​On the night of August 30, Company K, under Captain Reedy, relieved Jarman’s Company I. Reedy was the only White commanding officer among your four line companies. You did not know of his abilities. He did not seem very loquacious but did appear calm under fire. Some of his platoon leaders were also White. No White officer reported to a Negro company commander. This system assured that the best officer was not always in charge.

​In camp and in barracks, before you entered combat, all latrines were wide open, as many as twenty places in a row. Soldiers socialized while doing their thing. Each latrine on the line was about eight to ten feet long, a foot wide, and about two feet deep, dug out of sight of German observation posts. A pile of dirt with a shovel was kept alongside the latrine. The shovel and dirt were used to cover up any leavings. Officers had their own area. In combat zones soldiers from the Ammunition and Pioneer (A&P) platoon dug latrines for those of you at battalion headquarters. Members of the A&P, in addition to digging, carried ammunition to the battle zones.

​On the night of August 23-24, 19445, as you prepared to enter combat, you suddenly realized that this was no training exercise: an enemy patrol might be lurking behind the next culvert or house, or the deafening roar of a firearm might be the next and last sound that you heard. The accidental clanking of your rifle against your steel helmet might be heard by every German in the area and would surely bring down a rain of fire.