Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was born in Homer, Louisiana in June 1925 and grew up in Shreveport [Annotator’s Note: Shreveport, Louisiana]. He grew up with a younger brother. Because school only had 11 grades in Louisiana, he graduated high school in May 1941 at 16 years old. A lot of his classmates decided then to enlist in the Navy with their parents’ permission. Madden began attending classes at Centenary College [Annotator’s Note: in Shreveport, Louisiana]. After completing a year at Centenary, he volunteered for the draft. In August 1943, he was inducted into the United States Army at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. His father supported his family by having a grocery business. Madden’s grandfather was a confederate soldier and they had a close relationship. While Madden was being inducted, he talked to a boy that was denied from the Navy because of his hearing. He spoke about his time at the induction center and how he had to hit every station before being signed off. He thought once he completed his stations, he would be sent to KP [Annotator’s Note: kitchen patrol] duty, but he was swiftly sent away and did not have to stay at Camp Beauregard. Some of the guys who tested well were sent to the Army Air Corps. Madden and five other men were selected to go to Fort Benning, Georgia for ASTP [Annotator's Note: Army Specialized Training Program; generally referred to just by the initials ASTP; a program designed to educate massive numbers of soldiers in technical fields such as engineering and foreign languages and to commission those individuals at a fairly rapid pace in order to fill the need for skilled junior officers]. The men with were all from Louisiana: Marlin Boudreaux, Louis Goldstein, Miley Pipes, Joe Rice, and George Pew [Annotator’s Note: Phonetic spellings].

After Paul Hilton Madden Jr. volunteered for service, he was sent from Camp Beauregard [Annotator’s Note: Camp Beauregard, Louisiana] to Fort Benning [Annotator’s Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] by train for basic training. All the men were divided into squads. Madden was assigned to the 4th Platoon, 14th Company, 4th Battalion, 6th ASTP Regiment [Annotator's Note: Army Specialized Training Program; generally referred to just by the initials ASTP; a program designed to educate massive numbers of soldiers in technical fields such as engineering and foreign languages and to commission those individuals at a fairly rapid pace in order to fill the need for skilled junior officers]. His living quarters were a World War 1-era hut where he lived with five other trainees. He could see the jump towers for parachute school. He later moved to a tar-paper hut that had a coal stove. Each tar hut housed one squad. [Annotator’s Note: Clock dings at 0:21:49.000.] Madden described the jump towers and how each one progressed for training purposes. Madden considered volunteering for jump school, but his company commander told him that Madden would be sent overseas soon, so he decided to not to pursue the program. The ASTP program was for men that could had an interest in engineering. However, the program was soon cut. In January 1944, Madden completed his basic training and was sent to Carnegie Tech [Annotator’s Note: Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania] for one semester of ASTP studies, then to the Indiantown Gap Military Reservation [Annotator’s Note: Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania] where he joined the 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division.

In March 1944, Paul Hilton Madden Jr. spent several months training as an infantryman with the 95th Infantry Division at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation [Annotator’s Note: Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania]. His 16 weeks of basic training at Fort Benning [Annotator’s Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] was very good. The ASTP [Annotator's Note: Army Specialized Training Program; generally referred to just by the initials ASTP; a program designed to educate massive numbers of soldiers in technical fields such as engineering and foreign languages and to commission those individuals at a fairly rapid pace in order to fill the need for skilled junior officers] missed out on proper training and education. Many of the draftees did not care for the ASTP men because of their lack of training experience. When he arrived at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Madden was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as the first scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. Madden spent the next several months training with the 95th Infantry Division. His unit was transferred to Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts for overseas deployment in August 1944. He had a three-day pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] in July 1944 before he had to report to Camp Myles Standish. His unit stayed there for about a week, and he was able to get a pass to go into Boston [Annotator’s Note: Boston, Massachusetts] to visit his cousin. He heard about the Normandy invasion [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944] while he was in West Virginia on maneuvers.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. His unit was transferred to Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts for overseas deployment in August 1944. Madden was celebrating his grandmother’s birthday at his aunt’s house when he first heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. His two cousins soon enlisted in the Navy after the event, and one cousin fought at Dutch Harbor, Alaska [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Dutch Harbor, 3 to 4 June 1942]. In August 1944, the 95th division boarded their transport and steamed for England. The bulk of the 95th division, including Madden, shipped out of Boston Harbor [Annotator’s Note: Boston, Massachusetts] aboard the USS West Point (AP-23). The remainder steamed aboard the SS Mariposa. The ships each steamed alone to their destination in England. Madden’s battalion had boarded the West Point two days before the rest of the 95th Infantry Division troops who were traveling aboard that ship to act as MPs [Annotator’s Note: military police] for the voyage. Madden was assigned to a state room, designed for two people on a peacetime cruise, which he shared with fifteen other GIs [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier]. The food was good on the West Point. The ship zigzagged [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] and at one point, the shipped really leaned. Everyone thought they may have been close to an enemy submarine. He did not get sick on the way to Europe, but on his return, he could not get out of bed. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 1:00:12.000.] His ship docked in Liverpool, England and he boarded a train to Barton Stacey Camp near Winchester [Annotator’s Note: Winchester, England]. He lived in a Quonset hut [Annotator's Note: prefabricated metal building] and was required to do KP [Annotator’s Note: kitchen patrol] duty. While in England, Madden’s unit spent some time training, but not very much. The training they did was primarily marching. Madden received a 48-hour pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to London [Annotator’s Note: London, England].

[Annotator’s Note: Background noise can be heard throughout this segment.] Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. While he was in Winchester, England he met a little girl, and he gave her a stick of gum and an orange. Madden had a 48-hour pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to London [Annotator’s Note: London, England] and used it to go dancing at a Red Cross [Annotator's Note: Red Cross, an international non-profit humanitarian organization] canteen. On his return to his base near Winchester, he took the wrong train and ended up hitching a ride with some G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier]. Madden wrote home often while he was in London, but when he got into combat, his writing became sparse. In mid-September 1944, Madden crossed the English Channel in a convoy and landed in Normandy [Annotator’s Note: Normandy, France] across Omaha Beach. Almost immediately, his unit went into bivouac. His squad sergeant was in his early 40s and was one of the oldest men in Madden’s regiment. [Annotator’s Note: clock chimes at 1:17:20.000.] When he landed, he saw trucks lined up and several roads filled with vehicles headed inland.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a Scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. In mid-September 1944, Madden crossed the English Channel in a convoy and arrived in Normandy [Annotator’s Note: Normandy, France] across Omaha Beach. Almost immediately, his unit went into bivouac [Annotator's Note: a bivouac is a temporary campsite]. There were many replacements as his unit entered into the winter of 1944. Madden carried an M1 rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand] which he thought was a good weapon. Nearly all of the division’s two and a half ton trucks [Annotator's Note: two and a half ton, six by six truck, also known as deuce and a half] and their drivers were taken from divisional control and assigned to a supply unit, possibly the well-known Red Ball Express [Annotator's Note: one of several American military truck convoy systems that transported supplies from the coast of France to Allied forces advancing across Europe]. Madden and his squad were assigned to camp in the hedgerows [Annotator's Note: man-made earthen walls that surround a field that are often overgrown with impenetrable vegetation]. Several weeks after arriving in France, Madden’s unit boarded a train in Carentan [Annotator’s Note: Carentan, Normandy, France] for transport to the Moselle River where they were to take up defensive positions and conduct patrols. His trip on the train took a long time because they would always stop for trains with cargo and supplies. When they arrived near the Moselle River to replace a 5th Infantry Division unit in a wooded area, the weather was very rainy. Madden did not draw any patrols during this time. His platoon runner had left the unit, so Madden was assigned as the platoon runner.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. By mid-November 1944, Madden’s division was on the outskirts of Metz [Annotator’s Note: Metz, France] and relieved a 5th Infantry Division unit. He spoke about one G.I. [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] who died during combat after stepping on a mine. He was the first one in the company to die in the war. Then a machine gunner was killed in the first attack in Metz. His unit was relieved and went back into the woods where the terrain was very steep. During the next few weeks, Madden and the other GIs in his division attacked and captured a number of the old Maginot Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by France in the 1930s] forts which dotted the landscape around the town. During one attack, Madden’s company was cut off and surrounded. They remained encircled until elements of another company were able to break through to them. The radio that Madden had was not working, so he dropped his equipment and decided to just run messages. His unit took German prisoners, and Madden was guarding them. One of the Germans told Madden that he had an uncle who lived in Oklahoma. Madden decided to go back and pick up his radio, and when he did, a shell blew up right where he was standing before heading for his radio. The radio began working again. During another wave of combat, Madden’s weapons platoon leader was wounded and died later. Another G.I. in his unit was wounded and then captured by the Germans. He was taken to a hospital in Metz. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 1:50:01.000.]

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. By mid-November 1944, Madden’s division was in combat with the enemy in Metz [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Metz, September to December 1944; Metz, France]. Madden had a handy-talkie which was a type of radio he used to communicate with his captain and first sergeant. [Annotator’s Note: Dog barks in the background at 1:52:43 to 1:53:25; video break at 1:53:25.] Once, shell hit close to Madden’s vicinity, but he was fine. One of his fellow G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] was wounded and died later. It was hard to keep track of who was killed or wounded. His division made a memorial for those who had fallen. He later found out that one G.I. whom he thought had died was alive and living in Tennessee.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a Scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. By mid-November 1944, Madden’s division was in combat with the enemy in Metz [Annotator’s Note: Metz, France]. During basic training, he learned the serial number of his weapon forward and backwards. One time, Madden was at attention and the drill instructor came over and asked Madden for his serial number and Madden rattled the numbers off. The instructor then told him to step backwards. Madden misunderstood what he said and rattled the numbers backwards. While in combat in Metz, Madden and the other G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] in his division attacked and captured several old Maginot Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by France in the 1930s] forts which dotted the landscape around the town. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 2:12:14.000.] A G.I. was asking another for a lighter for his cigarette. When he lit the cigarette, he was instantly killed by a sniper. Two guys were driving in a jeep on the road and were killed by a rifle shot.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a Scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. By mid-November 1944, Madden’s division was in combat with the enemy in Metz [Annotator’s Note: Metz, France]. While in combat, Madden and the other G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] in his division attacked and captured several old Maginot Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by France in the 1930s] forts which dotted the landscape around the town. His unit became boxed in during an artillery barrage while they were in a fort. His unit swung south and walked through an apple orchard. All the G.Is. began collecting apples as they went through the orchard because they had not eaten in days. They came upon a little village and camped there. They found some German rations which he saved and brought home. Madden talked at length about division reunions and spoke about the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Metz. He also talked at length about the difficult process of getting the French Legion Award.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a Scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. By mid-November 1944, Madden’s division was in combat with the enemy in Metz [Annotator’s Note: Metz, France]. The 379th Infantry Regiment was pulled back from Metz in late November and began its advance toward the Saar River. His unit replaced the 378th [Annotator’s Note: 378th Infantry Regiment] and took over their foxholes. As they began to cross a field, his lieutenant was killed. During this time near the Saar River, they were given a Thanksgiving Day dinner. His unit reached some railroad tracks and saw the Air Corps fly over and hit the railroads. They found some barracks and slept there for the night. The next day, the 379th Infantry Regiment crossed the Saar and secured the bridge and a bridgehead in December 1944. The regiment dug in and beat back several German counterattacks over the next couple of days. They also endured an incredibly intense artillery barrage and tank fire.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a Scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. His unit crossed the Saar River and secured a bridge and bridgehead there in December 1944. His unit endured an incredibly intense artillery barrage as they secured the bridge. [Annotator’s Note: Clock chimes at 3:09:43.000.] He was lying in some bunks and a shell came through, but did not go off. Everyone stepped over it and left the bunker. There was another incident where he was delivering mail to another bunker and mortar [Annotator's Note: a short smoothbore gun which fires explosive shells at high angles] fire began. When the mortar fire stopped, he began to leave the bunker and a machine gun went off, so Madden ran into a house.

Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. During the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], his Division was in reserve and often did patrols. While he was in a house, a mortar [Annotator's Note: a short smoothbore gun which fires explosive shells at high angles] shell came through and almost killed him. Madden was able to get a P-38 pistol [Annotator’s Note: German Walther P38]. In January 1945, Madden made a sick call one morning and was diagnosed with having frozen feet. Madden knew a G.I. [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] who had a college student write a paper for her college professor and later was published. After a doctor examined Madden’s feet, he was immediately evacuated and sent to a hospital in Belgium.

[Annotator’s Note: Can hear someone in the background throughout this segment.] Paul Hilton Madden Jr. was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division as a scout in the 3rd Platoon’s 2nd Squad. He developed frozen feet and was sent to a hospital in Belgium. He received a Purple Heart [Annotator's Note: the Purple Heart Medal is an award bestowed upon a United States service member who has been wounded as a result of combat actions against an armed enemy] for his injuries. After several weeks of recuperation, he was sent to a replacement depot [Annotator’s Note: also known as repo depot] for reassignment. [Annotator’s Note: dog barks in background at 3:35:09.000.] While in the repo depot, Madden was diagnosed with jaundice and sent to the 16th General Hospital near Liege [Annotator’s Note: Liege, Belgium]. The first night, the mess tent served fried chicken and biscuits. Three days later, he was put on a hospital train to Paris [Annotator’s Note: Paris, France] where he was admitted to the 194th General Hospital. Madden spent weeks in the hospital before being sent back to a replacement depot. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 3:39:31.000.] Finally, in early May 1945, he rejoined Company A, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division. His unit guarded a displaced person camp until June or July 1945 when the 95th Infantry Division rotated back to the United States. The G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] were given orders not to fraternize with the Germans, but Madden talked to kids and had his clothes washed by a German woman.

[Annotator’s Note: Can hear someone in the background throughout this segment.] Around June 1945, Paul Hilton Madden Jr. and men of the division [Annotator’s Note: 95th Infantry Division] were sent home to the United States and were given 30 days leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] before redeployment to the Pacific to take part in the invasion of Japan. Madden reported back to his unit which was then at Camp Shelby [Annotator’s Note: Camp Shelby, Mississippi], right about the time the Japanese surrendered [Annotator’s Note: 15 August 1945]. When the men of the division learned that they would still be shipping out to Japan to be part of the Army of Occupation, someone wrote a letter of complaint to a congressman or senator. The letter at least partially resulted in the 95th Infantry Division remaining in the United States and being inactivated. Madden was discharged at Fort Hancock, New Jersey with the rank of PFC [Annotator’s Note: private first class] in November 1945. He returned to Louisiana, took advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment], and completed his degree at Centenary College [Annotator’s Note: in Shreveport, Louisiana]. He received a reserve commission and, for a time, was active in the US Army Reserve. In the early 1960s, he let his commission lapse and left the service with the rank of captain.