Walter Hedges WWII cockpit picture Walter Hedges has some million mark memories of the Battle of the Bulge; others aren’t worth an English farthing, one 20th of a penny.

The West Columbia veteran, who re–entered service following his WWII discharge for a full career as a pilot (primarily P–51s), has been actively involved in local preparations for this week’s national reunion of Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. Veterans of America’s longest engagement from 28 states and four foreign countries are being honored in Columbia.

Hedges, a Delaware native, was flying a bomber escort mission on December 12, 1944, just before the pivotal engagement began. “We’d been told the Germans wouldn’t go after P–51s because we were fast and nimble, but we saw flashes of light when we let down in the Aachen (Germany) area and scattered like a covey of quail.”

Among Hedges’ military souvenirs are currency and coins issued by countries in which he served. The million mark paper money “probably wouldn’t have bought me a cup of coffee,” he said. The Germans were not yet over the WWI inflation when WWII hit. Script, issued by various countries, was only supposed to be offered for payment by citizens of the issuing country. We got paid in English pounds, but we sometimes had script that we were only supposed to spend at U.S. institutions, such as PXs.”

One of the war’s most colorful uses of currency was the short snorter. Buddies autographed a single bill testifying they were together in a particular place at a specific time. Their signatures proved they were alive that day. “The idea was to keep adding new pieces of currency to your collection,” explained Hedges, who began his collection with a $2 bill from his first payday back in Maryland, taping various foreign currency to the initial U.S. bill.

“Two dollar bills were prevalent around town,” said Hedges. “The Laurel Race Track was nearby; they paid off bets in $2 bills. My first payday was this $2 bill; I earned it driving a truck.”

He already was on his way to operating something with a more powerful engine following an ambition he’d had since he was 10 years old. “I was picking strawberries on the farm, and planes from Langley Field on the way to Mitchell Field in New York for a Memorial Day event were flying over, just over the treetops because of low clouds. I was cold, my hands were wet with strawberry juice, and I figured they were having a lot more fun than I was. I decided right then I wanted to be a pilot.”

Among Hedges’s treasured memories was of escorting his older brother Nathan’s plane on the waist gunner’s 30th and last required mission over Magdeburg. Germany. “We didn’t plan it; it just worked out that way.”

Hedges retired in 1974 at the rank of Lt. Colonel.