Time went on, but finally the SS Bienville docked in Oslo Harbor, our troops were put aboard, and we sailed away on October 16th. We let some British troops off in Southampton, England, and then left the next day and started out through the English Channel into the Atlantic Ocean. We ran into a very severe storm; but we were too far out to go back and take shelter in some harbor, so we rode it out. I believed I was on my way home, so I wasn’t too concerned about it.

Finally on October 31st, we landed in Boston harbor and were taken to Camp Myles Standish. There we got rid of some of the equipment, and we were sent by train to Indiantown Gap. We went through a lot of paperwork and were finally discharged on November 7th, after which I went to Harrisburg and took a train to Williamsport.

My honorable discharge shows that I was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal (if you can believe that), Distinguished Unit Badge, Combat Infantry Badge, Europe African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with six bronze stars and bronze arrowhead, and World War II Victory Medal. The six bronze stars represent various battles and campaigns. They were Sicily, Normandy, northern France, Rhineland, and Ardennes, Central Europe.

On the train ride to Williamsport, I was talking with some civilians; and one fellow asked me where I was going. I told him, “The Wellsboro area.” Well, he was a salesman headed for Wellsboro, so if I wanted to, I could ride with him from Williamsport to Wellsboro. That was really a godsend, and so I made it into Wellsboro probably around 11:00 at night; and he let me off on the corner by the red light, where the Wellsboro Diner is now. I walked down the sidewalk a little ways toward where Dunkin Donuts is now, and there I sat my duffle bag down and stood there wondering what in the world I was going to do next. I hadn’t been there too long, when a car pulled up, and the driver said, “Where are you headed, soldier?” I said “I’d like to get to Westfield.” He said, “Well, we’re from Elkland and didn’t intend to go that way, but we can just as well.” He said “Climb in,” and I told him after I got in that I lived between Little Marsh and Westfield and that was OK by him. It was election night, and the driver had taken election returns from Elkland to Wellsboro, and they were now on the way back home. I tried to get him to let me out at the mouth of the road that goes up to where my folks’ place was, but he wouldn’t have anything of that. He took me right up and parked me in the driveway at home, then left.