Paul Baughman was born in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania in May 1920. He grew up there on a big farm until he was 15 years old. He attended school and helped with the farm chores at home. The livestock was sent away from the farm to be slaughtered. A truck picked them up and took them to the slaughterhouse. Baughman's father grew ill and died. That ended Baughman's farm life. He went to live with his oldest sister. His mother died soon after his father. Baughman was raised by his sister. He graduated from high school. Compulsory service was introduced. Baughman thought he would enter the service for one year but it turned in five years.

Paul Baughman served in World War 2. When Pearl Harbor happened [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], he did not know where it was. [Annotator's Note: Baughman laughs.] He felt like everyone else. It was a wrong thing done to the country. He was in the service and he asked for a transfer to the paratroopers. It was going to be something different than being a regular soldier. It was a step up. The training was different. A man had to jump out of an airplane. It was not like the infantry even though paratroopers were part of the infantry. The first time he stepped to the door of the airplane, he had to be pushed out. He just could not jump by himself. That woke him up. He landed safely and it was a pleasure after that. He trained in infantry and then paratrooper training followed where he had to get use to jumping out of an airplane. He had never even been in an airplane before his training. He thought it would be fun. He was deployed to England. He remained there until he jumped into Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944].

Paul Baughman jumped into Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944] while it was occupied by Germany. Flying over the water, he could see the soldiers loading into boats for the landings. He was trained for the mission but there was apprehension. He had to be prepared for what was happening. There was fear but he was glad D-Day was there. Baughman anticipated a good landing on his jump. He did not want to land in a tree or bush. He needed a clear landing. Many men did not land so lucky. For him, he made it past a tree. He was taught how to guide his parachute in the air. He wasted no time on the ground. It was dark. The point of landing could not be determined until the last minute. He was surrounded by the enemy but they suffered from the dark also. There was no light until an hour or so. Baughman was wounded at Saint-Lo [Annotator's Note: Saint-Lô, France] on the way down. He left the airplane and the enemy had him in his sights. Bullets were whizzing by and one caught him. It hit him in the leg. When he landed, he had a hard time finding shelter. He followed one of the other paratroopers as they found a hole. Even with his wound, he was able to fight and fire his weapon. Two days went by before his leg was treated. He could not walk for about a week. He was treated in England and had to use crutches while recovering for two months.

Paul Baughman recovered from his wounds and went back into action [Annotator's Note: with the 28th Infantry Division]. He has little memory of the Hurtgen Forest and its land mines. He saw France as being older than Germany. Germany looked new so he could tell he was in Germany. What he remembers most was being wounded. He was wounded twice. The second time, he realized there would be no third time. [Annotator's Note: Baughman laughs.] The second time he was wounded, affected his hand and arm. His use of those parts of his body is only a third of what it should be. His right hip has been replaced. He has fallen and injured his hip. When he was entering the forest [Annotator's Note: Hurtgen Forest, Germany], there were mines. Reentering the forest, it was assumed that mines had been cleared by those who proceeded his outfit. He was hit in his face first and then his arms.

Paul Baughman's most important consideration about the war is he will not see combat anymore. He suffered with hip, leg and arm wounds. World War 2 changed his life because he was sent home to Fort Dix. The war paid for his college. He still lives today with his hip, leg and arm. Baughman would be content knowing there will not be wars for future generations but he knows there will always be war. There is nothing we can do about it.