Monday, March 01, 1999

Bureaucracy delays WWII medal

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BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer

William R. Schumacher looks at photo of himself as an Army private at 19. (Saed Hindash photo) | ZOOM |

        After months of lugging a 50-pound mortar and shells up and down Italy's mountains in pursuit of retreating Germans during World War II, William R. Schumacher was itching to fire the cumbersome weapon. In September 1944, the young soldier did.

        Now, nearly 55 years later, he will receive a Bronze Star for heroism.

        U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, who helped secure the honor, will present the medal today.

        “I'm just surprised and pleased to have it,” the 74-year-old Sycamore Township resident said.

        Mr. Schumacher was 19 when he enlisted in the Army in 1943. That September, he was sent overseas.

        There, he met Bernie Saffer, another Cincinnatian. They became friends and fought together with the Army's 85th Infantry Division.

        In fall 1944, German troops were inflicting heavy casualties on U.S. forces in Italy.

        On the front near Florence, two soldiers had to enter the exposed “no-man's land” between the opposing troops in Frienzuola where German raiding parties operated.

        On Sept. 15, 1944, that assignment went to two young privates who had been grumbling about carrying heavy mortars and not getting to shoot them — Mr. Schumacher and Mr. Saffer.

        That night, the pair moved forward and shelled Germans until enemy fire forced them to withdraw.

        The mission was hardly exciting, Mr. Schumacher recalled.

        “We didn't go charging up a hill throwing hand grenades at a machine-gun position like you see in the movies,” the retired bankruptcy lawyer said. “It seemed a little boring, actually. It wasn't until later that we realized how dangerous it really was.”

        Two others who tried the same assault were “picked off” by Germans.

        That danger, along with the mission's success, prompted officers to recommend Pvts. Schumacher and Saffer for medals.

        “We were very effective,” said Mr. Saffer, 79, of Delhi Township. “You can't count bodies because you don't see them. But you know, when (enemy troops) don't repeat their patrols, that it's working.”

        Mr. Saffer received his medal two months after the mission.

        Mr. Schumacher, who had to leave the front line after suffering a stomach ailment, concussion and battle fatigue, received nothing.

        Further delaying recognition was a fire in the 1970s that destroyed many military records, including Mr. Schumacher's.

        It wasn't until last year, when Mr. Schumacher wrote to Mr. Portman inquiring about his medal, that the oversight was corrected.

        “In my own mind, this was pretty much just another night of war,” said Mr. Schumacher, who will have Mr. Saffer at his side today when he receives his medal. “But it is nice to be recognized.”

       

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