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Greek / American Operational Group Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
Memoirs of World War 2

The Greek/USOG Disbands

The "California Five" are Separated

A few days after our six groups of the Greek/USOG were reunited at Camp Kallitsis outside of Bari, Italy, our unit was disbanded. The final split of our elite unit was the most devastating disappointment. We had expected to continue as one unit. We were a proud outfit, and as battle veterans we knew we were an excellent fighting machine and had the utmost confidence in each other.

Most disturbing, not only was Group 4 dismembered, but after two years together the "California Five" were separated.[note] We had trained together, battled the enemy together, shared fox holes and rat-infested basements, prayed together, worried about each other's well being, ate and slept together, socialized together. A remarkable relationship; only a war can generate this much love between men. Group 4 was truly a Band of Brothers.


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The Camaraderie of the Greek/USOG

The following passage from the novel Corelli's Mandolin (L'Omosessuale) describes the comaraderie among soldiers who have been together for a long time. The description fits our experience in the Greek/USOG.

With the Julia Division, I enjoyed every moment. No civilian can comprehend the joy of being a soldier. That is, quite simply, an irreducible fact. A further fact is, that regardless of the matter of sex, soldiers grow to love each other; and, regardless of the matter of sex, this is love without parallel in civilian life. You are all young and strong, overflowing with life, and you are all in the shit together. You come to know every nuance of each other's moods; you know exactly what the other is going to say; you know exactly who will laugh and for how long over which particular type of joke; you acquaint yourself intimately with the smell of each man's feet and perspiration; you can put your hand on someone's face in the dark, and know who it is; you recognize someone's equipment hanging on the back of the chair, even though his is the same as everyone else's; you can tell whose stubble it is in the washing bowl; you know precisely who will swap you a carrot for your potato, a packet of cigarettes for your spare pair of socks, a postcard of Sienna for a pencil. You become accustomed to seeing each other frankly, and nothing is hidden.


Note

  • The "California Five" were the five comrades from California, namely: Nick Cominos, Tom Georgalos, Alex Phillips, Perry Phillips, and myself We'd been assigned to Group 4 during OSS training in Bethesda, Maryland, and we'd remained together for fourteen months since then.


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