Jack Havercamp - 7th US Naval Beach Battalion

     I signed up in Bay City, Michigan in 1943 to avoid the draft.  After boot camp I went to Camp Bradford, Norfolk, Virginia and then on to Salcombe, England where we did maneuvers.  I had a good duty…I
worked the switchboard sitting and answering the telephone.  I read a notice that was placed near the switchboard asking for guys to play in a band.  I signed up and got to play for several dances around
Salcombe.  I played the drums.  Then it was on to Normandy.  Bill Lithicum and I shared a fox hole. Ours was plush…we lined it with blankets.  We cooked our meals with Leo Scheer and Pop Shuman.
(He was an older man, that’s why we called him Pop, but he was probably only 25 years old)  I was part of The hydrographic crew...a seaman and I did what I was told.  I remember one day after the invasion, Bill and I went into Vierville, France a small town right
there on the beach just to look around.  On our way back we found a German soldier.  He surrendered to us.  He hugged us and was really happy to see us. He hadn’t eaten for days.  We took him back with us
with his arms raised in surrender.  We found out that he was really Polish but was having to serve in the German army.
Jack Havercamp

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