My uncle, Philip E. Bergquist, served the USA at 5th Army Headquarters from October 1943 until October 1945. These stories about his colleagues come from letters he sent home from Italy to his family.
Pvt. Edward S. Evans is identified in a January 1945 letter home as one of the men in a group photo referred to as “The Road to Rome.” He is listed as tenth from the left in the back row and a resident of Brooklawn, New Jersey. On 22 February 1945, Ed Evans had just returned from temporary duty at “a division and regimental headquarters.” He was partnered with John Richardson for the five day assignment. In March of 1945, Ed enjoyed five days at the Rest Center. In the same letter, it is mentioned that sometime in January, Ed was promoted to PFC.
By his letter dated 9 May 1945, Fifth Army Headquarters had moved to Verona, Italy. Philip mentions that he and Ed “went over to see Lake Garda – about 15 or 20 miles away. Little did they know that headquarters would later end up camped on the edge of that lake. Ed was one of the soldiers on the same tour of Switzerland as my uncle and is mentioned as enjoying ice cream in Milan, and buying a watch for his wife in Switzerland.
