Frank Fontana was born in St. Louis, Missouri in August 1922. He grew up in St. Louis. He had one brother who was two years younger. His father was a 42nd Infantry Division veteran of the American Army in World War 1. He served after the armistice in the Army of Occupation in Germany. He learned to speak German during the occupation. Prior to the war, his father had emigrated from Sicily to St. Louis to join an uncle located there. Because of the lack of opportunity in Sicily, he came to America along with his cousin. Both immigrants became very patriotic. Fontana's father taught his sons to be very patriotic. Fontana's father returned to Italy in 1920 or 1921. He saw his future bride whom he had previously known only as a child. She had grown up since he left Italy years before. Fontana's parents were married in 1921. Fontana's father had become an American citizen as a result of his military service. His new bride became a citizen of the United States because she married a citizen of this country. The family had tough times during the Great Depression. They were very poor. Fontana did not know the difference because he was just a child and his parents hid their circumstances from him. His mother was a seamstress and earned most of the family's meager income. Fontana's father worked for the Stix, Baer & Fuller department store. When World War 2 came, his father worked for the medical depot in St. Louis. His immigrant parents did not make a lot of money, but they were skilled at saving what money they earned. Their goal was to send their sons to college. Fontana's brother served in the Philippines and other horrible islands. He was an MP, military police. Fontana was 19 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. It was a Sunday afternoon. He was in a hamburger joint named Parkmore that no longer exists. He was just out of high school. He had no idea where Pearl Harbor was. People were stirred to volunteer for the military following the attack. Fontana wanted to join the Army Air Forces but his lack of depth perception prevented him from passing the physical requirements. The Air Forces seemed more exciting than the infantry. Fontana had heard from his father about the infantry service in the trenches and did not view that favorably. It had been a horrible experience for his father. He had seen young guys getting killed on both sides of him. Luckily, he survived. He had been in a mustard gas attack. Amazingly, that was the organization that his son would be assigned to during the later war. His father had just gotten a small amount of the gas on his hands. The key to surviving an attack was to wash it off as quickly as possible. Fontana's unit in World War 2 traveled with water trailers in order to provide showers to people if they were involved in a gas attack. Fontana was drafted into the military. No one wanted to stay home and not serve. It was very different than now. If an individual could not get into any of the services, they were considered 4F. That was bad. It was like a scab on a person. Some individuals even covered their injuries because they did not want to stay home. They did not know what they were getting into. They would subsequently find out. No matter what they were getting into, they knew they had to get into the service. Fontana was drafted at the end of 1942 and was inducted on 4 January 1943. His discharge papers show that he was in a couple weeks before that.

Frank Fontana took his basic training in Camp Barkeley in Texas. It was miserable, desolate country. The training consisted of continuously walking with packs. It was tough. Basic was only the second time that Fontana had been away from home in his 19 years. The only other time was when he spent the night at a friend's home. It was difficult leaving home. He had first gone to Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis after induction. The weather was extremely cold and they stayed in tents. The men referred to the experience as "Valley Forge." Luckily, they were sent to Texas where it was not nearly as cold as those three days at Jefferson Barracks. During basic training, Fontana met young men his age from across the country. They had a good time teasing one another. There were no major squabbles between them because they were extremely fatigued by the end of the day. They would go to sleep and that was the end. The instructors were mean and tough leaders. Many of the trainees could have taken on the drill instructors, but they did not dare. The trainers represented a force not to be reckoned with. As time went by, the instructors would encourage the men and congratulate them for their efforts. Fontana weighed only about 140 pounds at the time, but he grew in strength. The program of continuous walking with gear really put him in good shape. His already sturdy legs got even stronger. After basic training, he was sent to Camp Livingston, Louisiana. They were forming an organization called the 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion. There was a need for 500 men. The men were selected randomly for the outfit. In one week, Fontana got a PFC [Annotator's Note: private first class] stripe. Fontana found out that the master sergeant was named Bono [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling] and any individual of Italian descent was promoted to PFC in the first week. Some guys wanted to change their name to Italian as a result. [Annotator's Note: Fontana laughs.] The 93rd was divided into three active companies and one Headquarters Company. There was a complement of 500 men in the battalion. They were trained in first aid and the treatment of poison gas. One of the key lessons first learned about treatment was the urgency of immediately washing off the invasive materials. One of the recent Israeli wars showed people who had been gassed using showers in the middle of the streets. Washing off the materials as soon as possible was the most effective manner of combating a gas attack. Some of Fontana's clothes were impregnated, but it was questionable about the efficiency of that method of withstanding a gas attack. The shirts felt like cardboard. Half the troops did not bother wearing the treated clothing. Luckily, the Germans never used gas. The 93rd had many MDs [Annotator's Note: medical doctor] and medical technicians. They were the first ever MASH [Annotator's Note: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital] unit. When the outfit reached France, the wounded would be brought to them for overnight treatment and then flown out the next day. There were no pretty nurses in the outfit. The urgent need for such a unit was determined without the time to train the members after their random selection. There were medical doctors, dentists, and even a chiropractor who had previous training. The medical technicians had not been previously trained. The expectation was for the 93rd to treat an entire Army, not merely a division. The 93rd was at Sainte-Mère-Église. There was a subsequent breakthrough at St. Lo and then it was on to Paris. That period of time was when the 93rd really learned how to treat an Army quickly. They spent time with General Patton's [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton] Third Army. The 93rd was transferred around to different Armies during the war. Fontana served as a supply sergeant. He had not achieved his college diploma and had no particular training for the role. Someone, possibly Sergeant Bono, must have liked him. He was supply sergeant in Headquarters Company. It turned out well for him. He got to know the personnel in the other companies. He also managed to get things others did not have access to. He worked to supply his officers with the things that he had access to. Normally, officers had to pay for their uniforms. Fontana could not get officers' uniforms for them, but he could get shoes, pants, and other items. As a result, Fontana could get a pass to go anywhere. Because personnel in his outfit would be transferred out to form a cadre for new outfits, the young soldier found himself being promoted to replace them. He did his job and was personable so rank came quickly, especially overseas. While in the United States, Fontana only managed to go home once. That was only for one day. He and three other men had been selected to go overseas prior to his unit. They were granted a leave but as soon as he arrived home, he found a telegraph awaiting him to return to his unit immediately. He stayed overnight and went back the next day. The trains that transported the military personnel were so jammed that the men had to sleep in shifts or standing or laying on the floors. He was deployed overseas in mid-July 1943, prior to his first year in the service. He voyaged on the Queen Mary and landed in Glasgow, Scotland. It was no luxury cruise. The ship could normally accommodate 6,000 people, but there were 25,000 aboard on his trip. Instead of two in each cabin, there were 12 with four bunks on each wall. It took just over four days to reach the destination. The liner could outrun a submarine attack. It was fast. There were two meals a day. It took three hours to stand in line for chow. Armbands on each man's arm designated where he could go on the restricted deck areas of the vessel. Fontana found the Queen Mary in Los Angeles years later. It brought back memories of that initial voyage to Europe. While on the deployment trip, news would report the ship's sinking every day. Men were frightened and became religious during the voyage. The men did not know where in England they were destined. They landed in the Firth of Clyde. It was a massive ship. Going back to see the ship was memorable. It was a fast journey. The seas were calm during the July trip. Consequently, he had no problem with seasickness.

Frank Fontana arrived in Great Britain as a young man. [Annotator's Note: Fontana was deployed with three others in mid-July 1943 in advance of the 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion.] The four were scared to death. They thought the Battle of Britain was still going on. He and his three battalion mates were sent to Oxford. They were lucky. They were to originally be joined by the remainder of the outfit in two weeks. That plan was changed so the new arrivals thought they would be going back to the States. They were informed otherwise. Unsuccessful attempts were made to place them in a hospital unit. Their head officer, Charles "Smitty" Smith, fought the reassignment. They were not released from their unit [Annotator's Note: the 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion]. The colonel who was in charge of the outfit knew Smitty from college. He was not about to let him go. As a result, the men did not do anything. They went to London every weekend. It was a wonderful time with bed and breakfast places that did not cost them very much. It was a fascinating time for the 11 months they stayed there. The German air offensive was ongoing. The blackout continued in London. Lights were lit at street level and pointed downward do avoid being seen from above. The London subway system was brand new. It was referred to as "the Tube." People would take shelter there during bombing raids. The populace brought their blankets to sleep in the Tube at night. They went to work the next day. The environment was clean in the subway. The cars could transport a person anywhere in the city. The Americans with Fontana only went to the city on the weekends. Many of the city residents left for the country on the weekends. Consequently, Fontana did not see a lot of people taking shelter at night. They could, however, see the facilities that had been established for the housing of many Londoners during the raids. Arriving in mid-July 1943, Fontana met a girl in Coven Gardens. That was a beautiful opera house which was converted for use as a dancehall. He learned from that girl that the children were evacuated from the city prior to the intense German air raids. The girl had been part of that evacuation when she was 12 years old. She was scared to death because her parents could not go with her. She had returned to London to work. She was 19 when Fontana met her. She lived near the Wimbledon tennis courts. Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] did not care who he bombed so it was smart to move the children from the areas being attacked. Fontana and his cohorts had nothing to do during the months in England. It would become more risky for them later in France. The four avoided going into another outfit because they were concerned that they would not be released. Captain Smith was a smart guy. He ended up at Duke University in a controversy with another officer. Smitty watched out for his men. The English people were nice and very appreciative. The problem was they had no money. The entertainment in London was very inexpensive and affordable. Transportation was inexpensive. The American military was looked upon as rich guys. Fontana made more than an English captain. Some Brits were upset with the G.I.s. Fontana had some relationships with the English, but the civilians were busy doing their work. He had little contact with them except when he went to supply depots. He learned how to make deals with them as he went along. The Americans were good overseas. They gave things away, particularly when they reached France. Americans would walk everywhere in Britain. Taxis were limited. It was difficult to travel. London was a huge place but compact where he visited. It was a very good experience. By Christmas day 1943, the men had obtained a Christmas tree with lights. They had no ornaments so they blew up condoms and used them to decorate the tree. A party was held by a girl and Fontana was lucky to be invited. The English beer was warm and not very good. He learned to drink Scotch and beer, boilermakers. He had little interest in travel to Scotland. London was where the fun was. Oxford was a college town. The suburbs were like farm towns. When he left Oxford, he went to one town before Southampton. There was a ten mile restricted zone with a no exit criteria. Troops were massed there. The Germans could have bombed many troops causing severe casualties. The citizens of Southampton were dockworkers and very tough. A beautiful city called Bournemouth was nearby. One of his friends had a girlfriend there. Fontana had a toothache on D-Day. He heard the roar of the aircraft overhead. He knew from the massive air armada that the invasion was started. Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: US Army General, later President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower] was a real cheerleader for the men. Everyone liked him. Meanwhile, Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton] had a terrible reputation. He was a tough cookie.

Frank Fontana was part of a MASH [Annotator's Note: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital] unit. They put up a ward tent that served like a hospital ward. It was about 40 feet long. Fontana could erect the tent himself. He would stake the outside and put up the four internal poles. With his strength, he could do that by himself. Cots would accommodate the wounded inside. Fontana remembers a Sergeant Dann [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling], who would give up his free time to talk with the men in the cots. One soldier had a body cast with only openings for his hands, eyes and mouth. Fontana observed as Sergeant Dann talked with the gravely injured man by having him squeeze his hand twice for yes and once for no to respond in their discussion. Dann was special. The men would be given treatment and then flown back to London for more extensive care. The MASH personnel never saw their patients again. Their final outcome was never determined. The remainder of the outfit came in sometime in the fall, probably October or November [Annotator's Note: 1944]. The advance party had two days to prepare a camp for the full battalion. The battalion was traveling on the Queen Mary which took four days to cross the Atlantic. They had a camp set up with cots with leather straps. The camp was in a hayfield. Mattresses were improvised using the hay to stuff blanket covers. The four men in the advanced party decided to shake the hands of every member of their battalion who arrived in the camp. It meant a great deal to the 500 new arrivals. Prior to the trip to France, Fontana was billeted at a suburb of Southampton called Shirley. They were comfortable in tents with cots. They knew they were going over but not when. They went into France six weeks after the invasion. The penetration was only seven miles at that point. The Germans were tough. They fought through the hedgerows which subdivided farmlands. They were as high as a ceiling in a home. [Annotator's Note: Fontana gestures to indicate the height.] The outfit went right into St. Mere-Église. There was a Captain Reagan who was a tough, tall man. He told every Catholic to go to church and say a rosary. Afterward, they went among the population and gave them everything they had. The people had nothing. The organ was repaired the second week and mass was held. The Catholics had to show up again. Afterward, a French lady held a baby up for Fontana to kiss. His helmet was in the way so he took it off. Inside was soap and candy. Fontana dumped all of it in the lady's bag and then kissed the baby. There was deprivation in France. The populace had very little. American bombs contributed to some of their hardships. They were still grateful for the arrival of the liberators. Fontana did manage to sample Calvados which is made from crabapple juice. [Annotator's Note: Fontana laughs.] Crabapples were everywhere. One of his buddies on the advance team was named Jim Crowley. Fontana stays in touch with him, but it is getting more difficult because his friend begins to cry right away. He lives in Florida and is a year older than Fontana. He still remembers Fontana's Army serial number. He had been a company clerk and had a brilliant mind. Crowley was from Connecticut. Fontana crossed the Channel in a troopship and then transferred to an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] for landing ashore. A net was strung over the side of the troopship. The net hung tightly against the side of the hull. Fingertips had to be used to grasp the rope. The packs were thrown down into the LST and then the men grappled down into the landing craft. The LST took them to shore. They marched to Benneville [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling] and slept on the ground that night. Fontana and some buddies found a cart and slept under it. It rained during the night. The cart contained horse manure and it dripped down on them. That was some smart decision. [Annotator's Note: Fontana laughs.] They marched through forests and could smell death. After all the decades, Fontana remembers the smell. There were paratroopers still hanging from the trees. There were also dead Germans. It was really interesting. They did not stay there long. They moved on to St. Lo. In looking at the cities on the map, it can be seen that many were roadway hubs for four or five interconnecting roads leading into them. The military often made the road hubs their objectives. Fontana discovered that later. After St. Lo, the army turned left toward Paris. On the way, there was a major confrontation at the Falaise Gap where both sides lost a huge amount of troops. The Germans were tough. It took awhile to knock them off. The American infantry had a terrible time there. He will never forget the name, Falaise Gap. The Americans broke through on their way to Paris afterward.

Frank Fontana and the 500 men in his outfit reached Paris one week after it was liberated. They went to Le Bourget Airfield. It was the only one in Paris at the time. They stayed there for three weeks. It was quite an experience. They initially entered Paris from the southwest and went to the opposite side of the city to reach the airport. There were half a million people crowding the streets acknowledging their liberators and giving thanks. It took six hours to pass through the city where it would normally take a bit over an hour. It was an unforgettable experience. It was said that Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: Supreme Allied Commander in Europe US Army General, later President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower] had made a deal with the German general in control of Paris. It was speculated that he promised the German that he would be allowed to withdraw his troops if he did not destroy the city. Fontana feels that with Eisenhower's negotiating skills, he likely achieved that goal. By the time Fontana had reached Paris, all the Germans were gone. French General Leclerc [Annotator's Note: Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque], not de Gaulle [Annotator's Note: French General, later President of France, Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle], initially entered the liberated city. Leclerc was a great general. Two things stand out for Fontana about Paris. In the center of the city was a street named Rue Royale. It had a Fontana jewelry store there. Fontana revealed his surname to the people in the store through a buddy who spoke French. The employees had been given the store by the previous owner named Fontana. It alarmed the personnel at first, but Fontana and his friends managed to calm them down. The store is still in Paris and some of Fontana's friends have recently been there. The other thing that stood out was his means of getting directions back to his billet after walking downtown. The direction was directly aft of a statue of a horse. Taking that bearing, he could find his way home down the right street. The Eiffel Tower was closed during that time. He could readily see the Thames River. London was better for Fontana because he could converse with the locals. Paris was a beautiful city. It was good to be there. The exhilaration of the Parisians with their liberators continued all the while that Fontana was there. In England, the people liked the Americans but were envious of their wealth. In France, the locals eventually began to steal from the Americans. The citizens of Belgium were wonderful. They treated the Americans very well. Fontana learned to speak French there. They were in the area of Liege which was a great city. The location was near the Battle of the Bulge. Fontana only spent one day in Holland. [Annotator's Note: A personal discussion ensues between the interviewer and Fontana.] Fontana was at Le Bourget Airfield for three weeks doing his job. He and his outfit [Annotator's Note: the 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion] received wounded and flew them to England. That was all they did.

Frank Fontana went into Holland then Belgium. He was a supply sergeant for the whole outfit [Annotator's Note: 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion]. He was adept at finding and obtaining supplies. He knew how to trade what he had for what he needed. The Army was strict but he got the job done. His commanding officer was from New York. He was a nice guy who did not know anything about supplies. He deferred all the supply decisions to Fontana. They both had to sign the paperwork. Fontana did the legwork and the officer cosigned off on it. Fontana worked with his men to fill up two and a half ton trucks with stretchers and blankets over a period of several days. [Annotator's Note: Fontana makes note of The National WWII Museum having that type truck in its collection of artifacts.] The soldiers were young men. They worked and would go back and forth in the trucks without sleep. The men experienced buzz bomb [Annotator's Note: German V-1 rocket bombs] attacks while in Liege. The men were in an old factory building during one such attack. The lights went out and plaster fell from the ceiling because of the explosion. Breakfast was being prepared beforehand. It was to be pancakes. The men took cover under the tables which had slits in them. After the men came out from under the tables, they had dust and pancake syrup on their heads. They must have looked a sight. [Annotator's Note: Fontana laughs.] The bomb had missed them. As a buzz bomb came overhead, the men listened for the motors to stop. Once it did, the Hail Mary's started. That marked the point when the thing was going to land. The device was shot at the Allies with little control. The next generation, the V-2, was even worse. It gave London trouble. The Germans wanted to get Liege and Brussels. A man called Skorzeny [Annotator's Note: SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny] was a German who used uniforms from dead Americans to disguise his troops as MPs [Annotator's Note: military police]. If an American soldier was not careful, he could have his head blown off by one of the fake MPs. Fontana and his mates knew about this situation. They were very careful of the ruse. There was a bounty on Skorzeny, but he was never caught. He killed many Americans. He may have slipped away to Spain which was supportive of the Nazis. Skorzeny was crafty and almost like a superman. Fontana and his outfit never had guns nor did they have any support troops to defend them. Their only defense was to hit someone with their helmets. A person could have their head knocked in with a helmet. The men never considered how much danger they were in. The Germans aimed at the Red Cross on the medical personnel helmet. Prior to the Battle of the Bulge, Fontana treated a few German civilians and some enemy troops. The Battle of the Bulge was a scary time, but the Germans were finally beaten. Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton] was a mean guy, but, during the first days of the battle, the weather was very bad and overcast. A prayer for good weather was printed in the Army paper the Stars and Stripes. It had been composed by Patton. His prayer was answered. He required his troops to wear ties during combat. There were many transfers in and out of Fontana's battalion prior to the Battle of the Bulge. Fontana tried to stop the reassignments of men under him but was unsuccessful. The sad thing was that they were transferred to the infantry. All of them were later killed. Most had no experience at all with any weapon. They were desperately needed during the Battle of the Bulge. It is surprising since there were so many troops in the area at the time. Fontana speaks with his veteran friend Jimmy Crowley in Florida who also remembers some of those men. Fontana first learned of the Bulge when he had to detour around Bastogne about 100 miles. He had traveled through the town earlier that day to reach a supply depot south of it. It angered the men to have to divert around the town because they all had dates. They realized later how vulnerable they would have been. The Germans would have grabbed them because they had no means of defending themselves. They may have been killed since they were just medical personnel. They had gone through the town just after dawn with nothing happening. Later in the day, they had to be detoured. That was a prime experience. [Annotator's Note: Fontana chuckles.] The weather was horrible. It was snowing at the time. It was the worst weather in 75 years. Fontana was in Liege so it was not too bad. He would see the troops returning from the combat. They were scared to death. Even Fontana got frostbite. There were no heaters in the trucks. Cargo would be transported over a three day period without heat in the cab. Feet would freeze. The truck crews would take socks and wear them inside and outside of their boots to provide insulation in an attempt to keep their feet warm. Fontana could tell when his feet were getting numb.

Frank Fontana was a supply sergeant [Annotator's Note: in the 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion]. He had access to goods and supplies that he used to trade at other supply depots. His outfit was provided with penicillin. When it was determined that it was effective against VD [Annotator's Note: venereal disease], the drug proved to be a sought after commodity. Fontana would bring 20 vials with him and barter for truckloads of blankets and stretchers. It was wild. That was how he got his supplies because there were no requisitions. He obtained Eisenhower jackets, combat boots and other items. A bale of 20 Eisenhower jackets could trade for a truckload of blankets and stretchers. He would get items by hook or crook. He spent Christmas in 1944 similar to how he had spent it in 1943. He decorated a Christmas tree the best way possible considering what was available. Christmas was good anywhere, but he missed being at home. They did their best enjoying each other and the food they could get. The German POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] had some good bakers among the group. They knew how to prepare tasty pastries. Somehow they managed even though Christmas time was pretty bleak. There were no presents, but everyone wanted a Christmas tree. It was great. The German POWs helped their American captors. The medical team had no guns so the enemy captives were not afraid of them. At the end, the battalion did not go to Berlin. They went to Checkpoint Charlie. Captain Reagan [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling] was a wonderful guy who heard about a clothing factory where girls were making German uniforms. The female workers were all emaciated. They were attractive young girls. The Americans gave them soap, towels and invited them to camp to eat with them. A young girl grew to know Fontana. She sought him and eventually located him. She had brought Fontana a German Mauser pistol so that he could protect himself from the Russians. She had heard that the Russians were pursuing Fontana's outfit. Fontana still has that gun. That was a key story. The men felt so bad for the girls who were malnourished and kept under horrible conditions. That was the one time the medics would have wanted rifles. They had not been forewarned about the camps. When they saw them, they went wild. There were Jewish soldiers among the troops who would have taken the weapons and used them on the camp guards. The troops did not find out about the horrible prison camp conditions until the war was nearly ended. Strategically, they had to do it that way. Seeing the camps was another good point in the rationale for why they were there fighting. There was a concern about the men in Europe having to go into Japan. That anxiousness ended with the dropping of the atomic bomb and the end of the war with Japan. The bombs happened right around Fontana's birthday [Annotator's Note: August 13]. He had heard about the splitting of the atom back in one of his science classes in school. While in Germany, the Americans had a non-fraternization policy. They were pulled back to a DP [Annotator's Note: displaced person] camp near Fulda, Germany. The women would taunt the G.I.s by lifting their skirts up and saying "verboten" or forbidden to the young men. The men were not allowed to talk with the local women. One G.I. commented that he did not want to talk, he just wanted some action. From there, Fontana went to France for a short time and then went home. With the end of the war, Fontana was picked with three other men to take leave in Nice. That was the first day off since he went overseas. He spent eight days there. He got two new uniforms and was told to sell his old uniform to the locals for spending money. He met a couple guys from Cleveland. They were funny. They all decided to give the uniforms away because the leave did not cost them anything. It cost only one dollar for a French translation manual during the eight days he spent in Nice. They had a wonderful time. Fontana fell madly in love with someone there. He was at the same location where an idiot ran over a group of civilians on the Rue de Anglais. He returned to Rheims, France after the eight days. They played tennis all day long and then in the afternoon went across the street to a champagne factory to fill their canteen cups. They did that for three months. Next were Marseilles and then the voyage home. Fontana had several encounters with men suffering from battle fatigue. Their minds were gone. They would pass through the battalion to be flown back to England. That was scary. One big guy was looking at Fontana and a buddy. He rushed them and tried to throw them down. Fontana and his buddy managed to overcome the attacker. The man's eyes were glazed. He probably had been barraged by artillery. The Germans had a weapon called an 88 [Annotator's Note: the multipurpose 88mm artillery gun]. It could be used against tanks, personnel or aircraft. In the battle for the Ardennes, the Germans would use the weapon as a rifle. They would aim it at a bunch of troops and fire on them. Even though the Allies outnumbered them, they were lucky to beat the Germans. Their mistake was going after Russia. During World War 2, 20 million Russians died.

Frank Fontana and his battalion [Annotator's Note: 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion] had to turn in all their supplies after the war ended. He collected those items and turned them into various depots. All the companies in the battalion had to turn in medical and other supplies. Fontana's responsibility while he was in Rheims was as the collector and distributor of those returned supplies. He did not deal much with narcotics. A staff sergeant took care of that. Fontana and the other tech sergeant did not. After Rheims, he was transferred to a city called Chalon and stayed there only a short time. He returned via Marseille to the United States by Thanksgiving [Annotator's Note: 1945]. The trip home was much different. He sailed on a 500 man Victory Ship. It took 19 days to cross the Atlantic. They passed through a storm and many got sick. When the ship passed the Rock of Gibraltar, the ship's captain died. In the captain's will, it was stated that he was to be buried where he died. It took three days to accommodate that last wish. While moored offshore, men in boats would bring large bottles of Channel No. 5 to sell for three dollars each. It was a good buy for that expensive perfume. Fontana bought five bottles to distribute to his girlfriends back home. Africa was on the opposite shore from Gibraltar. Upon reaching the States, Fontana was mustered out quickly in late November at Jefferson Barracks. His arrival had been at Camp Miles Standish in Boston. It was wonderful seeing the American coastline and the civilians greeting the returning veterans. Fontana had a good experience in Europe. He had three or four romances there, but he was anxious to get home and see his parents. After discharge, Fontana did not sign up for reserve duty. He considered signing up for the Korean War but did not. There were plenty of volunteers. It was a mean war. There was a War Bond division near Fontana [Annotator's Note: in St. Louis, Missouri] where he worked. A portion where records were kept burned down. People would write to the division asking about their bonds. Some would not even include any return address for the division to follow-up. Some of those folks were morons. [Annotator's Note: Fontana laughs.] After working there for a year, Fontana went to optometry school on the G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill was a fantastic thing. Books, tuition and expenses were paid for by the government. Fontana got married and a subsistence of about 120 dollars per month was provided under the Bill. It was a fair amount of money during 1946 and 1947. His college was in Chicago. Some Army friends were M.D.s. One of the doctors allowed the newlyweds to stay at his two bedroom apartment in the city. The doctor lived in the suburbs and only came to town and stayed in his apartment once a month on the night before surgery. The charge for the young couple's use of the apartment was only 30 dollars per month. It was a beautiful apartment. Fontana would complete college. He got out and did not know a thing [Annotator's Note: this may be a reference to his discharge from service rather than college]. The government created this country through the G.I. Bill. Although Fontana regrets not going to medical school, he does not look back and second guess himself. The optometry school only took four years and that was good. He was counseled by a friend that led him to make that decision. He told Fontana that optometry was important because optometrists make people see. In Fontana's travels, he talks to a lot of people and invariably tells other how important the profession is by covering his eyes with his hands. He then reminds his colleagues that optometrists make people see. Fontana never forgot that lesson provided to him by his friend early on. He is forever grateful for the G.I. Bill because it made our country. Before the war, the country was poverty stricken after the stock market crash and the depression. Fontana's parents shielded their son from the pain others were experiencing, but it was there. The G.I. Bill made our country a nation of professionals. Fontana feels that something similar is needed for today in our country. Otherwise, the country will "go down the tubes." Students today go to college and end up with an enormous debt which takes forever to pay off. The G.I. Bill made this country. Fontana would be happy to debate anyone on that topic because there are so many factors that will prove out his hypothesis.

To Frank Fontana, going to Paris a week after the city's liberation was the most memorable wartime experience. The trip across Paris took six hours because of the throngs of happy people in the streets. Being on the Queen Mary was something but being in Paris topped all else. London was a wonderful place, but it was not Paris. Fontana got to see the lights go on. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River and the little jewelry store called Fontana's were all exciting. Fontana served in the war because he did not want to be one of the few men who stayed home. He did not want to be considered 4F. Additionally, Fontana's dad was very patriotic and instilled that in his two sons. The boys' immigrant father constantly told his sons what a wonderful country the United States was. He would provide them with examples of his life in Sicily to compare to their own lives. Although his Sicilian family ate well and were warm in the winter, it still did not measure up to life in America. To Fontana, the country's enemies were trying to destroy our way of life, and he wanted to protect this place. He loves everything about America. Fontana has passed on these feelings to his sons. World War 2 made Fontana's life. Beforehand, he had little ambition even though he was intelligent. He had no goals as a kid in the service. Following his discharge, he knew he wanted to help people. He did not know what the real world was until his service. Before the war, the country seemed not to have ambition or a goal. That changed with the war. Some individuals he met were motivated and others were not. There were various types of people in the military. One guy who was a good looking fellow encouraged Fontana to join him on a double date. When they arrived at the home of the two beautiful girls, their parents were there. They played the only record they had since the Germans had destroyed all the others. The title of the song was "Little White Lies." The girls encouraged the American soldiers to come back the following week when the parents were supposedly going away. When the two soldiers anxiously returned, they found the parents there but the girls were gone. They had eloped. The females enjoyed playing "Little White Lies" for the two excited G.I.s. [Annotator's Note: Fontana laughs.] World War 2 means more to America today than it did previously. Fontana can tell that by the many times he is thanked for his service. People from all walks of life thank him and appreciate what our government has done. People would line up behind the country today, if the necessity really ever came. America will stay America forever. Fontana loves the flag and has no regrets doing what he did for the country. There have been a few mistakes made but not many. There is an anecdote about Fontana's grandmother sending him bread. One of Fontana's European girlfriends wanted some silk underwear. There were none in Europe because of the war so Fontana requested that his family send some lady's dainties. His grandmother hollowed out some bread she baked for him and put the sealed up underwear in it. The inspectors looked at the stale bread and did not want to mess with it. The garments made their way to Fontana and then his girlfriend. That trick was done twice for Fontana. He was a big shot as a result. [Annotator's Note: Fontana laughs with his grandson, Don Fontana, who is off-screen.] Fontana feels it is important for The National WWII Museum and other institutions to continue to teach about World War 2. It proved how united we were. We are the United States. The world looks at us and envies the unity. The Museum is important. Having a brick in the sidewalk at the Museum is an important method to carry on the message. [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum honors veterans and others with commemorative bricks installed in buildings and along adjacent sidewalks. Fontana's grandson bought a brick for his grandfather honoring his service in the 93rd Medical Gas Treatment Battalion.] The Museum must keep going and be everlasting. Soon all the veterans will be gone. Only 400,000 of 17 million are left. Fontana is 94 and does not know how long he has. Fontana has visited The Museum and seen vehicles that he drove during the war. It brought memories back to him. It was no joy ride but it is indelible in his mind.