Ray Duel Wilfong

Ray was a sargent during WWII. He landed at Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion. He said you had to crawl over the bodies to get ashore and the ocean water was red with blood. His company marched through Paris. He said the French would hang up the American flag when they saw them coming. Down it came when the Germans came and up went the German flag. Ray got a shave and hair cut there. The lady barber told him he should wear a mustache that he looked better. Ray wore one ever since.

He said the conditions they endured were horrible. They were always hungry and cold. He said when they came to a farm which had pigs, chicken, geese, or any thing they could kill and carry, they would take it.

Ray's company fought on the front line. Ray was an expert marksman. He was a scout and sniper for his company. He and his partner went out on a mission one day only to return and find his whole company dead. They didn't know what to do. They were walking down a road and a jeep stopped to pick them up. It was Gen. Omar Bradley. He asked what had happened. After hearing the story, he told them to get in they would have to fight anymore. He took them back to his camp where they got to take a bath and shave. They also got a steak dinner. Ray finished his service as the personal body guard to Gen. Bradley. He met many dignitaries like Gen.Eisenhower and Gen. Patton. He said they were both little men. Ray told two funny stories about the generals. One was that Eisenhower wanted to go in and see Gen. Bradley and Ray wouldn't let him in because he didn't have his I.D. Finally, someone went in and had Bradley come out. Eisenhower said you have one hell of a body guard here. Ray just laughed when he told the story. Gen. Patton tried to get him to walk his little white dog and Ray refused to leave his post. Patton got mad and said give me the damn gun I will stand guard go walk my dog.

Ray told many stories of going into the prison camps and freeing prisoners. He said the SS officers dressed like prisoners to escape death, but they were easily identified since they were well fed. SS officers never surrendered. It was an honor to die. He said the young, blue eyed, blonde, German women in the bath houses never wanted to leave because they had life so good.

Another story he told was about a German officer who thought he could keep his sword. Ray was helping load prisoners on a truck and this officer started to get on the truck with his sword. Ray reached up and cut his belt and the officer's pants fell down. Viola still has the sword. It has a swastika on it.