Fred Eden

An Untold War Story Fred Eden

AUTHOR'S NOTE I was born on April 25, 1923 in Budapest, Hungary. When I was 17, my parents and I immigrated to the United States. On Dec 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II. Soon afterwards, I was drafted into the Army. During my initial stay at Ft. Dix, NJ, the Army discovered that I possessed an important asset. I was able to speak fluent Hungarian, German, French, some English and had studied Latin for eight years in school. My language skills made me the perfect candidate to become a member of military intelligence, later the OSS. I was sent to Camp Ritchie, MD (near the current site of Camp David), for intelligence training. After training, my duties included interrogating German prisoners of war and working alone in occupied France to establish an "underground railroad" for the return of US Airmen who were shot down over enemy territory. Once the war was over, I returned to civilian life in the United States. Like so many other returning soldiers, I did not want to talk about my experiences during the war. The memories were too painful and I wanted to forget. About 6 or 7 years ago, I began talking with Rev. Ralph T. Dirksen about my military service. He was the associate pastor of my church. Ralph convinced me that my story needed to be told so the younger generation could learn about the history of - V - the war from me and other surviving soldiers. We began to write a book. I wanted to tell my story, but I also wanted it to be alive to the reader. We decided to make it a fictional account, based entirely on my actual experiences. In the book, Alex Evans plays my character. Writing continued until Rev. Ralph was transferred to another church in New York State. The unfinished book has sat on my shelf for many years. I have decided to complete the book that Ralph and I began. I used the outline Ralph developed to complete my book. I am happy to share it with you, my family and friends, in honor of my 90th Birthday celebration. This is my story, my memories and my gift to you. I hope you enjoy reading it and learning a little more about my history and the history of World War II. Fred