Note to Lory Curtis regarding Bob and Lt. Steele:  These were two distinctly different individuals with the same last name.  My guess is that Bob was one of the 18 year olds selected by Bill Boyle in the very arduous selection process used by the 517th until the Army told Col. Lou Walsh, after first and second Battalions were filled up, that he had to accept any trooper who had made it through jump school.  This meant that first and second battalions got many members straight from the induction centers and took them through basic training and qualified them as jumpers.  Mel Zais, third battalion commander, did interview everyone sent by the jump school, but he was required to be less strict on the troopers he selected from candidates that had already taken basic training and were qualified jumpers.  Some of these men had been in the army a year or two before volunteering for the paratroops. 

Bob passed Bill's tough selection process and justified his commander's judgment when he challenged his commanding officer to have the guts to save his own life and then helped prop him up as they went through the knee deep snow to complete the job.  This is a great credit to Bob Steele with no disparagement to Bill Boyle.  Bill, while critically wounded and who would have bled to death in the snow without Bob's challenge and assistance, had one objective in mind.  That was what was best for his battalion in a critical combat situation.  He ordered Bob to disregard his situation in order to get immediate word to Don Fraser to take over command of the battalion.  Bob disregarded that command and killed two birds with one stone--getting word to Don and saving Bill's life. 

Several years in age made a big difference in the rolls we played in WWII.  Although a few of us, like "Sweetpea" Renton, were commissioned as teenagers, most of the lieutenants were in our early twenties.  Lt. Steele was probably in his mid twenties and as a first Lt., executive officer of G Co.,  he expected the second lieutenants to salute him.  Although we may have complied at times, we usually went by the rule that rank among lieutenants is like virtue among whores.  (Please pardon the language, but this is how we put it.)  Lt. Steele had an excellent singing voice which we usually appreciated.  But on occasion, such as when we were awakened from two hours of dead sleep in the middle of the night to strike tents and move to a new location, after our 50 mile forced march on Tennessee maneuvers without food or water, he would bellow forth with "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning"  and we were grateful that the troops did not have live ammunition.  Steele was a good officer who made it all the way through to the last days of our combat but then broke down at Bergstein.  I now have more understanding and sympathy for those who did not survive those terrible days of the "diversionary attack".

Howard Hensleigh