VILLAS – As the poet Kahlil Gibran once wrote, “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
This quote pretty much sums up the life of Vincent Pale, 95, who was once a World War II prisoner of war (POW).
Assigned to the Second Air Division, Eighth Air Force, 453rd Bomb Group, Pale and his crew were out on their 14th mission April 8, 1944, when they encountered heavy enemy fighter opposition and suffered a direct rocket hit from a German Messerschmitt. Nine made the ultimate sacrifice, and Pale found himself in hostile German territory, injured, with burns and contusions.
“I ran into the nearby woods and buried my papers,” Pale recalled, “keeping my sidearm. I remember covering myself with branches and leaves hoping to buy time until nightfall when I could try and get back to France. But the Germans came, poking bayonets into the ground, yelling at me to give myself up.”
Pale, who has lived in the area for 23 years, was taken prisoner, interrogated, starved, and intimidated, but all he knew was his name, rank, and serial number. He was taken on 200-mile forced marches, passing by concentration camps, warned not to turn his head or he would be shot immediately. He did turn his eyes, however, and saw the unspeakable horrors of the camps.
“I was their prisoner, and I was 21 years old,” he said. “My comrades were all gone.”
Eating near-raw horsemeat, sleeping in cold, muddy ditches on the way to Stalag 17b, he huddled with his fellow prisoners to stay warm at night. For the next 13 months, he took turns slicing a daily loaf of bread among eight men. In the beginning, he said, he would pull the maggots off his food before he ate it until another prisoner ate the ones he had just pulled off, explaining he needed to get any nourishment he could.
At one point, Pale said [Adolf] Hitler ordered all prisoners to be executed but was rebuffed by one of his generals. “There was always the threat of a violent death at any time, for any reason, or for no reason at all,” he said.
In May 1945, Pale was liberated, along with the other prisoners, by General [George] Patton’s troops and returned to the U.S.
As was typical of the returning war heroes, Pale wanted to get on with his life and forget about the war. He married Marguerite, who passed away May 2 at the age of 89. They were married for 68 years and had six children, of which five are still surviving. They also have 17 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
Pale started his own pool business, which his son, Vinny, said they eventually sold “because that was the only way my Dad would slow down.
“He’s lived here with me and my family,” his son said, “although he would go up and visit my sister in Philadelphia all the time.”
Though powerless to change the course of events from 1944, Pale found himself wondering, “Why me? Why did I survive?” For 30 years, he tried to bury the nightmares and guilt, but he soon found he couldn’t bury it any longer.
That’s when he decided to take action to initiate his own healing.
He founded a chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of War in Philadelphia, which is now one of the largest in the country, and at that time, was the largest in Pennsylvania. A past commander of that chapter and the Cape May chapter, he is still active in the organization.
For over 25 years, Pale has helped countless veterans who were POWs get on with their lives and receive the government benefits which some so desperately needed, and many didn’t know were available. Now a nationwide organization, the American Ex-Prisoners of War is the main advocacy group for all POWs.
Pale also helped the families of some of his crew piece together the wartime history of their loved ones. Providing documents, recounting painful memories, and answering many of the families’ questions helped with his own healing.
“Did I figure out ‘why me?'” Pale asked. “I’m closer.
“At this time, we should honor the selfless sacrifices of all the brave men and women who gave, and can’t join their families this holiday weekend [Memorial Day Weekend], who never saw their sweethearts or heard the laughter of their children,” Pale added. “Teach your children with pride how and why they have freedom, so they, in turn, can preserve it in their time on this earth. Without all of these great men and women, we very well might not be sitting here enjoying this day.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
