What's the Password????

[Walt's Daughter]

Here's one I still tell at reunions... Told to me by Jim Hennessey, 87th Infantry Division. LOL!!

 

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I was a member of a small night patrol out on reconnaissance in the Ardennes in Belgium after a brief skirmish with a German machine gun outpost we headed back towards our lines. On the way back we were challenged by an American machine gun outpost. In the confusion of the battle none of our patrol members knew the password. Knowing German soldiers were using captured American uniforms the right password meant life or death I had to think fast. Whatever made me answer this way, I will never know, I yelled out, ''We are Americans. We don't know the password. But if you are a GI, we'll kiss your f--k--g a-s''. The sentry knew no German could curse like that, we were allowed to enter our lines.

 

The irony of this incident fell into place 40 years later at our annual division reunion. While chit-chatting with my buddies from "E" Company. This incident came up. I never knew the G. I. sentry who challenged our patrol that night. To my amazement, Bud Black from Kokomo, Indiana told me he was that sentry. His finger was ready to squeeze the trigger on his machine gun, when he heard my reply to his challenge. The language convinced him we were American G. I.'s. I hesitated to tell this story because of the language. In reality I thought it saved our lives.