‘I drove the big shot officers’
97-yearold tells of wartime experiences for the first time
Retired Army veteran Leonard E. Reider of Exeter Township had a lot of responsibility on D-Day when more than 156,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy.
Reider, a private first class, drove a Jeep carrying officers on those French beaches on June 6, 1944.
On Thursday, the day before his 97th birthday, Reider broke his silence about his experience in the war, talking about it for the first time, according to his sister, Janet Padilla, Reiffton, with whom he resides.
Padilla said her brother previously had kept his ex
perience in World War II to himself but after a little coaxing from her Reider agreed to be interviewed and tell about his life.
“It was scary,” Reider said, recalling the invasion. “I drove the big shot officers in a Jeep. We were at war with Germany and you had to fight. You had a choice: shoot or get shot.”
Relaxing in the living room, Reider proudly displayed a folder containing an official Army record showing his induction on Oct. 13, 1943, and honorable
discharge on Nov. 12, 1945.
He earned a Good Conduct Medal, a World War II
Victory Medal, five Bronze Stars for five battles and two arrowheads.
“My brother went to war and fought for our county,” Padilla said, admiring Leonard. “I will make his favorite dinner, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy (for his birthday).”
Humble start
Reider grew up on a farm off Bertolet Mill Road and Route 622 in Oley. He had 10 siblings, with three still alive.
The family enjoyed big family meals, mostly chicken and potatoes.
When Reider turned 18, he was drafted.
He recalled his father, Arthur, drove him to Boyertown. From there, he went to New Cumberland, Cumberland County, for his induction into the Army and boot camp. Later, he boarded the Queen Elizabeth in New York.
At the time, Reider said, he did not know much about the war in Germany.
“I was a farm boy,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
“We landed in Normandy, and we went to war,” he said. “I prepared my Jeep to ride in the water.”
Reider said he spent many nights sleeping in foxholes.
“I saw a lot of dead people,” he said.
He said the rations were not very good.
“It was cans foods,” he said.
After it was all over, Reider returned home to Oley.
“I was broke,” he said. “I did not have a job or any money. I had to start over.”
He landed a job driving a truck for F.M. Brown and Sons feed mill in Robeson Township. Later, he married June Lott, who passed away on Dec. 31, 2010.
Reider said he and all the other soldiers were proud to fight for freedom.
“It had to be done,” Reider said. “We had to stop the jerk (Adolf Hitler). We were united in the fight for our freedom. We had respect for our country.” of mixed