#Webster had a Harvard sticker on his overnight bag when first came in the Army

[shelyue99]

Captain Nixon, a blasé young man who made quite a thing out of being a Yale man—I never let on I went to Harvard-arrived after we had waited about fifteen minutes. A dark person with a heavy beard, he looked as if he hadn't shaved for at least three days. This was his usual state.

Captain Nixon was alleged to hale from a place called Nixon, New Jersey; his family was supposed to own half the town.

"Tenshun!" shouted one of the S-2 men, springing up.

I started to rise reluctantly from the floor, where I had been chatting with Wiseman and Lyall, but the captain raised his hand and told us to be at ease. I sagged down again.

"Come in here with me, men," the captain said, leading the way into the adjacent room, where a map was tacked to the wall. We followed him. My fears had increased greatly in the wait. I began to sweat and swallow hard.

Captain Nixon, who slouched and never raised his voice, oriented us by pointing to the location of Uden on the map. "The Dutch Underground has told us that the Krauts have moved into the village of Volkel, near here," he said. His finger went south along the Eindhoven road, then cut east to a cluster of eight or ten houses almost three miles from Uden.

"I want you men to go down there and find out if the Krauts have really moved in. They may be planning an attack from that direction. This is a reconnaissance patrol; don't shoot and don't get in a fight if you can help it. Just look around and come back."

He introduced the two S-2 men who were to lead us, then described our route, which was essentially that traced by his finger.

—Parachute Infantry by David Webster