Harry Schweitzer
Harry Schweitzer was a World War II Veteran born February 9, 1925, in Spring Lake, Michigan. He was the youngest of four children. His parents farmed berries for a living. Harry lied about his age to enter the Army February 20, 1942, just before his 17th birthday after Pearl Harbor was bombed.
Harry did his Basic Training at Camp Grant in Rockford, Illinois. Subsequently, he was sent to Camp Roberts in California where he trained as a surgical medical technician (Corpsman). He drove an ambulance, attended to patients, and did various other jobs while in California at the Army Hospital at Camp Roberts. He travelled extensively while in California around San Miguel and Paso Robles and the Mojave Desert area.
Harry was eventually transported to Newark, New Jersey, to await passage to England on Christmas Eve, 1943, to await the D-day invasion. He was in the second wave of soldiers landing on Omaha Beach on D-day, June 6, 1944. Harry and his fellow Corpsmen followed various units into battle in several places in Europe. He was part of the 97th Evac Hospital and served time with the 82nd Airborne.
Harry travelled supporting troops in battle in France, Belgium, and Germany after leaving London. He provided Corpsman support in many battles in Europe including the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. He remembers being at battles at Aachen, Germany; Malmedy, Belgium where the Battle of the Bulge was fought; St. Vith, Belgium; and Saint Lô, France. He was never injured during his time in the Army, but did have a close call in Saint Lô, France when a German plane was shot down in front of him and came apart. The engine flew to within 6-8 feet of him. As the war was winding down, Harry was also support to the unit that freed Buchenwald, one of the Nazi Concentration Camps. He comments on how terrible it was to see the prisoners there who were skin and bones – “their bones were just covered with skin.”
When Allied forces defeated Germany, he was able to travel a bit in Germany until he was discharged in 1946. On the way back to the United States, Harry’s Victory Ship troop carrier was thrown about in a storm with enormous waves.
Harry returned to civilian life in 1946 at age 21 and worked several jobs before settling at Story & Clark where he was employed until his retirement.
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