Nathan J. Fullmer, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by Luke Kelly, August 11, 2001: Saving the legacy tape no. 282

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athan J. Fullmer t that had been covered up with dirt as storag lik our ug r b t . The M-1 rifles and our 30 caliber machine gun on th top o n t get through that dirt, and the Germans were taking cover there. But th 50 alib r machine gun on the top of the Sherman got through that dirt pretty good. We had a couple of tanks out there that were scattering the Germans. Anyway the counterattack was beaten off, and a lot of German dead· some prisoners. But in that combat-go back to our the rifle squad, the 12-man squad. There was the squad leader, and an assistant squad leader, which was then me, two scouts, two BAR men, and the rest were riflemen. Of course, the scouts were riflemen, too. But our first scout was a nice young guy named Adam J. Walensky. And he got gut shot in that counterattack. The medics got to him and hauled him off, but he did die the next day. We didn't know the details. You know, your imagination goes wild that the Germans were using wooden bullets, and that tore him up inside. Well, dead is dead. I guess it doesn't make any difference. That was our first casualty out of the twelve. We were then going to move into the houses, and you've got to search the house. We had village training clear back a year before in Camp Roberts, and the theory is you go running up to the house and you throw the grenade through the window. After it explodes you run in and you shoot anything that moves. Okay, that's simple enough. The good old squad leader says, "Fullmer, go up there and throw some hand grenades." I go up to house. There's screens on the windows, Luke. There were no screens on the windows in basic training. There were just big holes in the wall. Well, 20