I Don't Remember Where We Were or What We Did

Dec 9, 2018, 3:25 PM

I may have posted this story earlier so forgive me if I have. This one is from memory and may be slightly different from my printed copy. This is a good example how one can remember insignificant details but can't remember the more important points. The story spans a period of about 40 years.
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Steve (Pollock) Kozak from Wilmerding, PA, was one of my best buddies during WW2. Steve was about 6' - 4" and 245 pounds, all muscle. I was a scrawny 5'-9" kid weighing in at 145 pounds. We looked like the old comic duo of Mutt and Jeff. This was during the winter of 1944-45 and was probably in late January. Our company was stationed in France and there was no snow fall in our area. Steve and I were called to the orderly room and informed we would be going on a special mission. That's all we knew.

We boarded a truck and rode and rode, finally arriving in a deep snow field. Here we were joined by several other men. It was cold !!! Steve and I picked out a spot where we could pitch our shelter halves. But first, we had to get out our little shovels and move a lot of snow. We searched the area for some straw or something to put between the frozen ground and our sleeping bags but could find nothing. Bed time came and we crawled into our sleeping bags. It was so cold we could not get to sleep. It felt aa if we were sleeping on a block of ice. Someone had built a fire and Steve decided to get up, heat some water and make some bullion.

Apparently, Steve stayed by the fire for quite awhile and in the meantime, I dozed off. Steve came back to our shelter, shook me and asked if I were awake. I was mot a happy camper and said. "you d-a-m-n Pollock, I could kill you". That didn't phase Steve. He offered me a canteen of hot bullion and said it would warm me up. We eventually completed our mission and returned to our company.

After the war, I returned to the Univ. of Florida and was now married. Steve came by to see us in the spring of 1948. He was on his way to New Orleans to join in the Mardi Gras festivities. Steve and I remained in contact until I was recalled to active duty in Sept. 1950. When I was discharged after the Korean War. My job was moved to South Florida, I had enjoyed all the cold weather I could stand. The new job site, a young daughter and other activities were used as an excuse to not maintain contact with Steve and my other best buddies from WW2. Steve had not yet married when I made my last contact.

Over the ensuing years I told this story to my wife and daughters but could not remember where we were sent on this special mission and the purpose of the mission. I was beginning to think I may have had a dream so realistic I thought it actually happened.

Now, fast forward to January 1986. I was scheduled to retire on the last working day in February. We had a contract with the Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Most of the equipment they were using in their research was on my inventory I had to go to Pittsburgh to visually check the items and effect a transfer.

One evening while sitting in my hotel room I picked up a Pittsburgh telephone directory and saw the numbers for Wilmerding were listed. There was a Steve Kozak and the address looked familiar. I placed a call and a lady answered. I told her I was Joe21, had served with a Steve Kozak during WW2 and asked if this was the Steve Kozak I was seeking. She seemed real excited and said "Yes, and I know exactly who you are". Then she told me Steve had cancer and passed away in 1979.

She then told me Steve had told her many stories about the two of us and then she said, "let me tell you his favorite". And with that, she repeated word-for-word the story above re our special mission. This confirmesd the event did happen and now I was going to get the important question anzswered. "Elsie, did Steve ever tell you where we went and what was our mission"? Her response, "Steve couldn't remember and he was hoping one day you could provide the answer".She told other stories I remembered and several I could not recall.

When I returned home the first thing I told my wife, "it;s true, it's true. It really did happen !!!!! But I suppose I will never know where we were or the purpozse of our mission.

Message was edited by: Joe21®

Message was edited by: Joe21®

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I Don't Remember Where We Were or What We Did

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