battery of sign up questions. A the fifth time there was a lady from Louisiana there and she could speak French let me Tell you How Happy i was to find  Reysenn had already filed for displaced person status and that was Good enough to satisfy the army s citizenship requirements. But the lady from Louisiana warned he would still have to Lake the service s Entrance exams. Quot i could t read the questions but i could figure out that there were some with two answers and some with a. B and c. I figured i had a 50 percent Chance on the True and false and a 33 percent Chance on the multiple Choice so i went right through marking spaces. Quot i got 90  impressed with his test scores the army sent Reysenn to its elite communications school at fort Monmouth n j., where he was promptly put on Kitchen police. Quot at first i thought the american military must have terrific intelligence because they knew i was in the police already Quot he said. Quot but i found out what Kitchen meant very quickly believe me. There were other problems when it came time to draw uniforms and equipment for example Reysenn proudly stepped Forward and in his Best English told the Supply sergeant his shoe size Quot forty four Quot that was my metric size of course the sergeant thought i was making fun of him and he poked around m the pile and gave me the largest pair he could find. They were so big i could do an about face inside of them to said the army eventually taught Reysenn Morse code since his Lack of English meant he could Send and receive classified messages without a Security clearance when his unit asked for volunteers to go to the Pacific in Early 1941, Reysenn stepped Forward. He signed on with the 615th signal aircraft warning regt at Schofield Barracks in october having pulled k p All the Way Quot from new Jersey. Reysenn s English still was t very Good by dec 7, and when the base loudspeakers belatedly blared out that the japanese attack was Quot the real Mccoy Quot Reysenn was More puzzled than alarmed Quot i was t sure who this Guy Mccoy was but i find been hugging my Palm tree for dear life Long before the announcement was made Quot Fie said Reysenn remembers having to stand in Tine to gel combat gear during the attack because the unit Supply sergeant insisted that everyone sign Lor their weapons he recalls one Guy in Lino calmly humming part of a hit tune of the time Quot i Don t want to set the world on tire i just want to Start a flame in your  Quot i finally got a .45 and a helmet a hat one like the British wore one of the Fellows was firing a bar a Browning automatic Rifle and he got one plane because i saw it going Down Quot armed but not exactly sure Itiat he was supposed to do Reysenn decided to head for the Barracks and lie Down on his bunk. His first sergeant quickly and not very politely Reysenn remembers ordered him outside again and the Young belgian watched the rest of the halt hour attack from behind his Palm tree. Quot i never did get my breakfast that Day Quot he said Reysenn would go on to fight his Way across most of the Pacific bloody Battles tie prefers not to discuss Loday he obtained his  citizenship in 1942 and returned to the United states in Marti 1945 where Fie married the new Jersey woman he d betrothed before heading Tor Hawaii 31/1 years before after the honeymoon he volunteered Tor duty in Europe and on a still memorable  May of that year got to visit his family in Marche in fam Onno after a six year Throe month separation re Tenn was next assigned As an army criminal investigator in Paris and in 1948, made the switch to the air Force s fledgling office of special investigations he retired from Active duty in 1961 but continued As a civilian investigator. He still carries badge no 242 his hair is White and thinning now and he works Only 2 a Days a week but Reysenn Stilt works out for half an hour every morning and Fie cuts a tall dignified and still imposing figure Quot i want to keep on going he said to begin with i Tike to keep Busy and something More important i owe a debt to Uncle Sam at one time i d lost everything i had nothing and America gave me a Chance Quot i m going to pay that debt Back saturday december 7, 1991 the stars and stripes 5