Up Close - A Scout's Story

Merriam Press World War 2 History Series

The late John Davis, with Anne Riffenburgh, tells John's story of being a scout with the 106th Infantry Division from the Battle of the Bulge through the push into Germany and beyond. The year is 1941. John Davis is a brash young man reveling in the sights and sounds of Los Angeles-not a bad fate for a country boy from Colorado who grew up hardscrabble during the Great Depression. An ocean away, life is far less rosy for those living in the shadow of war. John has heard all about this tyrant named Hitler, with his clipped mustache and staccato bark, who seems to have mesmerized the German people and is threatening an entire continent. A nasty business to be sure, but John is pretty certain that none of it is going to touch him. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launch their infamous sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, and all bets are off. Swept up in a surge of anger and patriotism, John joins the Army, undergoes three years of training, and in the fall of 1944, becomes part of the 106th Division-the last division to be made and the youngest division ever to go overseas. His plan for survival is simple: he will watch out for his own rear end and nobody else's. On the morning of December 16, 1944, John "Davy" Davis and 100 fellow soldiers head toward an area in Belgium called the Schnee Eifel, to face off with the Germans and take part in searing action that will eventually be known as the Battle of the Bulge. If John could know what is coming, he might be filled with dread. Instead he feels a burning need to get down to business. "I had spent nearly three years getting to this time, this place, and this moment in history. Along the way, a vengeful stew had simmered inside me, made up of ingredients that most people considered liabilities: anger, arrogance, and a primal desire to kick some ass. But the universe had flipped, and I sensed that these qualities had the potential to serve as assets, maybe even talismans. "'Don't take any crap, ' my father had admonished long ago. 'To my warrior son, ' my mother had written, her words serving up both acknowledgement and expectation. "I didn't know what lay ahead, but I was as tough and ready as I'd ever be. My hand tightened around my M1 rifle. "Let the chips fall where they damn well pleased." Contents Prologue: Whether I shall turn out to be the hero ... Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel ... He's tough, ma'am ... A good soldier makes a poor scout ... Don't be a fool and die for your country ... If thou faint in the day of adversity ... The only gift is a portion of thyself ... In war, you win or lose, live or die ... Only the dead have seen the end of war ... Our friends show us what we can do ... The most wasted day of all ... I think there is choice possible at any moment ... Men weary as much of not doing the things they want to do ... If a way to the better be ... A faithful friend is the medicine of life ... A good friend ... War is cruelty ... Epilogue: I know myself now ... 2 photos