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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
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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
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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!”
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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.