March 30, 2006 - A hero in so many ways

Last month, as a part of the closing ceremony coverage of the Winter Olympics, NBC's Tom Brokaw interviewed World War II veteran Vernon Baker, who had been awarded the Medal of Honor - the military's highest honor - for his heroic actions in Italy. Watching the program reminded me of my father, who also served in the 92nd Infantry Division during WW II.

Many people in Milwaukee know my father, Randle E. Pollard, as a urologist who served his community for more than 50 years in medicine. He also has been involved in community service and as an entrepreneur helped to establish several businesses, including North Milwaukee State Bank, the first black-owned bank in Milwaukee. However, not many people are aware of his service in Italy in WW II.

My father, "Papa," like many men of his generation, does not speak openly about his service. For him, I am sure there is still pain when he thinks about friends he left behind and the indignation he and other black soldiers received when they returned from the war, only to be treated as second-class citizens.

Much of what I know about Papa's service, I learned on a trip to Italy with him in September 1999. I met him in Bologna while he was attending a language school. Papa would go to Bologna every two to three years to brush up on his Italian. This trip of a lifetime - un viaggio memorabile - allowed me to learn more about my father than in all of my previous 37 years.

Papa served as a medic with the IV Corps of the U.S. 5th Army, 92nd Infantry Division, 370th Regiment (a.k.a. the "Buffalo Soldiers"). He was drafted after his sophomore year at Prairie View University.

This native of Evanston, Ill., was excited to serve in the military. In May 1944, he wrote to his brother, William B. Pollard Jr., essentially saying, "I know this sounds corny, but I want infantry."

Well, he got his wish. In August 1944, his regiment was involved in the Allied invasion of Italy, southwest of Florence, near the coastal town of Viareggio. The 92nd faced not only mountainous terrain and tremendous resistance from Germans and Italian soldiers but also an array of manmade defensive works that were part of the German Army's Gothic Line.

Papa's regiment fought in towns such as Massa and Castelnuovo. Though medics were not allowed to carry a gun, Papa would occasionally pick one up that he found in the heat of battle. The Germans did not respect the Red Cross on his helmet while he helped the injured, and often he was the subject of gun and artillery fire.

On Oct. 31, 1944, Papa's platoon was trapped after an ambush off a road near Massa. Several in his platoon were hit immediately, and he ran to their aid amidst a hail of shrapnel and enemy fire. Of those he assisted, I believe two survived. Because of his actions, he was awarded a Bronze Star. In 1998, he also received a Bronze Battle Star for his role in another battle.

One of the most memorable moments of our trip was a visit to the Allied cemetery outside of Florence. We had lunch and talked on the beautiful sacred grounds, the final resting place, of the friends Papa had lost in the war.

It was surreal imagining him 19 or 20 years old, dodging bullets and artillery shells and administering first aid to the injured. I cannot truly understand how he and many others were able to fight so valiantly even with so much injustice to blacks back in the United States.

But just like many of his generation, he downplayed his actions, insisting it was his duty as an American and characterizing his heroics as the "invincibility a 19- to 21-year-old feels."

So, I write this for all of the black soldiers who fought in WW II for our freedom. And also to say to my father, "Happy 81st birthday."

Papa, I am very proud of you.

Randle B. Pollard, a Milwaukee native, is an attorney in Indianapolis.

RANDLE B. POLLARD, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription) - Milwaukee,WI,USA