An uphill battle
Mountain trooper recounts his tour in Italy during WWII
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

The water in the roadside irrigation ditch was red with blood.

Only Clifford Long's nose broke the surface. The water was freezing and he had lain there half a day, but he didn't dare risk lifting the rest of his head to look around.

The twins from California lay behind him in the trough. One still hid there under the crimson water breathing through his nose and praying the enemy wouldn't see. Remnants of the other floated beside Long, his head missing because he couldn't resist the temptation to rise up for a glimpse.

Long tried to focus on what he would do if he made it out. He wouldn't let fear take hold.

He stayed under the water long enough to escape enemy fire and made it out alive.

But it wouldn't be the last carnage the Burke County boy would see before the end of the 87th Infantry's campaign in the Po Valley of northern Italy during World War II.

Long, who was born and raised in Girard, recently recalled his service with the 10th Mountain Division during an interview for the WWII Veterans Oral History Project. His recollections were caught on tape and will eventually become part of a collection in the Library of Congress.

He brought along a family scrapbook and framed medals he'd been awarded, including three battle stars, two purple hearts, three bronze stars, as well as Occupation and Medditeranean Theater ribbons. His original dog tags, held together by a safety pin, and a few photographs seemed to bring back memories.

"It's been sixty years," he said. "You spend most of that time trying to push this stuff to the back of your mind."

Before joining the Army, Long had spent his days in Girard pumping gas and greasing up cars to earn a buck.

On his 18th birthday, he went to the Burke County Court House to enlist, looking for opportunity and excitement.

Despite initial plans to go airborne, Long caught wind of a new mountain division.

"We were offered ski training, rock climbing and mountain training. I jumped for that deal," he said, chalking it up to being young and crazy. He flashed a mischievous grin that said it hadn't been the first time he'd tried something crazy.

THEN AND NOW: CLIFFORD LONG

Long honed his skills in cold weather combat at Camp Hale, Colo., and the high-altitude hit the southern boy hard.

There was no snow in Girard.

Long had never even seen the stuff before he joined the army.

He caught the hang of the skiing and climbing though, and learned to enjoy it.

Long fought with the 10th Mountain Division through the 87th's entire campaign in Italy, from Mount Belvedere, over the rugged terrain of the Apennines, across the Po River and all the way to Lake Garda. He mostly served as a scout, scoping out German strongholds and finding food for his division.

Long's stare fell to the ground as he recalled the men who were lost in violent clashes with the Germans.

Long, himself, had survived cannon attacks and direct tank fire, and eluded snipers that dotted the Po Valley. As he sat for the interview, he touched his face where bits of rock sent flying by a sniper's bullets had cut away at his flesh. Shrapnel caused other injuries to his back and foot in separate air raids.

At one point, the situation became so dire that soldiers avoided crossing the Po River by shooting themselves in their arms and legs.

Long, on the other hand, was the first American to set foot on the other side of the river when they crossed.

Death was the last thought in his mind.

"I didn't think like that," he said, shaking his head. "I thought about what a good time I was going to have tomorrow."

Even in the interview, the 81- year-old veteran focused more on the good times than the bad. He cut his eyes and chuckled when he recalled one wild time in Venice and escaping from a military hospital for a night on the town.

His shoulders shook with laughter when he talked about stockpiling cases of rationed beer and icing it down in cold, mountain streams. It might have been "cheap ol' rotten beer," but it offered a welcomed reprieve from the fighting.

As the interview came to a close, Long placed his cap back on his head and gathered his medals and memorabilia back into envelopes.

The dust had been blown off an old set of memories, and thoughts from 60 years ago were swirling in his head. It was tiring.

But his efforts to remember will keep his contributions and those of his fellow soldiers alive. The recording of his experiences will now be part of a national collection, and his family will have a copy to pass on for generations to come.

WWII Veterans

Oral History Project Local WWII Veterans and family members of deceased veterans may participate in the project by contacting:

Karen Reeves, Burke County

High School history teacher

706-554-6691 kreeves@burke.k12.ga.us

kreeves@burke.net