The Decoy Doughboy Souvenir Edition -- Printed in Czechoslovakia May 23, 1945. -- Publishes by and for the men of the 18th Combat Team. -- First Infantry Division, U. S. Army. Tank - Talk - Items from 745 Tank Bn. - "This tank life is the only way to fight" agreed Pfc Lloyd C. Blevins and Pfc James B. Rogers, 1st Battalion light machine gunners, soon after they bad been "loaned" to the first platoon, Company 'B', 745 Tank Bn, to fill tank crew vacancies when the combat team was moving east too fast for reinforcements to reach the tankers through normal channels. "Why, there's nothing to it", the two doggies continued, "nothing to sweat out except the big stuff, no more walking, and if it's raining, you can sleep inside the tank". Blevins and Rogers, selected by lot from volunteers from 1st Battalion infantrymen by Lt. Cal. Learnard in the vicinity of Siegen, Germany, served in the first platoon constantly from that time on. So serious were they in their liking for their new Army "home" that they submitted applications for transfer to the tanks. The applications finally cleared all channels and Blevins and Rogers are now full-fledged tankers. "Hope the Japs don't have any more big stuff on hand 'than the Germans did this side of Siegen", they say.
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