BIZERTE, THE MESSIAH We left Algeria and slowly convoyed our way forward towards the Eastern Front. By this time, Rommel's army was in total retreat and their defeat was inevitable. General Alexander was in the process of forming a pincers movement with the aim of totally enveloping Rommel's troops and their surrender was imminent. We entered the outskirts of Bizerte and the city had been totally destroyed by Allied air raids and artillery attacks. Buildings were leveled and rubble and debris was strewn over the roads making them impassable to vehicular traffic. We dismounted from our vehicles and began searching into the recesses of bombed buildings and flushing out any German soldiers who at this point in time were only too glad to surrender. Another soldier and I walked into the hallway of a partially destroyed apartment house. He went to the right and I to the left. I discerned movement at the end of the hallway and I cautiously approached with my carbine held at the ready position. I detected a tall bearded man who was shielding a little girl about nine years old. They were both petrified with fear. He was wearing a black skull cap and I immediately recognized him as being of the Jewish faith. The Moslems usually wear red fezzes. I walked up to him and in my broken French I said, "Jamais ne peur, je suis aussi une Juif et une soldat Americaine." (Translation: I am also a Jew and an American Soldier.) He fell to his knees, grabbed me around the waist and cried out, "VOUS EST LE MESSIACH!", you are the messiah. The little girl reached out and gently grasped my hand. This memory, I will long remember and cherish. Everything I had previously accomplished paled into insignificance as compared with this one memorable moment. return to top