HAYDEN - Jim Schmidt wondered if his time serving in World War II would ever end.

Understandably so.

The Hayden 89-year-old served in the "Champion Hard Luck Division" in the European-African-Middle East Theatre.

The Army's 34th Infantry Division, 109th Engineer Battalion spent more than 600 days in the combat zone, more than any other American unit during the war.

"It was an experience, I'll tell you that," Schmidt said. "That was a long, long time. They just needed us, I guess. It was a pretty jumbled up affair. It got to the point where we didn't want to do much."

Schmidt is proud of his unit's effort.

"We captured 40,000 Germans," he said.

Schmidt said he had "no idea whatsoever" what he was getting into when he joined the National Guard at 17 to earn extra money after the Great Depression.

"You're supposed to be 18, but I lied to get in," Schmidt said. "I drove a delivery truck, but there weren't any jobs that amounted to much."

About a year later, his unit was mobilized for what turned out to be a grueling tour.

The Fourth of July is a somber time for Schmidt, who knows firsthand the price paid for freedom.

"The Fourth has gotten commercial like other holidays; it's just not the same," he said. "I think some people have forgotten why we celebrate it."

He said about a third of his South Dakota-based National Guard unit didn't make it out of the war. He often wonders why he survived and others didn't.

"I had a lot of nice friends who were killed," he said quietly.

War memories

He vividly remembers 13 of his fellow "Red Bull" soldiers being killed when the truck they were in hit a mine.

"There were a lot of ups and downs, but the good times, I remember, were few and far between," said Schmidt, who drove truck and was a radio operator during the war.

The division captured Hill 609 in North Africa on May 1, 1943, after more than 1,000 American troops were lost at Tunisia.

Another battle Schmidt recalls was the Battle for Cassino in 1944. The intention was to seize Rome.

"We attacked the front twice and lost 800 people the first time and about the same number the second time," Schmidt said. "We never did get it. A couple other divisions did the same thing and they didn't get it either."

Schmidt wasn't injured during the war, but had several close calls.

He remembers being shot at by an airplane as he was transporting ammunition. Schmidt left his truck and dove in a ditch as gunfire sprayed by.

"As he came by me, I ran across to the other side," Schmidt said. "He came back shooting again, but I wasn't where he thought I was.

"I could never figure out why he didn't shoot the truck instead of at me. I didn't even have my rifle with me."

In the "crazy category," Schmidt and others remember taking a cow to a bunker for some milk.

"The medics found the cow and we had to get rid of it," Schmidt said. "We weren't allowed to drink the milk if it wasn't tested."

The aftermath

Schmidt has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder ever since the war.

"I'll wake up screaming and not knowing what I'm doing," he said.

He tries to combat the condition remembering the service that earned him about 30 medals and badges displayed on his living room wall.

Schmidt said he's most proud of his Croix de guerre medals, a French decoration, for rescuing allies from the Germans.

"We did it once in Africa and once in Italy," he said.

Schmidt also earned a Bronze Star in 1995 for ground combat.

Each year Schmidt attends a reunion for his unit in Rapid City, S.D. The number of veterans attending in recent years has dwindled to a handful.

"We get together to talk, remember and hold a memorial service for the ones who died," he said.

Several years ago, Schmidt was thumbing through Time-Life books at a garage sale in Coeur d'Alene when he stumbled on photo of a burning vehicle in Africa during World War II.

It showed soldiers in the background watching the flames. Schmidt then realized he was one of them. The photo has been placed in his military scrapbook.

Schmidt will visit the World War II Memorial for the first time in September as part of the Honor Flight program that funds the trips for veterans. He said it will provide him some closure and a chance to pay respect to those he served with.

"I can't walk too good anymore, but I think it will be well worth the trip," he said. "Did they do their job for nothing? I don't think so. They got killed doing it."