A vivid recounting of WWII combat by a highly decorated soldier: “Few can match Buster in the description of his personal wartime actions and impressions.” —Filson Club History Quarterly
He graduated from West Point in 1939, just in time to serve through one of the most crucial periods in national and world history. William R. Buster, born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, knew a soldier’s combat experience—and left a firsthand account of it.
His story tells of the incredible expansion, arming, and training of the US Army, as well as his experience in the great conflict itself, from North Africa and Sicily to the hedgerow country of Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and on to Berlin. For his service, he received the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and the French Croix de Guerre.
Includes photographs
“To my mind, this memoir rings as true as steel. Any combat soldier will recognize episodes and experiences recounted here . . . Anyone possessing a grain of empathy with the human being caught in the toils of war will find the story interesting in detail and moving in emotional effect.” —Charles P. Roland, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Kentucky
Jeffrey S. Suchanek serves as director of the Wendell H. Ford Research Center and Public Policy Archives and assistant director of the Oral History Program at the University of Kentucky Libraries.William J. Marshall is director of Special Collections and Archives at the University of Kentucky Libraries. He is the author of Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951.