America in WWII - (Page 8) A I WAS THERE Milt and Mel’s Great Idea by Milt O’Barr T O A COUPLE OF 17-year-old Alabama farm boys back in 1941, joining the army must have seemed like the perfect idea. Enlisting would give twin brothers Milt and Mel O’Barr not only a year’s reprieve from farm chores, but also an extended vacation from school. Little did they know that an event at a place called Pearl Harbor would extend their enlistments from one year to four and put them in harm’s way in Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. Milt and Mel landed in Company A, 85th Engineer Heavy Ponton Battalion. The 85th was trained to deploy a portable assault bridge that was quick to assemble and capable of handling the heaviest tanks. At this bridge’s foundation was a metal ponton (or pontoon) boat weighing more than a ton, 32 feet, 9 inches long, and able to support 30 tons. In laying these bridges, the 85th faced a twofold danger: heated enemy opposition and deadly river currents. The 85th would lose more men to the rivers than to the enemy, but nothing would deter these young engineers from bridging their way into the heart of Nazi Germany. They held firmly to their regimental motto: No River Too Swift. Here is Milt O’Barr’s account of his and his brother’s experiences with the 85th during World War II. IN MARCH 1941 my twin brother Mel and I decided to quit school and join the army. We were a couple of adventurous Alabama farm boys, and being only 17 years of age, our Mama had to sign for us to enlist. She wasn’t happy with the idea but reluctantly ALL IMAGES FOR THIS ARTICLE COURTESY OF ROD O’BARR Above, center: Twins Milt (left) and Mel O’Barr joined the army in early 1941 for a year of adventure, but ended up fighting together as engineers in Europe until spring 1945. Here, they mug for a September 1944 photo at a rest camp in Lyon, France. Above, right: In March 1945, the O’Barrs helped erect the Alexander Patch Bridge across the Rhine River into Germany. Above, left: Milt celebrates the Rhine crossing alongside a captured German 88mm gun. 8 AMERICA IN WWII OCTOBER 2007
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