"It's hard to work on a piece of equipment when you're being shot at." (Audio Interview, 11:12)

George David Harris

George David Harris, 2002 War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Army Unit: 112 Ordnance Company, attached to 34th Division Service Location: Fort McClellan, Alabama; Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia; Africa; Milan, Florence, Rome, Salerno, Cassino, Naples and Anzio Beachhead, Italy Rank: Technical Sergeant Place of Birth: Boonville, IN

George Harris already knew hardship when he was drafted into the Army at age 19. He was well prepared for basic training, having already worked in a coal mine; however, it was the mental rigors of combat that Harris found the most difficult to bear. Upon landing in Italy following the invasion, one of the first things he witnessed was a bulldozer burying bodies in a mass grave. Later, at the end of the war, Harris would see firsthand the anger of the Italian people as they mutilated and abused the corpse of their former dictator, Benito Mussolini.