"It was war, we had to go through it. Had to put up with it. I didn't like it. I mean, dont tell me I wasn't scared. I really was scared, but you got you put up with it. I'm not the only one."

John Clemente was born in Oakville Connecticut in 1916. In 1942, he was drafted into the Army. After training in Camp Lee, Virginia and Fort Houston, Texas he was deployed to North Africa. In North Africa, he was in 382^nd Quartermaster outfit that operated a supply depot. After the situation in North Africa was under control, the 382^nd was broken up and John was sent to the 85^th Division. They were to deployed to Sicily and later engaged in combat throughout Italy. After falling ill and undergoing surgery to remove a kidney, John was moved away from the combat zone and sent to Pisa in northern Italy. After victory was secured in Europe in May, 1945, John was moved once again to Florence. Still ailing, he was sent back to the United States in July, 1945 and was honorably discharged in November. After the war, John married and raised a family. He joined the local VFW and continues to be an active member today. In this segment, John describes the conditions of combat in Italy and explains how he was awarded the Silver Star.

North Africa had already calmed down . . . I noticed the Mediterranean was loaded with ships. They were getting ready to invade Sicily. So then they invaded Sicily. Then out outfit broke up because they didnt need us anymore. They took our half and they gave us infantry training in North Africa . . . I though we were going to go to Normandy. They said, No, you guys are not going to Normandy. Normandy is already planned. So after I trained we went to Sicily . . . it was already taken. From Sicily we went to Italy . . . We landed in Naples . . . Now, we stayed in Italy, in town, about three or four weeks. So now they had to replace us and they replaced us different places.

They replaced me in the 85th Division . . . [Combat] was rough. You're getting hit by artillery shells, mortar shells, you're being shot by machine guns, you're digging foxholes to cover yourself. If you can't dig a foxhole, you've got to get cover somewhere else. I know one time I got caught in a field with mortar shells coming in and machine guns. I could hear them hit the ground. Lucky that I didn't get hit at all, and that's what you go through, you know? You put up with all these artillery shells and we got straifed by airplanes, by machine guns, German airplanes, like that, you know? Luckily I pulled through . . . It was war, we had to go through it. Had to put up with it. I didn't like it. I mean, dont tell me I wasn't scared. I really was scared, but you got you put up with it. I'm not the only one. Everybody, you know?

Now, while we were there in combat we got engaged in a fight and there was this machine gun up on a hill. So the company picked three of us guys; me and two other guys. They gave us grenades. Said, We got to knock that machine gun nest out. So we went up in the hill, this was night. We flanked the machine gun. We threw grenades in there and we got the hell out of there and we went back to our company. Now, the next morning the officers went up and when they went up there they saw the machine gun nest was knocked out, so we got the credit. So they out us in first for a Bronze Star. They said, No, the Bronze Star, it's got to be higher, so they put us in for a sliver star. That's how I was awarded the Silver Star. And later on, going on and going on we fought a little more, that's when I became ill.

They put me in a field hospital. From the field hospital they sent me down to Naples to a general hospital . . . I had a kidney removed . . . When I finished three months training there and the hospital there, they sent me north. Pisa, North Italy. Not in combat any more. It's a rest area.

You were over there at the time there was German occupation, Italy had already surrendered.

Yeah. The war was still going on when I was there but after it was over, you know, then they started sending the GIs home . . . I liked it because I speak Italian. I enjoyed it . . . The people were good before and after. We used to go into the towns that were destroyed and we tried to help these people. So this just went back and forth, but they were pretty good . . . Maybe some people dont like it but they dont tell you. People are pretty nice there. Hey, were helping them out, you know what I mean? Because we were the invaders but still and all, you know, a lot of them didnt even like the Germans after that when they got to know the Americans because the Americans did a lot of good for them out there. They put people to work. After the war they built up these countries, especially in Italy, America did a lot of building. We got along all right. I got along with everybody. Real nice. [But I] hope it never happens again.