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The following memoirs of World War Two were written by Al Durbin, 80th Recon for his son Tim.  The Durbin Family have been gracious enough to allow me to share this with you, our readers, so that you might learn more about these brave men to whom we owe so much, and maybe at long last, they will be understood and appreciated for their deeds.  Mr. Durbin repeatedly gives credit to the infantrymen of the 80th in his story.  In fairness to Mr. Durbin, he and his fellow Recon men deserve much more credit than he will claim.  They were often far out front of the division, with nothing between them and a determined enemy but thin-skinned reconnaissance vehicles and their wits.  Recently, in a discussion about another warrior, in another time, a dear friend sent me the following quotation from President Teddy Roosevelt.  I think it also applies here;

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.  So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

T.  Roosevelt

Dear Son,

You can imagine my astonishment to run across this picture of my unit, my Section, in Ambrose's book "Citizen Soldiers".  I have numbered the helmets on nine of the fourteen - about half of 2nd Platoon, 80th Recon.  There are three whose faces are hidden completely, and two whom I should know, but can't remember their names.  The other nine I still recall!  Not too shabby after 55 years.

1. Earl Erwin - my Best Man in Dec.  '45,  2. ? Bailey - awarded two Silver Stars - he was an 18-19 year old kid, 3. ? Mohnacky,  4. Bob Kercher - my Sergeant,  5. Mike Tuvamicke - with his accordion, 6. Herbert "Andy" Andrews,  7. Larry Gular - our Platoon Sergeant, 8. Sammy Romano - later Killed-In-Action - my best buddy, 9. "Gunk" Williams - later Killed-In-Action

One of the four books you gave me - "Band of Brothers" - says it all I suppose I will never forget these guys and the rest of the Platoon, and many others in the Troop - but my Section was the closest.

I lost Sammy Romano, whom I loved like a brother, two others in my Section, and two infantry guys assigned to us, all from one mine explosion.  I cried like a baby, and went looking for Krauts - a rough day.  One doesn't forget, just put it away to the back of one's mind.

Well, that was a long time ago.

Dad