“Sugarcoated optimism at home is disgusting. Half-way measures won’t work,” wrote a Hackensack Ranger to his parents during a breathing spell in the advance on Rome. A few days later, they were notified today, he died in action.
Casualties announced today are as follows:
Dead
Paulson Private First Class David, son of Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Paulson of 32 Summit Avenue Hackensack. (Italy)
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Infantry Paulson, who fought with the 36th Infantry Division of the fifth Army in Africa, Sicily and Salerno, was killed in Italy on June 2, according to a War Department telegram to his parents.
Inducted Feb. 17, 1942 Paulson trained at Ford (Fort) Banning, Ga. and Camp Edwards, Mass. as a Ranger. After the Salerno battle, he spent some weeks at a rest camp and then went into a service battalion at the front lines. He was killed before the taking of Rome.
In on of Paulson’s last letters home, he talked of reports from the home front. The letter dated March 27, read:
“From a quick perusal of the few newspapers I have managed to come in contact with out here, their sugar-coated overoptimistic reports of the conflict are disgusting. I don’t suppose they could ever transport the realities of war 3,000 miles but they could relatively report its grimness in the same proportion as the doughboy fighting the German finds it.”
“The quicker the people back home realize that every ounce of their energy should be directed to the war effort, that halfway measures won’t work, the quicker this mess will be over.”
“I don’t doubt that what I say has been said 100 times before with greater eloquence, but because those are not my thoughts alone but the sentiments of the fellows out here I cannot dismiss them so lightly from my thoughts.”
Paulson was a graduate of Hackensack High School. He took a pre law course at New York University and before entering the service conducted a millinery business at Hartford Conn. His mother conducts the Elaine Shop at 189 Main Street, Hackensack. His father has a wholesale and retail millinery business in New York.
Paulson was a member of the Y.M.H.A. Fellowship Club, Hackensack Hebrew Institute and Phi Lamba Phi Fraternity of New York University.
He is survived by his parents and two sisters, Natalie and Elaine.
Religious services will be held in his honor at the Paulson home daily until Tuesday from 7:45 A.M. to 8:15 P.M.
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