A HERO - NOT A SUCKER
My father, Pfc. C. J. Olmscheid, was a member of the Army 82nd Airborne 325th Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) Company F. He served in North Africa, Sicily, and glided in behind German lines on D-day. The 82nd fought for 33 days in Normandy and received for it actions of bravery the Presidential Unit Citation. In November of 1944 the 325th GIR were in France to rest and refit. On December 16, 1944 the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest. The F Company was sent to hold the crossroads in Manhay, Belgium, at all cost. On December 22 & 23 F Company took part in one of most ferocious battles in the Ardennes against the assault of the German 2nd SS Panzer Division. Of the F Company’s 116 men defending the crossroads at Manhay, only 45 would return to a different location in the Ardennes. During the fighting on December 23, 1944, Pfc C.J Olmscheid won the British Military Medal for bravery. (His citation is part of the gallery) He also received a silver star, two bronze stars, purple heart and glider wings with two combat mission stars.
THE MEN OF ARMY 82ND AIRBORNE 325TH GLIDER INFANTRY REGEMENT OF COMPANY F WERE NOT SUCKERS AND THE SOLDIERS OF COMPANY F WHO LOST THEIR LIVES WERE NOT LOSERS.
