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About Regimental mirror. (Fort Benning, Ga.) 1943-194? | View Entire Issue (May 18, 1944)
PAGE TWO Wounded GI Rescued Six Men After Mine Explosion The men of the Academic Regiment of The Infantry School would like to hear PFC Manuel R. Ramirez tell the story of how he won the Soldier’s Medal, the Purple Heart and four battle stars. They are also curious about the Air Corps ring that he wears, since it’s generally understood that he fought as a combat Engineer attached to an In fantry outfit. But Ramirez is not the talk ative type. What he has gone through in Africa and Sicily has made him a quiet tnan of action, impatient with remembrances of the past. Like most Americans, he’s a soldier only by necessity, finding nothing to brag about in war, fighting well simply be cause that’s the only way to a just future. He has told us his story indirectly—he explained a few details that were not made clear in the official reports. GI STEPS ON MINE His combat record was climax ed on that day in May, 1943, when his platoon was crossing a field in Tunisia. The long cam paign was almost over. Ramirez and his comrades were tired af ter four months of constant ac tion, and they were relieved that their next job was to “police up” the field where a sharp battle had been fought. They collec ted pieces of equipment scatter ed about, and were burying Ger man. Italian and American bodi es when suddenly A rifleman stepped on a mine. Eleven men were killed out right by the explosion. Seven others, including Ramirez, were wounded, some so badly that Ramirez decided he couldn’t ' . d. SGT. LUCY M. BRAGA. OF WAC DETACHMENT TWO. CHECKS THROUGH the overseas records of men recently returned from combat as part of her research work tor the Public Relations Office of The Infantry School. Formerly connected - with a nat ionally-known Boston publishing house. Sgt. Braga now helps prepare School news re leases for the civilian press and also works on scripts for radio programs in w'hich the School takes part. In addition to the “definite education” which she believes every WAC is getting in the Army, Sgt. Braga considers herself particularly fortunate to be working in a branch of the service that has “real insight into the activities of the Army.” She left her home in Bridgewater, Mass., over a year ago to enlist in the WAAC and served as secre tary to the assistant chief of staff (personnel) at Second Army headquarters before coming to Benning last October. (Official U. S. Army Photo—The Infantry School.) wait for the Medics to come up. He carried one soldier out to the road, trying hard to follow the same path back so as to avoid other mines probably in the area. There was still no assis tance in sight. Although his hand and face were bleeding badly, he reentered the mine field and brought back a second buddy. At any moment he might have been blown to pieces by I another mine But he went back four times more, making six trips in all through the dan ger area to carry six soldiers out to the road where they were soon treated by the Medics. Four of the rescued men are a live today and safe in the States. TWO DECORATIONS While Ramirez himself was being treated for shrapnel wounds his company command er put him down for botii the Soldier's Medal and the Purple Heart. Half an hour later he was back on duty with his outfit, which later went into intensive training for the Sicily invasion. After 14 days of actual fighting and several months of service on the Mediterranean island Rami rez was shipped back to the States under the Army’s policy of rotation of troops. He is now t\ * \ f “ J J ■te wb* jf f < ; REGIMENTAL MIRROR assigned to a cannon problem in the Weapons Section of The In fantry School. “BAPTISM OF FIRE” Ramirez was working in a warehouse* at the Corpus Christi (Tex.) naval station until he en tered the Army two years ago. He landed with the first wave in Morocco on November Bth and got his “baptism of fire” while fighting the French. In Decem ber he was part of an Allied force that marched 245 miles in 22 days over difficult country and than entrained for Tunisia. First he saw action on the left flank at Gafsa, which he says was just a warmup for 28 days in the fierce battle of El Guettar. He went out on frequent night pa trols, always coming back with plenty of Italian prisoners. “Sometimes they came looking /or us,” Ramirez explains. “They knew the Nazis were just using them to covgr the German re treat. Some boys in my outfit could speak Italian, a big help in rounding up prisoners.” After a while a soldier stays rather cool in action, Ramirez says, but he recalls that his unit got “sore” at Mateur. “Tlie Germans were giving us a lot of trouble,” he explains. And as for that AAF ring that Ramirez wears ... it seems he once decided to try for the Air Corps. A bit optimistically he bought the ring first. It just never occurred to him that the Air Corps Medics would reject him for “nervousness!” / J s hi " > J ' iw - । ■ < JI w ■ fl PFC. MANUEL R. RAMIREZ. (Official U S Army Photo —The Infantry School.) Committee Answers Insurance Questions Personnel office began pro cessing this week new applica tions for National Service Life Insurance which are now com ing in as a result of the drive started recently by the insurance officer to increase “coverage” in the regiment. Goal of the drive is 95 per cent of the personnel covered with an average policy of S9OOO. All men who have no coverage or do not have the maximum coverage are being interviewed by their company insurance of ficers. The benefits and advan tages of GI insurance arc among the topics now being discussed at weekly orientation meetings. PFC Herman N. Bundesen, former Bridgeport, Conn., insur ance expert, has begun a series of talks on NSLI at Company C orientation meetings, after which he will be available for discus sions in other units. His com pany mate. Cpl. Willard E. Blake, second member of the Mirror enlisted committee on in surance, is now working on questions submitted to him on conversion, and promises simple “layman-like” answers for pub lication in the next issue. Meanwhile, some very basic questions about GI insurance were submitted this week which show the need for widespread education on the values of gov ernment policies. Some of these questions, with the answers pre pared by the committee, follow: Q: I am disqualified under POR. Why should I take out Na tional Service Life Insurance? A: You don’t have to be on the verge of going into the firing line to need insurance. Soldiers are subject to injury and illness at any place, on or off duty, which might leave them unin surable for the remainder of their lives, or might leave their dependents with no income. Al so, there is the important mat ter of age—premium rates in crease later, but if a man takes out insurance now he can get a lower rate for life. Q: What are the amounts of insurance that I can take out? A: National Service Life In surance will be granted to any one person in any multiple of SSOO, but not less than SIOOO Thursday, May 18, 1944 or more than SIO,OOO Q: What plans of insurance can I apply for? A: The insurance is issued ori ginally on the 5-year level premi um term plan, with the privilege of conversion to or exchange for policies of National Service Life Insurance on the ordinary life. 20-payment life, or 30-year pay ment life plan, at any time after the 5-year level premium term policy has been in force for 1 year and within the 5-year term period. Q: Whom can 1 designate as my beneficiary? A: You may designate as your first or second beneficiaries your wife, husband, child (in cluding adopted, step or illegit imate child), parent (including foster), brother or sister (in cluding half blood). You need not designate your beneficiary immediately upon application for insurance, so don’t let this decision hold up your taking out a policy now —you can notify your officer later of your choice of beneficiary. If the first choice dies before the insured expires, or before all the monthly ben efits of the policy are paid out. the second beneficiary collects the entire remainder in due monthly instalments. Q: Can I change my benefi ciary at any time without noti fying him or her - ' A: Yes. Q: How does NSLI “pay off to my beneficiary? A: The beneficiary gets a monthly income, the size and du ration of which depends upon his or her age. For example, if you are now 26, you pay $6.80 per month, via payroll deduc tion, for the full SIO,OOO cover age, or lesser amounts in pro portion. If you die while the policy is in effect your depend ent beneficiary collects as fol lows: If under 30 years of age, a monthly income .for 20 years of $55.10. If 30 years of age, a monthly income for life of $39.70. If 40 years of age, a monthly in come for life of $45.00. If 50 years of age, a monthly income for life of $53.90. If 60 years of age, a monthly income for life of $68.10.
