Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mary Katzenberger | Sgt. 1st Class Hector J. Borges, a paratrooper assigned to Charlie Battery, 3rd...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Time marches on, but brotherhood is forever.
While it’s been nearly 60 years since Carmine Sabato served in World War II, his memories of the artillery crew he worked beside in the 980th Field Artillery Battalion—touted with firing the first round into Germany from Belgium—have faded but have never extinguished.
“We were close, we always helped each other,” Sabato said. “It was like brothers, better than brothers. Everything was shared.”
Sabato, a native of Brooklyn, New York, rekindled old memories with Paratroopers assigend to Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Nov. 14, at Fort Bragg. The 92-year-old veteran, accompanied by his son, John, his daughter-in-law Valerie, and family friend Ambrose Brennan of Waxhaw, North Carolina, visited an M777 howitzer gun crew at a firing during field training.
The crew talked howitzer specifications, demonstrated firing drills and showed off their equipment. Sabato, in turn, shared photographs and stories from his overseas service. As the visit lengthened, Sabato recounted events long buried in his memory.
“It’s all coming back,” he said.
The first thing Sabato noticed was the drastic difference between the towed howitzer his crew fired in World War II and the one the Paratroopers currently operate. In 1944 Sabato and his crew manned and fired the 155mm Gun M1 “Long Tom.” The “Long Tom” was taller than the M777 and its barrel was affixed atop three axles, whereas the M777 has a low profile—other than its 200-inch-long barrel—and features a large base plate and legs that provide stability with the ground.
“Everything is strange, everything is different,” Sabato remarked.
The weapon configuration wasn’t the only difference between the eras Sabato and the Paratroopers discussed. During World War II, Soldiers didn’t choose their military occupational specialty—the Army chose it for you, Sabato said. And, Soldiers in his era had less protective equipment than Soldiers are issued today.
“The only protection we had was our uniforms,” Sabato said.
Despite the differences, however, Sabato and the Paratroopers talked about what remains common amongst artilleryman over time: the bond an artilleryman forms with the members of his crew, and the desire each artilleryman carries in his heart to take the fight to the enemy.
“On Christmas and New Years we gave the Germans a … party, ten rounds a piece,” Sabato said with a smile.
Spc. Leandro M. Gomez, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, said visiting with Sabato was rewarding.
“It’s pretty cool to let him reminisce a little bit and show him what we’re capable of,” Gomez said. “It was a lot harder back then—we’ve come a long way.”
Sgt. 1st Class Hector J. Borges, from Puerto Rico, agreed.
“It feels great,” Borges said. “It’s good to hear his experiences and the differences between the pieces he used and we use. It was amazing, especially seeing the pictures.”
As the visit came to a close, Lt. Col. Phillip G. Jenison and Command Sgt. Maj. John P. Condliffe, the 3rd Bn., 319th AFAR command team, presented Sabato with a certificate of appreciation for his service to the nation along with a battalion coin.
“We are walking on the shoulders of giants because of Mr. Sabato and so many other heroes that came before us,” Jenison said. “We couldn’t be more honored at the opportunity to pay it back and forward.”
| Date Taken: | 11.24.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.24.2014 13:38 |
| Story ID: | 148670 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | WAXHAW, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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