I Carried a Bloody Bucket on My Shoulder

Download or read book I Carried a Bloody Bucket on My Shoulder written by Thomas Floyd and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WWII Veteran, Thomas Floyd, Jr., describes surviving the Battle of the Bulge. His frozen boots struggled through chest high snow to remove the swastika from the flag at German Headquarters. Thomas Floyd joined the army in 1943. He trained with the 66th Infantry Division. Due to the casualties from Normandy, and the battle of the hedgerows, replacements were needed. Thomas was sent into the 28th Infantry Division as a replacement. The 28th Division was originally a Pennsylvania Guard unit known as the Keystone Division. Their patch was a red keystone. As a result of their victorious experiences in battle, the Germans referred to their division as the "Blutiger Eimer," meaning "Bloody Bucket," due to its shape and color. The Bloody Bucket became a name associated with pride for the men who fought in their Division. They served in two of the toughest battles in which the Americans were engaged in the European Theatre: Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. For their part in the Battle of the Bulge, the 112th Regimental Combat Team (in which Thomas Floyd served) was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Col. Floyd, serving twenty-seven years, also received two Bronze Stars, the European Theater Medal with four Campaign Stars, the American Campaign, American Defense, Good Conduct, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. Members of the 28th Division are also entitled to wear a number of foreign awards.