Harold Deane Did a "Private Ryan" Six Times by Randy Ark

            I was never that much interested in the invasion of North Africa, Sicily, or Italy, until I met a man who participated in all three and more. Harold is now 93 years old, and I have visited his wife and him many times since our first meeting. Harold was in the 3rd Infantry Division, 10th Combat Engineers. I had never really appreciated all that the engineers had accomplished in the war or what they were expected to do to assist the infantry, and other combat units, until reading a particular account and listening to Harold relate his ‘stories’.

            I bring this up now, because it all hit home this week from three directions. My brother gave me a book for Christmas entitled, Brave Men, by Ernie Pyle, a noted and beloved WWII correspondent. It so happens that Ernie Pyle related strikingly similar accounts to those of my friend Harold, in his book. It also happened that on Sunday night, this week’s War Stories with Oliver North, was about the invasion of Sicily. I was able to see exactly what Ernie Pyle was talking about when he described the work of the 10th Combat Engineers, where the Germans had blown up and destroyed a mountain pass, and how what appeared to be an insurmountable task of repair, was accomplished within 24 hours by those hard working men, those engineers.

            I called Harold and told him about the show, and the book, which he had read. He told me that he had met Ernie Pyle, and immediately liked him. Pyle wanted to interview him, and he did. He also added to the information in the video and the book, which really brought it to life for me. Here I was, talking to a man, a living history witness, to the events I am not only reading about, but viewed on television. How cool is that?

Years ago, my mother told me that when she was a little girl in Dayton, Ohio, that she and her family lived next to the Old Soldier’s Home on Third Street. On one side of her house was an alley. She told me that nearly everyday she would see Civil War veterans taking a walk in that alley, and talking with one another. She also said that she had always wished that she knew then what she knows now, because she would have taken the time to talk to those old soldiers. What a wealth of information must have resided behind those old walls of the Soldier’s Home. 

Our World War II veterans are currently dying at a rate of between 1,000 to 1,200 veterans each day. They live among us, going about their daily lives, typically unnoticed, but behind those weathered faces lie the memories of much younger men who have seen and experienced things that we cannot imagine. I have had the pleasure of meeting many WWII veterans in my life, and I have become very close with two veterans in particular, here in Springfield.

Harold Deane will be 94 years old in June, 2009. He and his wife, Betty, have been married close to 67 years and they reside near Northeastern High School in Clark County. Harold is a decorated WWII veteran, having served with the 3rd Infantry Division, 10th Combat Engineers, Company C. Harold was driving a bus for the city of Springfield, when he heard the news about Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, but he was not drafted until June 25th of 1942. Four and one half months later, Harold said goodbye to his wife, Betty, and found himself a participant in what was code-named, “Operation Torch”, the invasion of North Africa. He landed November 8th, 1942. He would not see home again until three years and three months had passed.

If you have ever seen the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan, where the front part of the Higgins boat lowers, and the soldiers try to unload onto the beach, then you will be amazed to know that Harold experienced this scenario on six different occasions. Of course, not every beach was as terrifying as Omaha, but you could have just as easily been killed.

Harold was part of the invasion forces landing in Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern France. Harold recalls the battle at Anzio most vividly. He was a combat engineer that often had to work at night between the front lines of the Germans and the front lines of the Americans. He was in a vulnerable position, to say the least. Harold also related to me that he once saw Audie Murphy while in a field hospital, and remarked on how young he looked, “like a little kid," he said. He also told me that he was wounded twice within a 20 minute period, on the outskirts of St. Die, France. While staying in a hospital recuperating, he was approached by Ernie Pyle, the famous WWII correspondent, and was asked to interview with him. He said that Ernie was a fellow that you just liked immediately. 

On September 18th, 1945, Harold stepped off the bus at the Greyhound Terminal in Springfield, Ohio. He saw his wife, Betty, walking toward him with tears in her eyes. After three years and three months, he was at last, home again. I asked Harold what his rank was when he was discharged and I was surprised to learn that he was a PFC. Seeing my surprised look, Harold told me that he had made a deal with his sergeant not to put him in for promotion, because he did not want the responsibility that may lead to others being killed. Harold said that he witnessed too many officers in tears at the mere mention of certain names of soldiers that had been killed due to following their orders. Harold was more than willing to do his part, but did not want to be in a position where he would be “directing traffic."

Harold is a devout Christian, as is his wife, Betty, and he remains a strong patriot to this day. I met Harold through a mutual acquaintance, John Kunkel, whom I shall write about another time.   – Randy Ark 04.28.09