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SEPTEMBER 2018 | Vol. 23 | Issue 9 | Mail Run: 8,385
www.thecatoctinbanner.com Your Good News Community Newspaper, Serving Northern Frederick County, Maryland, Since 1995
Veteran Receives Long Overdue Commendation
James Rada, Jr.
Harry English (pictured right) put
his life on the line just to join the
U.S. Army, and because he did, many
other men survived World War II.
English, a Hagerstown native,
liked to spend his summers by
himself on a small island in the
Potomac River.
“All I had was a knife, a hatchet,
and a .22,” he said. He would take
some produce from a nearby farmer’s
farm, with the farmer’s permission,
and he would fish.
When war broke out, English
knew it was his patriotic duty to join
the military. He and a friend rode
with English’s father to Baltimore
when English was only eighteen.
English went to enlist in the
Merchant Marines. During the
physical, the doctor had him jump
up and down. Then the doctor
listened to his heart.
“He told me to lay down and lay
still until my father came,” English
said. “He said I had a bad heart and
excitement would kill me.”
He thought that was a bunch
of bunk and tried enlisting in the
Army, Navy, and Coast Guard. They
all turned him down because he
supposedly had a bad heart.
With no other choice, English
returned to school only to receive
a draft notice in April 1944. He
reported to Camp Meade, thinking
that he would just be sent home.
Instead, he became a soldier.
“They never said a word about
my problem,” said English.
He went through sixteen weeks
of infiltration training in South
Carolina, and was then sent to Camp
McCoy in Wisconsin. A doctor
at the camp discovered English’s
supposed heart condition and
wanted to give him a discharge. “I
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Photo by James Rada, Jr. He said his scariest moment in
(right) Harry (below) Harry
English is shown is pictured
with his Bronze
Star Medal in July. with his Jeep
during WWII.
Courtesy Photo never gave him any trouble.
told him, ‘The Army trained me, and the soldiers who were tasked
the government spent a lot of money with setting up the telephone
on me. My unit needs me. What communications.
difference does it make whether I die During one battle, English
here or over there?’” volunteered to go into enemy
His argument was convincing, territory with a chaplain to pick up
and he was sent to fight in Europe. wounded prisoners, no matter which
For the next two years, he side they fought on. He didn’t see
traveled with Gen. George Patton’s it as doing anything special, but the
Army and fought the Germans chaplain put in for him to receive a
in the Battle of Bulge, as well as medal for his actions.
other battles. He drove Jeeps and He never received it because
cooked for his unit. He chauffeured his unit moved around so much.
Community Bids Farewell to Former VHC Fire Chief
Inside this issue Catoctin High School 50 Anniversary
Local Film Producer Launches Documentary
Residential Customer
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An Option for Health Care
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Western Maryland Railroad History
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515B East Main Street
More Fishy Pics
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He didn’t even realize he had been
recommended for commendation.
the war was when he realized that
someone was shooting at him with a
20-mm gun. One shell flattened the
spare tire on his Jeep, and shrapnel
raked across his knuckles.
“I just kept thinking, ‘Man, that
was close,’” recalled English.
By the time the American crossed
the Rhine River in Germany, it was
obvious the war was over, although
there was no official word. German
soldiers were laying down their
weapons and surrendering.
Even after the war had ended,
English stayed on to the help with
the Nuremberg Trials. He drove
vehicles for officers and lawyers. He
heard parts of the trials that were
broadcasted, and he saw Hermann
Goering being led in for his trial.
Throughout the war, his heart
Once he came home, English
went on with his life. He married
and worked thirty-seven years on the
railroad. After his retirement, he and
his wife moved to Florida, but later
returned because they wanted to be
able to watch their grandchildren
and great-grandchildren grow up.
English now lives in Sabillasville
with his granddaughter Ann Seiss
and her family.
Having earned it seventy-four
years earlier, he finally received his
Bronze Star Medal in July 2018
during a special ceremony at the
Thurmont AMVETS. Maryland U.S.
Rep. Jamie Raskin pinned the medal
on English’s sports coat.
It was a long overdue honor for
the ninety-two-year-old Veteran, and
one that he was able to share with
his family and fellow Veterans.
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