This Day in History: 1945-07-10
Sgt. Mel Smith, son of Mr and Mrs. Max Smith of Mahwah came home on a 32-day furlough after having served throughout the European campaigns and winning four battle stars. As a member of the 1st Infantry Division he landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 30. He fought in the Saint-Lo breakthrough, the Battle of the Ardennes Forest, and the Remagen bridgehead. He reported that later, as a member of the 170th Field Artillery, his outfit chased General Patton across Germany to Czechoslovakia without firing a shot until the war ended. He was expected to report to Fort Hood Texas for possible reassignment to the Pacific at the conclusion of his leave. Sgt. Smith, 21, was a 1940 graduate of Ramsey High School and had two years at Ohio University before entering the service. (Bristow)