Sgt. Alvin L. Manville, was with the 505 Paracute Infantry Regiment from it's
beginnings. He served in G Company, the 3rd Battalion, in the 82nd Airborne Division. Sgt. Manville sailed for Africa on April 29th 1943. He made combat jumps into Sicily, Paestum, Italy, and Normandy, France. He was wounded about three days or so after jumping into France in defense of St.
Mere Eglise. Sgt. Manville was shipped back to England to recuperate, and served the remainder of the war
as part of General Matthew Ridgeway's protection platoon.
The following is in the words of Sergeant Manville's son, Ron:
"My Dad told me a story of being in the plane on the way
to jump, and really having to go to the bathroom, ( nerves and
common diarrhea ), but he didn't want to do it on the plane. He
figured when he jumped, he would do it in the air and shake it
out his leg. When he jumped, with all the tracers and explosions
and chaos, he forgot. He drifted over a burning haystack with
Italians and Germans yelling and landed in a ravine, dangling
about a foot from the bottom. He cut himself out of the traces,
and, even before he loaded his gun, he dropped his trousers and
did his business first. Then he went looking for the rest of his
company"
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