D-Day in Italy - The War Goes On

You know, it was funny, we never really thought too much about it, never. ‘Cause we were fighting just that day and this was wonderful news to hear that the invasion was taking place. But we were just outside of Rome and there was a sharp battle taking place. But I know I was back in some willows, I was kind of making myself scarce, in other words. I'd make myself scarce whenever I could, and all at once Stone, he was a colonel then, and he started hollering "Sniper! Sniper! Lenko, where the hell are ya hiding? " And I wasn't making a sound ‘cause, but Veno Smith was with me and he said, "Stone needs you Lenko." So I walked out and he says, "We gotta go over here to where them tanks are and I want you with me." And he went ahead. I'll tell you one thing about Jim Stone, he was never a guy to stay behind. He went ahead and he was about 50 feet ahead and I'm standing there looking on either side as we're going and I says, "Sir, I think we better take the ditch." And he answered back, he says "Lenko, you know there isn't a goddam Kraut that's ever going to kill us." And I says, "I'm not too sure." So, just then, in the middle of the road "tut tut tut tut'. Course Stone was in the ditch, I was in the ditch. And then he asked me, "Did you see where that come from? " and I says, "Yeah, from a tombstone. Behind the tombstone." And we got around behind the tank and they knew it had fired and the guy was out and he says, "Did you hear, see where that firing was coming from? ", I pointed out that big tombstone. They swung that big gun on it and it was just a boom and it was gone and I guess the German crew that was there was gone, cause there was no more firing.