Oral history interview of Jack Wilson. Jack Wayne Wilson was drafted into WWII (1943-1945) in the Army, Company D, 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. He was a Technical Sergeant and saw action in the European Theater, in North Africa, Italy, and France. His battalion was known as the Lost Battalion "which was surrounded by German forces in the Vosges Mountains on 24 October 1944. ... The battalion was cut off by the Germans, and attempts by the 141st Infantry's other two battalions to extricate it failed. The 405th Fighter Squadron of the 371st Fighter Group airdropped supplies to the 275 trapped soldiers, but conditions on the ground quickly deteriorated as the Germans continued to repel American attempts to reach the trapped unit. The final rescue attempt was made by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit composed of Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans). The 442nd had been given a period of rest after heavy fighting to liberate Bruyères and Biffontaine, but General Dahlquist called them back early to relieve the beleaguered 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 36th. In five days of battle, from 26 to 30 October 1944, the 442nd broke through German defenses and rescued 211 men. The 442nd suffered over 800 casualties. I Company went in with 185 men, only 8 came out unhurt. K Company engaged the enemy with 186 men, 169 were wounded or killed. Additionally, the commander sent a patrol of 50–55 men to find a way to attack a German road block by the rear and try to liberate the remainder of the trapped men. Only five returned to the "Lost Battalion" perimeter; 42 were taken prisoner and were sent to Stalag VII-A in Moosburg, Bavaria, where they remained until the POW camp was liberated on 29 April 1945. The 442nd is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component 100th Infantry Battalion earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion" due to the number injured in combat." (Wikipedia) He was wounded four times and had many more close calls. He was awarded a Bronze Star, 3 Purple Hearts, Combat Infantry Badge, Presidential Unit Citation, French Legion Medal of Honor, and the American Legional Medal for Heroism.