A Tribute to Edsel Vincent Colvin June. 2014 | Page 14

Late in April of 1945 Edsel’s regiment was approaching the Danube
River near Ulm. The Germans occupied both sides of the river at this time and
it was decided that they would capture a German soldier during a night patrol
in order to get information on soldier strength. Edsel was chosen to be in this
crew along with several others from the platoon. When they got pretty close to
the other side of the river, they heard music. One of the soldiers fired a flare
into the air. The squad of men froze, as they were taught to. They went unseen
and were able to capture a German soldier on guard and bring him back. Edsel
later states that they were “scared as hell.”

Going Home
Edsel began his journey home in the summer of 1945. He reached Texas
around fall coming from France. He had decided to take a greyhound bus
home from Texas because he was tired of trains. The Greyhound bus company
was on strike at the time and Edsel went from one rout to another going from
bus company to bus company. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he stayed with
an old friend’s parents. His friend’s parents introduced him to Alexis Smith
and Craig Stevens, a couple of movie stars during the time.
From Los Angeles, he went to San Francisco, where he stayed at USO. He
had his bags checked and held at the USO and got a claim stub. He went to a
bar and waited for an old friend who never showed up, then went back to USO.
He went to go get his bag and checked his pockets for \