"Ifs getting cold,
I can get away with
bulky clothes."
We could hardly wait.
hiding with a book behind one of the
Our peaceful interlude came to a
lifeboats. Sometimes he joined me
sudden end in the second week of
and we discussed our favorite topics
January with preparations for an
— baseball and the end of the war.
He had something very special to look all-out drive to wipe out the last orga-
nized resistance on Leyte. Frank and I
forward to — in just a few weeks his
met by chance at the battalion aid sta-
wife was expecting their first child!
tion the day before the attack was to
I'll always remember Saturday, Nov.
begin. I had a badly infected foot and
11, 1944. I was sitting on deck with
a fever and was being sent to a small
Frank when we noticed the whole
convoy suddenly make a sharp U turn. field hospital. He had good news: His
wife had given birth to a healthy baby
We had heard the news reports from
girl. We talked for a while and then
Leyte in the Philippines. The battle
parted, I to the hospital and he to join
was stalemated and enemy resistance
the last attack up in the hills.
was stiffening.
We made a quick stop at Manus
Giving His All
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago,
(Editor's note: The following excerpt
northeast of New Guinea, and reload-
from Irwin Cohen's letter nominating
ed for combat. We had a half-day
Faudem for the Michigan Jewish Sports
break on a "recreation island" where
Hall of Fame completes the story.)
we went swimming and were handed
a bottle of beer and a can of nuts.
It was mid January 1945 and Faudem
On Dec. 7, our division entered the
was 23. It was 3 o'clock in the after-
battle for Leyte with a landing behind
the enemy lines in a spectacular effort noon of the second day of a three-day
patrol to clear out a group of Japanese
to end the existing stalemate. We
in the mountains. Faudem was
accomplished it by capturing the big
engaged in setting up night defenses
supply port of Ormoc.
when a sniper's bullet ended his life.
The fighting was heavy and when-
The bodies of those who fell were
ever I encountered someone from B
brought
back to a tent in the make-
Company I would inquire about my
shift
hospital
area. Benno Levi found
pal. He did the same. As we fought our
Faudem's
stretcher
covered with a
way up the Ormoc Road to Valencia,
poncho.
He
stood
over
it, said a silent
we didn't see each other; however, the
goodbye
and
he
recited
Kaddish.
messages criss-crossed between com-
Had
Faudem
lived,
resumed
his
panies: We were OK.
baseball
career
and
become
a
major
On Christmas morning, our bat-
leaguer with the Tigers, he would have
talion, including A and B companies,
made a second landing behind enemy been the only Detroit-born Jew to ever
play for the Tigers. Did he have the
lines. Our objective was Palompon,
the last Japanese supply port on Leyte. stuff to be a big leaguer?
"Yes," according to the legendary
There was hardly any resistance. The
Tiger
scout Wish Egan, who signed
enemy fled up into the hills and the
Faudem.
In an article saluting Faudem
liberated natives, still in a state of
in
the
Feb.
14, 1945, issue of the
shock, returned to the village. It was
Detroit
Free
Press, Egan said, "He was a
peaceful for a while. Frank and I took
hustling
outfielder
and wanted to play
this opportunity to get together for
baseball
as
few
boys
did. You never
the first time since we landed below
saw
a
boy
who
wanted
to get into the
Ormoc. He was anxiously awaiting
majors
as
much
as
Frankie."
word of the arrival of his baby. We
Those who remember the kind of
talked about the situation in Europe,
person
he was say Faudem would have
where the end was in sight.
gone
on
to become a successful coach
Soon the war would be over and we
and
manager
after his playing days
would be back in Detroit. Frank would
were
over.
LJ
be playing for the Tigers; I'd be there
cheering in the stands and every now
and then we'd recall with nostalgia our Benno Levi and Irwin Cohen both live in
Oak Park.
great adventures in the South Pacific.
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November 8 • 2007
A19