A Combat Artist in World War II by Reep Edward;
Author:Reep, Edward;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00
The Morning After
1944. Watercolor and casein. 15½ x 21¼ in.
Soldiers stack the uniforms and equipment of men killed in the shelling of the movie tent. All that remain of the theater are the trunks of three trees and debris. Even underground we would not have been protected from a direct hit, and we were all very conscious of being sitting ducks. Confronted with the issue of courage or cowardice, I knew that, without positive measures, my career as a war artist would be over.
Arriving at regimental headquarters, I was astonished to find the entire complement of regimental brass lined up to greet me. They stood at rigid attention, neatly attired and beaming hopefully. As we drew closer, however, the pleasant expressions slowly turned to hostile stares of disbelief. A chicken colonel approached and angrily bellowed, âWho in the hell do you think you are?â There was no salute to return but I saluted anyway, and leaping out of the jeep to stand at attention, I offered my name, rank, and serial number. It did little good.
âWell, what the hell are you doing riding in a three-star generalâs jeep?â He was irate, mean and displayed little patience with meâand I canât say that I blamed him. âSir,â I volunteered, âthey assigned it to me back at the catacombs car pool, Sir.â I had learned, when in a pickle, to hang âsirsâ about my sentences like bookends. âWell,â he fumed, âwhy donât you cover up the stars?â The stars were on the little insignia plate on the front where a license plate would ordinarily be mounted. The colonel hadnât really asked me a question; it was the opening salvo of a scathing reprimand and prolonged dressing down before an amused audience, but my head was swimming at the time, and I cannot recall many of the details.
No disciplinary action was taken against me, and again I had escaped a fate worse than death, or so it seemed at the time. My driver, that same responsible man who was shepherding me about and knew his business to a tee, had failed to secure the little canvas cover that concealed the stars when the general wasnât aboard; to the delight of everyone, I was catching the flak for his negligence. The regimental delegation had undoubtedly got wind of the jeep on its way and ordered everyone to clean up the headquarters and look smart when the old man arrived. The soldiers out in the field had been dutifully saluting the jeep with respect for a commanding officer who would bravely appear among them, but any who got a close look must surely have believed that I was the youngest three-star general in American military annals.
Not until we finally broke out of Anzio in May 1944 did I have an opportunity to vindicate myself for my reprehensible conduct, bordering on pure cowardice, when the theater was struck. It wasnât much compared to the countless heroic deeds of the real fighting men, but it helped restore my self-esteem and confidence.
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