Episode 3 We’re In the Army Now - America Goes to War in WW 2

In the aftermath of the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, and the declaration of war against Germany and Japan, millions of Americans didn't wait till their draft numbers were called upon.  They immediately enlisted, including nearly 200,000 underage Americans.  In the rigorous basic training that followed, young Americans learned that war was for keeps as they learned the fighting skills that would keep them alive in combat.  As Colonel Sin, Commander of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, told his recruits, "Y'all ain't going over there to die for your country.  You're going over there to make that other son of a bitch die for his!"

Photo below is of Milburn Henke, credited as the first US soldier to set foot on European soil in WW 2.

Samuel Erlick with his medals