Post by tomt1999 on Jan 19, 2024 15:29:00 GMT -8
"Stop here for a minute, will you Joe?" Captain Frank DeLozier pointed to a spot just on-base past the
guard shack where an animated conversation was going on between the guard and an Italian man with
a donkey and wagon. The Italian was gesturing wildly. The GI was getting nervous, tightening his grip
on his rifle.
"Now see here," the GI said, "You can't just force your way onto an Army base!"
"Como? Como, signore?" The man paused while he thought. "No speak Inglese! No englese!."
He went on a lengthy tirade in Italian.
DeLozier walked up to the pair. "Private, what is going on here?" The private snapped to attention.
"This man is demanding entrance to the base, sir. He keeps pointing to the packages in his wagon.
I can't get anything after that."
"Let me try." He turned to the man. "Signore, mi despiace, no parlo italiano buono." The man's eyes
brightened a bit. He began to babble again.
"Aspettare, aspettera, signore!" DeLozier thought hard to recall his college Italian. "Per favore parla
lentamente - please speak slowly".
"Si, si" he said. Then in very broken english, he said, "Some of your men, they no pay! They leave -
how you say - la... lavandere... his laundry. They no pay and they no pick up!" Then off he went in
Italian again.
DeLozier thought for a moment. Oh boy, another problem with the local folks. I wish the officers here
would just use the base facilities for laundry and not send it out. But as soon as someone found a
launderer in town, everyone was sending it out. Even me, he thought.
"How much is owed... uh, quanto รจ dovuto, signore?"
"Otto dollares. 'Green backs' per favore.
"Si, 'green backs." DeLozier fished some money from his wallet and handed him a ten. "For your
trouble - per il tuo disturbo."
The man relaxed immediately. "I come in now?"
"No. You stay here, ah, 'Rimani qui'. Joe?" He called to his driver. "Come get these packages and throw them
in the car. We'll head over to headquarters and see who these deadbeats are."
Soon the packages were in the trunk of the staff car, which trundled up to base headquarters. DeLozier got the
duty corporal from inside and pointed to the packages. "See who these are for and assemble them in the com-
mander's office. I'll wait."
The corporal stacked the packages and in two armfuls, had carried them into the office of Colonel Moody. He began
to make a list of the names when suddenly he stopped and looked up at DeLozier. "Sir? These men are, uh, gone."
"Gone? What do you mean Corporal? Are they off-base?" He waited as the Corporal blanched.
"No, sir. They're... they're casualties. KIAs sir. They didn't go back for their laundry because they couldn't."
DeLozier grimaced. "I see. And now they don't need them anymore." He felt terrible calling these now-dead
men deadbeats. "Finish your list Corporal."
The man jotted the names down and handed DeLozier the list. DeLozier examined the names. "Charles Jerome,
Frank Reynolds, Steven Mosely, Jason Leger, William Fuller, Curt Clark." He grunted and said, "Well, the last one
is one of mine. Curt Clark. Put his in my car." He pointed out the window.
The door to the headquarters building opened and Colonel Moody walked in. "What's all the excitement? What's
up with the bundles?" He looked from his orderly to DeLozier. "Corporal, Frank?"
DeLozier filled him in on the situation. Moody said "That's a damn sad situation, Frank." He turned to his orderly.
"Jones, find out which squadrons these men were in and call each squadron office to send someone to come pick
these up. They can take care of getting them to Graves Registration."
He turned back to DeLozier. "You say that you paid for these?
"Yes, sir, before I..."
"Yes, before you knew. Jones, get into the petty money and pay Captain DeLozier back for this laundry."
"No sir, it's not necessary. Ten bucks won't put me in a hard place."
"I say it's necessary, Frank."
"Yes, sir." said DeLozier. He felt guilty taking the money, but he pocketed it and went back to his waiting
staff car and drove off.