"Up at 7. Got letters from Johnny Draghi, Jack, Mother, and Jen. Also an Easter card from Jen. Yesterday German planes bombed the rear command post hitting two fellows in headquarters company. Washed up this morning and washed some socks." (Diary entry, April 5, 1943, page 80)

Ralph B. DeForest

Ralph DeForest in uniform War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army Unit: A&P Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division Service Location: North Africa; Algeria; French Morocco; Tunisia; Sicily; Normandy, France; Belgium; Rhineland, Germany Rank: Sergeant Place of Birth: CT

Ralph DeForest was in the Army infantry exactly four years to the day, from June 25, 1941 to June 25, 1945. He saw action in North Africa and Sicily, and he landed on Normandy five days after D-Day. In Tunisia he saw the aftermath of the Battle of Kasserine Pass and reported on subsequent action, mixing mundane chores with reports of casualties in his outfit. DeForest kept a running diary of his experiences, but he was asked not to turn it in when he was stationed in England prior to the Normandy invasion. He stopped only for a few months and restarted on D-Day, June 6, 1944. His collection also traces his career through clippings from his hometown paper in Stamford, CT.