The Last Battle of Pvt Sidney I. Heistein

The Last Battle of PVT Sidney I. Heistein. Page 8.

Roccaromana. First captured by Company A on the 18th, the town changed hands 3 times in subsequent days. American, German and civilian casualties littered the streets - burial of the dead is not a priority under heavy fire.

Roccaromana.

Roccaromana. Tony Cisneros waits by our tour van. It's 2013 and I'm using a Japanese-made camera to photograph a German-made van but my mind remains fixed 70 years in the past. Shells are still falling and I'm crouched in a spot Sidney Heistein would never live to see.

We're heading east on our return to our hotel. This view is just north of Pietramelara, looking back at the east face of Hill 446, below it Roccaromana. Company B and the 1st BN fought fierce enemy resistance in this area until 27 October, finally taking Pietramelara.

Looking north toward San Felice, where Company B continued it's northward march. We soon hit the super-highway, the tears began to dry and slowly my mind returned to the present. The majesty of Mt. Vesuvius slid by as we returned to our hotel in Salerno and the beauty of the Italian countryside was once again more apparent. A great dinner with new friends and lots of wine marked the end of a monumental day. Five days later I did what Sidney Heistein couldn't - I returned to the United States safely. Ironically, on the flight home I changed planes in Munich which was captured - no, liberated - by the Third Infantry Division at the end of the War in Europe. After our 11 day tour of Sicily and Italy, I deplaned physically rejuvenated but emotionally exhausted. Thank you Tony Cisneros, Coach and Rob. I will not soon forget.

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	Roccaromana. First captured by Company A on the 18th, the town changed hands 3 times in subsequent days. American, German and civilian casualties littered the streets - burial of the dead is not a priority under heavy fire.
	Roccaromana.
	Roccaromana. Tony Cisneros waits by our tour van. It's 2013 and I'm using a Japanese-made camera to photograph a German-made van but my mind remains fixed 70 years in the past. Shells are still falling and I'm crouched in a spot Sidney Heistein would never live to see.
	We're heading east on our return to our hotel. This view is just north of Pietramelara, looking back at the east face of Hill 446, below it Roccaromana. Company B and the 1st BN fought fierce enemy resistance in this area until 27 October, finally taking Pietramelara.
	Looking north toward San Felice, where Company B continued it's northward march. We soon hit the super-highway, the tears began to dry and slowly my mind returned to the present. The majesty of Mt. Vesuvius slid by as we returned to our hotel in Salerno and the beauty of the Italian countryside was once again more apparent. A great dinner with new friends and lots of wine marked the end of a monumental day. Five days later I did what Sidney Heistein couldn't - I returned to the United States safely. Ironically, on the flight home I changed planes in Munich which was captured - no, liberated - by the Third Infantry Division at the end of the War in Europe. After our 11 day tour of Sicily and Italy, I deplaned physically rejuvenated but emotionally exhausted. Thank you Tony Cisneros, Coach and Rob. I will not soon forget.