Stateside—marry Elaine. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. We’re still married today, more than sixty-three years later.
You have to understand that I never hated Sobel. But this is also true: Sobel could be quite unfair sometimes, and it went much farther than just the incident with the passes. Some of the men downright hated him even to the point where Sobel’s life was in danger. As NCOs, we had all heard comments from the other enlisted men such as, “Boy, if I ever get Sobel in my sites he’s a goner”—stuff like that. You never know if those comments are actually going to be played out, but there was a strong feeling among the men that Sobel couldn’t be trusted in a combat situation. If the bullets were flying it could have been easy for someone to catch Sobel in the crosshairs.
I was involved in the meeting that the NCOs had in England [to all turn in their stripes as noncommissioned officers in E Company, thereby casting a nonconfidence vote for Sobel in hopes that Colonel Sink would remove Sobel as company commander]. Mostly I just listened during the meeting. Sergeants Mike Ranney and Salty Harris ran the meeting. It happened about eight o’clock one night. They called together some of the NCOs; not everyone was there. We all knew the troops were unhappy with Sobel, and the big question was, “What can we do about it?” We all knew Sobel wasn’t cut out for combat. We knew that if he made the wrong decision it would cost some of the fellows their lives. So we decided that something should be done—that was how it was left at the end of the meeting. I assumed (though I never had confirmation on this) that Ranney or Harris went to Captain Winters—I don’t know who else they could have gone to who would have understood the situation. Anyway, within about two weeks Sobel was moved down to a training assignment. Ranney and Harris were both busted. Harris was shipped out to another company. Ranney was busted down to private.
As I’ve thought about that incident over the years, here’s my conclusion: Captain Sobel was a good training officer, strict, he wanted his men to be the best. I admire him for that. But you could not trust his judgment in a battle situation. For the good of the outfit, I think what we did was right.
In 2002, at the Easy Company reunion in Phoenix, I was sitting by the pool at the hotel one afternoon, taking life easy. This young man came over to me and said, “Mr. Taylor?”
I said, “Yes.”
He said, “I’m Herbert Sobel’s son. Could you please tell me why you fellows did what you did to my father?”
His comment nearly knocked me off the chair. Why did he talk to me? I think because when he came to the group and introduced himself someone said, “Hey, why don’t you go over and see Taylor.” I think that was the case. Otherwise why would he have come to me?
I explained to him that we did what we did for the good of the company—in fact, it was for Sobel’s own benefit, too. I think his son understood that. I certainly mean him no harm in telling this story. Sobel’s sister was invited to our reunion in Valley Forge several years ago. She came with a small speech prepared. She said, “I understand exactly how you felt about my brother. He was a little strange sometimes.” So I think her saying that has sort of smoothed things over.
CHAPTER SIX
How the Rest of Us Trained
Earl McClung
I never went through Toccoa. I went to camp in Utah and took tests, then they sent me to Fort Walters, Texas, for basic training. Basic training didn’t bother me. I thought it was pretty easy, kind of fun. The city kids didn’t care much for it, though. I always liked to be outside rather than inside. During basic you were outside a lot and did a lot of walking. You learned something new, something you had never heard of. For an Indian kid that was altogether a different life.
There was no ridicule in the service for being an Indian—it was more or
You have to understand that I never hated Sobel. But this is also true: Sobel could be quite unfair sometimes, and it went much farther than just the incident with the passes. Some of the men downright hated him even to the point where Sobel’s life was in danger. As NCOs, we had all heard comments from the other enlisted men such as, “Boy, if I ever get Sobel in my sites he’s a goner”—stuff like that. You never know if those comments are actually going to be played out, but there was a strong feeling among the men that Sobel couldn’t be trusted in a combat situation. If the bullets were flying it could have been easy for someone to catch Sobel in the crosshairs.
I was involved in the meeting that the NCOs had in England [to all turn in their stripes as noncommissioned officers in E Company, thereby casting a nonconfidence vote for Sobel in hopes that Colonel Sink would remove Sobel as company commander]. Mostly I just listened during the meeting. Sergeants Mike Ranney and Salty Harris ran the meeting. It happened about eight o’clock one night. They called together some of the NCOs; not everyone was there. We all knew the troops were unhappy with Sobel, and the big question was, “What can we do about it?” We all knew Sobel wasn’t cut out for combat. We knew that if he made the wrong decision it would cost some of the fellows their lives. So we decided that something should be done—that was how it was left at the end of the meeting. I assumed (though I never had confirmation on this) that Ranney or Harris went to Captain Winters—I don’t know who else they could have gone to who would have understood the situation. Anyway, within about two weeks Sobel was moved down to a training assignment. Ranney and Harris were both busted. Harris was shipped out to another company. Ranney was busted down to private.
As I’ve thought about that incident over the years, here’s my conclusion: Captain Sobel was a good training officer, strict, he wanted his men to be the best. I admire him for that. But you could not trust his judgment in a battle situation. For the good of the outfit, I think what we did was right.
In 2002, at the Easy Company reunion in Phoenix, I was sitting by the pool at the hotel one afternoon, taking life easy. This young man came over to me and said, “Mr. Taylor?”
I said, “Yes.”
He said, “I’m Herbert Sobel’s son. Could you please tell me why you fellows did what you did to my father?”
His comment nearly knocked me off the chair. Why did he talk to me? I think because when he came to the group and introduced himself someone said, “Hey, why don’t you go over and see Taylor.” I think that was the case. Otherwise why would he have come to me?
I explained to him that we did what we did for the good of the company—in fact, it was for Sobel’s own benefit, too. I think his son understood that. I certainly mean him no harm in telling this story. Sobel’s sister was invited to our reunion in Valley Forge several years ago. She came with a small speech prepared. She said, “I understand exactly how you felt about my brother. He was a little strange sometimes.” So I think her saying that has sort of smoothed things over.
CHAPTER SIX
How the Rest of Us Trained
Earl McClung
I never went through Toccoa. I went to camp in Utah and took tests, then they sent me to Fort Walters, Texas, for basic training. Basic training didn’t bother me. I thought it was pretty easy, kind of fun. The city kids didn’t care much for it, though. I always liked to be outside rather than inside. During basic you were outside a lot and did a lot of walking. You learned something new, something you had never heard of. For an Indian kid that was altogether a different life.
There was no ridicule in the service for being an Indian—it was more or
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