PBS' 'War' Taps into Shared, but Undiscussed, History

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Clarence "Code" Gomberg, of Stanton Heights, witnessed so many things serving in the 3rd Army's 343rd Medical Battalion during World War II.

While he was crossing the Atlantic in May 1944, his flotilla of ships was attacked by German U-boats. Stationed in France, he worked in rolling MASH units, trains retrofitted to accommodate wounded soldiers. He traveled through France, Luxembourg and Germany, took photographs of Eisenhower, Montgomery and DeGaulle, and was in Paris on May 8, 1945, for V-E Day.

When he speaks to school groups, however, he's always struck by the fact students aren't familiar with what he and other foot soldiers did during the …