Welcome to the Posey Circuit Court
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Welcome to the Posey Circuit Court
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GAVEL GAMUT by Judge Jim Redwine Every Man A HeroGeneral Omar Bradley who commanded the nightmare known as the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach June 06, 1944, said: “Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach that day was a hero.” Herman and Paul Eickhoff were two of those men. These 19-year-old twins from St. Philip in Posey County were members of the First Infantry Division. General Bradley personally chose the First Division to lead the attack. “My choice of the 1st Inf. Div. to spearhead the invasion probably saved us Omaha Beach and a catastrophe on the landing.” Paul has now passed away. But chances are good he would tell me what Herman did: “I’m no hero.” This reluctance to set himself apart from all the others who served whether at the front or the home front is a consistent characteristic of most of the combat veterans with whom I have spoken. I will let you, the reader, judge for yourself whether Herman and Paul were heroes. Herman hit the beach while seasick from his ride on an LST. Of course, the rough seas might have been made worse by a severe case of “butterflies?”. He and Paul were in constant combat for 30 days without a change of clothing or a bath. After 90 days of actual combat through France, their 12 man rifle squad was down to 6 men. On September 07, 1944 their squad was in a battle with German soldiers. Herman saw his twin brother shot and thought he would die. Another squad member was wounded. Two Americans were killed. And Herman and the sixth member of the squad were captured. Emergency medical attention was given to Paul on the battlefield by the German medics who then left him for the Americans to find and care for. Paul received care for several months thereafter at the United States Military Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington. Herman did not find out Paul was alive until much later. Herman was held as a P.O.W. in Stalag 4B and then Stalag 7A near Munich, Germany. Herman told me the Germans themselves were under stark living conditions by that time in 1944 but they treated him and his fellow American P.O.W.’s well considering the conditions. The Americans slept in 4 tier wooden bunks and were fed watery potato and barley soup as well as a little coffee, dark potato bread and sugar beets. About every 2 weeks when the American Red Cross packages were delivered to the camp, Herman would trade the cigarettes they contained for extra food. The prisoners did not have hot water for showers. Roll call was taken regularly with each P.O.W. being given a number. Herman’s was 88026. I guess there are some things one never forgets. Herman’s greatest fear as a P.O.W. was of being killed in an American bombing raid. The prisoners painted “P.O.W.” on their barracks roofs so that the Allies would not bomb them. This was okay by their German guards, as they did not want to be bombed either! That winter of 1944-45 the Germans had Herman and other P.O.W.’s repair the roads and bridges the Americans had blown up. It was cold and Herman had only the uniform he was captured in and a jacket and long coat that the Germans gave him for warmth. He did not have gloves. On April 29, 1945, Herman’s camp was liberated. Herman then found out that his brother Paul was alive. He, also, found out that their 3 other brothers and their 2 step-brothers, all of whom served during WWII, were alright. Herman and Paul’s father, Joseph Eickhoff, had been killed in a work accident when they were 7 years old. Their mother, Cecelia (nee) Folz, was left to raise 5 boys on a $33.00 per month pension from Sigeco. She raised her family in a log home on Althiede Road for which she paid $3.00 per month rent. It appears that the strength and courage that brought her boys home had its genesis with a home front heroine. Thanks to Herman, Paul, and the rest of what Tom Brokaw calls “The Greatest Generation”, and thanks, also, to all of the Cecelias who helped prepare them for the great challenges they faced. |
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