"I never could bring myself to go look if I hit them." (Interview)

Ellison W. Parfitt

Ellison W. "Bill" Parfitt War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Army Unit: E Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division Service Location: United States; England; France; Belgium; Luxembourg; Germany Highest Rank: Private First Class Place of Birth: Elmira, NY

Affectionately known as Big Foot for his size 15 shoes, Ellison Parfitt was a modest infantryman. "Any stupid S.O.B. can carry a rifle," he notes, "and I'm one of them." But on June 6, 1944, he was wading ashore at Normandy with his commanding officer, General Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. The two men developed a close friendship, cut short when Roosevelt died suddenly of a heart attack a month after D-Day. Parfitt was well aware of his own role in history, recording on a discarded parachute all the places he would visit in Europe, including the newly liberated Paris.