Howard Berger

Howard Berger turned 99 in November. His father was a machine gunner in World War I. Berger was working as a salesman when WWII began, but when he noticed many factories starting to make war materials, he decided to enlist. He and his brother joined up at the same time, Berger into the Army and his brother into the Coast Guard.

Berger trained on anti-aircraft artillery at Camp Stewart, Georgia. In December 1944, he set sail on the Queen Elizabeth, heading for Scotland. By this time, he was a Staff Sergeant leading a platoon of 21 men and four halftracks.

When a V-2 rocket landed nearby, Berger said it “scared the hell” out of them. He remained in England, guarding an Italian POW camp until March of 1945, when his unit left for France.
On May 5, two days before Germany surrendered, Berger was badly burned in an accident. He was sent to Paris where he recovered from his injury. Eventually he received a job offer to join the occupation force in Vienna, Austria as an Assistant to the Class VI Officer. He later joined the entertainment branch of Army Special Services. While there, he met Dorothy, who became his beloved wife of 68 years.

Berger retired from his service-related career in 1994 and settled in Naples, Florida, where he joined JWV Post 202. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

Volume 77. Number 1. 2023