'Following in Their Footsteps' tour takes Carson City man to Italy
Submitted by editor on Mon, 06/23/2014 - 4:14pm
Easy Company, 506th parachute infantry regiment, 101st Airborne Division was not the only band of brothers. Most of the 16 million men who served our country during WW II became closer to their shipmate or foxhole buddy than their own family. The First Special Service Force, the Black Devils, was a brigade of commandos from two nations, 60 percent USA and 40 percent Canadians.
Their training began July 20, 1942. December 5, 1944 the Force was in parade formation when the Canadians were ordered to fallout, disband. The USA troops were ordered to close ranks. They did not; leaving spaces in their formation. Tears rolled down the cheeks of tough men who experienced a lifetime of memories in 17 months with their band of brothers.
The Black Devils formed the First Special Service Force Association. Their first reunion was in 1946 where they trained, Fort William Henry Harrison in Helena, MT. The even numbered years the reunions are in the States and the odd numbered years in Canada. Through the years, sons, daughters, nephews, nieces and grandchildren joined the association to assist their Force relative.
I began studying Italian in 2006 preparing for the 2008 “Following In Their Footsteps” tour. For eight days we toured rural Italy between Naples and Rome visiting communities liberated by the Force between December 3, 1943 and June 4, 1944.
I decided to attend the May 25 to June 5, 2014 tour which included the 70th anniversary of Rome’s liberation, June 4. We visited three cemeteries, five museums, and 13 communities liberated by the Force. Each community had a plaque in a central location honoring members of the Force who died liberating their community.
Thursday, May 29 we toured the Winter Line Museum in Venafro, in the Molise Region east of Cassino, Italy. The old town of Venafro has Roman roots and the Castle Panone.
Being my second visit to the Winter Line Museum, there was nothing different until we exited the museum. Marc Freve, an archivist with the government in Quebec, Canada and a member of the FSSF Association, has extensively researched the Force.
He showed me a 70 year old black and white picture. There was an old stone building on the left with Pvt. Norton L. Shaver (6-3) escorting a German prisoner along the path on the right. Marc said, “Look,” as he pointed to the building in front of us on the left side of the path. It was the same building in the picture. We were following in their footsteps.
We walked about 100’ to another stone building. Marc showed me a black and white picture of that building. In January 1944 the Force used the building as a clearing station for wounded. A resident in his eighties came to us to look at the picture.
He pointed to two young females in the picture on the left side of the building. Each carried a small barrel shaped container on her head. Next he pointed to a poster on a board a few feet away. The poster was Ida Valente’s death notice. She died in a civilian hospital on May 17, 2014. Her funeral service was May 18, 11 days ago. Ida, the first girl in Marc’s picture, was seventeen 70 years ago.
I was amazed how everything came together at that moment for us to learn about Ida. She lived her entire life in Venafro. Everyone has a story. I will discover more stories, following in their footsteps.
— Writer Ken Beaton is a retired secondary business teacher who enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and conversational Italian. He is a 38-year Carson City resident, Kiwanian, an active volunteer and author of "The Bulldog Brigade."
Photo 3: To the left of the Force Clearing Station the Medic (cross on the back of his helmet) on the right is helping to evacuate a wounded or dead GI. Above the Medic's helmet are two Italian teen females carrying a cylinder shape container on their heads. Ida Valente is the first female. She was 17 years old in January 1944 when this picture was taken.
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