Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories
Jun 18, 2026 · 58 min · 13 segments
Medal of Honor recipient Walter Ehlers tells his dramatic stories of combat in North Africa and Europe and details the events surrounding his heroic actions during the Normandy campaign. He also…
Walter EhlersGuest
George Fuller
Jay McMullen
Don WitteInterview HostHost
Carl ZimmermanAfter the war, Walter Ehlers continued to help other soldiers, working as a counselor for the Veterans Administration.
In 2014, he passed away at the age of 92.
He was the last survivor of the 12 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Normandy Campaign.
In addition to interviewing veterans, the Honor Project also collects recordings from the front lines.
The following are the words of soldiers recorded from the battlefields of Europe during World War II.
We're in a thick forest of the Vosges Mountains with the men of an infantry company.
It's been raining, there's a gray, sullen sky, and the ground here, covered with leaves, is soaked and muddy.
For the past two weeks, this infantry company has been edging forward in the forest, moving up yard by yard, digging out German machine gun nests that you can hardly see until you're on top of them.
It hasn't been an easy job, and the Germans have often struck back, throwing in heavy artillery and mortars.
A few minutes ago, shells were whistling over our heads, some landing not far away.
But here beside our wire recorder are two infantrymen, looking rather tired and cold, who can tell you more about what's happening here.
They're Sergeant Alfred Hook from Mendon, Massachusetts, and Sergeant Louis Pelosi from Somerville, Massachusetts.
Well, Louie, ever since you fellas got into this woods, it's been pretty hot, hasn't it? It certainly has.
The gym has been making it pretty hot for us here with all their artillery and mortars and small arms fire all around us.
Where do you sleep at night? I have it dug out, and it's covered with logs and dirt on top of that.
I've got a buddy who reads all the newspapers and keeps us pretty well posted on what's going on in the world.
Seems he brought this shirt over from the States when the division came across.
After the war, Walter Ehlers continued to help other soldiers, working as a counselor for the Veterans Administration.
In 2014, he passed away at the age of 92.
He was the last survivor of the 12 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Normandy Campaign.
In addition to interviewing veterans, the Honor Project also collects recordings from the front lines.
The following are the words of soldiers recorded from the battlefields of Europe during World War II.
We're in a thick forest of the Vosges Mountains with the men of an infantry company.
It's been raining, there's a gray, sullen sky, and the ground here, covered with leaves, is soaked and muddy.
For the past two weeks, this infantry company has been edging forward in the forest, moving up yard by yard, digging out German machine gun nests that you can hardly see until you're on top of them.
It hasn't been an easy job, and the Germans have often struck back, throwing in heavy artillery and mortars.
A few minutes ago, shells were whistling over our heads, some landing not far away.
But here beside our wire recorder are two infantrymen, looking rather tired and cold, who can tell you more about what's happening here.
They're Sergeant Alfred Hook from Mendon, Massachusetts, and Sergeant Louis Pelosi from Somerville, Massachusetts.
Well, Louie, ever since you fellas got into this woods, it's been pretty hot, hasn't it? It certainly has.
The gym has been making it pretty hot for us here with all their artillery and mortars and small arms fire all around us.
Where do you sleep at night? I have it dug out, and it's covered with logs and dirt on top of that.
I've got a buddy who reads all the newspapers and keeps us pretty well posted on what's going on in the world.
Seems he brought this shirt over from the States when the division came across.
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