| Murray Pinter 120th Regiment 30th Infantry Division |
| "Pinter's Booties" by John Craig It was but a few days after Christmas, in the Battle of the Bulge, that snow mantled the trees with a blanket of white, presenting a picture book scene, but in many places the snow was streaked red with human blood. Frozen feet casualties began to increase and the 120th Infantrymen cut surplus blankets to convert them to booties to be used in the foxholes to give their feet a a rest. The wool booties were designed and made under the supervision of Corporal Murray Pinter, a man so short he could not reach the trigger of an M-1 rifle when placed in firing position on his shoulder. He claimed to be more than four feet eleven, but no one had been able to verify it with a tape measure since he showed up as an infantry replacement.  Corporal Pinter was a tailor from New York City, who had come to the
United States from Warsaw, Poland. He had never been able to
locate his wife and child who disappeared soon after he came to this
country. His purpose in joining the army was to get back to the
old country and maybe find some trace of the,Pinter never did find his wife and child. He remarried and is living in New York with his new family. The special booties were made from old army blankets, with two thicknesses of wool on the bottom, and spared many soldiers from frost bite during their long stay in the foxholes of the Ardennes. The soldiers would take off their boots and put on the booties which allowed their feet a much needed rest. A lot fo soldiers who kept their boots on developed frost bite and gangrene and some eventually had to have parts of their feet and legs amputated. It was a blessing in disguise when this short man was sent to the 30th Division with his talents. Though himself unable to fire a rifle, he kept a lot of soldiers in the trenches who would otherwise have been on the casualty list. Found in 30th Division News, N-1967-03. |
 Page last revised
04/05/2022James D. West Host106th@106thInfDivAssn.org www.IndianaMilitary.org |