I have been having coffee at a local place with Vince Colletti, (not sure of the spelling!) for about the last 3 weeks. This moring though he finally opened up and told me a few of his stories. I thought I would share these with you!

He trained at Ft. Bliss, Tx. After finishing basic there he went home to Chicago, got married and he and his new wife took a train to Leesville? Where they found a basement apartment, and stayed there until he shipped out. He thought he was going to the ETO, as did all of his friends. When they boarded the tropp train, they headed west. He said he was very surprised! They boarded a troop ship in California, and headed to the Phillipines, which they reached 32 days later! The ship was built in 1916, but he could not remember the name. After being in the Phillipines, they went on to New Guinea.

He then started to tell me of when he was wounded, and almost met MacArthur! It seem that Mac was one tent over with the more seriously wounded.

After a particularly heavy shelling, Vince was in a small and not deep enough slit trench, he and his buddy climbed out and his buddy told him "you're hit", as he was bleeding all over his left shoulder! He didn't even know he had been hit! He was evacuated to a "tent Hospital", he called it, with a head wound. Once there the medic, a very large man, told him to grasp his wrist the Doc was "going in"! No anesthesia! The doctor found piece of shrapnel approx. 3/4" x 3/8" lodged between his skull and scalp. The medic was unhappy with Vince and told him to let go, "you're cuttin' off the circulation to my hand!" He told me that his melmet slowed the shrapnel enought not to do any serious damage.

His wife told me a little about her experience of his wounding. She said that sh hoped the gov't. figured out a better way to tell the wives that hteir husbands have been hurt. Because she did not like the way they notified her! She recd a telegram that simply said, "we regret to inform you that your hisband has been wounded in battle." She didn't find out how badly he was wounded until another soldiers wife sent her the company letter from Ft. Bliss, that had Vinces picture on the front page recg his purple heart and smiling! Then she knew he was ok!

Just wanted to share that, it was truly a great experience for me!

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Scott

Great story. Thanks for sharing that experience. We need to seek out such veterans and here their stories for those who wish to share.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Thanks PzJgr!
This was my first experience "interviewing" a vet. I was apprenhensive at first, and I think he was too! But It wasn't bad at all, and I think once he saw I was genuinely interested in everything he said, he really opened up. I have more confidence know to approach others and really talk to them, instead of just saying hi and thanks! I agree that we need to get these stories out of these guys before they are gone forever!

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Scott

Keep it up Scott, this was a nice story.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Good show, Scott. Tell him my family appreciates what he did when you talk to him again.

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Best Regards,
JW

Great story, Scott. Thanks for sharing it with us.

My passion is exactly what you've done; sitting down and chatting with veterans, particularly air crew. I have learned so much from these gentlemen from an era of understatment and modesty.

If there's interest, I'll post some snippets from the chaps I've spoken to as well as your tale seems to have been very well received.

Thanks again, I can listen to these stories all day and a bit more.

Cheers

Owen

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http://www.owenzupp.com
Author. "Down to Earth"

I agree with Carl, fantastic post Scott. Many years ago i worked with a German who had been an Me109 pilot during the war. I only found this out after a couple of years of working with him and he gradually started to tell me his wartime stories.

He recalled how, after dogfights over the south of England, he would break off and head back towards France, but before doing so he and the RAF pilots would wave to each other !

He was eventually shot down and became a POW in Scotland.

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Regards
John

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see" - Winston Churchill

Thanks guys!
this really was great fun for me!
Owen, I look forward to reading the posts of your conversations with Vets! I'm leaving for Florida on Monday (computer goes with me, because I need access to this site!)
and I know of quite a few WWII vets that live in the same park as my parents, so I hope to interview them as well!

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Scott

Looking forward to reading your stuff. Have a safe trip Scott.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Hi Big Fun and C. Evans,

I've posted a snippet about some aerial combat over Dunkirk under "Books and Publications". I'll add others from time to time as well.

Cheers

Owen

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http://www.owenzupp.com
Author. "Down to Earth"

that's great owen, I'll read that!
Jeff, I'll pass that along the next time i see him!

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Scott

Thank you for the Heads Up Owen, i'll go read it.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

thanks Carl! I'm bringing my computer with me, so I'll be in touch!
thanks!!

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Scott

Looking forward to reading some of your "Dispatches from the frontlines." ;-))

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.