TURNER — “He was a great soldier.”

That was Henry B. Poisson’s memory Wednesday afternoon of an old comrade-in-arms who shared some extraordinary combat experiences with Poisson. It’s how he described Norman Martino of Lewiston, who died a couple of years ago.

Martino was best man at Poisson’s wedding, and Poisson stood up for Martino at his wedding, but it was the remarkable war experience that created a special bond between them.

Poisson, a resident of Turner, had hoped to attend the Veterans Day event at Veterans Memorial Park in Lewiston on Wednesday, but it wasn’t possible. He’s looking forward to next year, when he will see his name at the top of the 19th commemorative stone to be raised there.

Poisson recalled a day in Germany when he and Martino survived an enemy ambush that wounded many Americans.

It was during Sgt. Henry B. Poisson’s tour of duty with the 150th Engineers at the Moselle River near Crevechamps, Treadway Bridge, Sept. 9, 1944. It was on that night that Sgt. Poisson came under heavy fire. He was in charge of the first boat to reach the enemy shore successfully. Because of casualties, further crossings were imperative. Sgt. Poisson made four trips carrying supplies and evacuated 20 wounded infantrymen.

On the fifth trip at 2:30 a.m., the enemy shot flares over the river and machine-gunned the boat crew, wounding two.

After this action it was impossible to use a narrow strip of land to take out the wounded and bring supplies, but a small lake behind the narrow island afforded some protection, though it was subjected to direct enemy machine-gun and mortar fire.

Poisson stripped himself and, by swimming and pushing the boat with his hand, he was successful in getting the wounded out and administering first aid until medics arrived.

Martino suffered hand injuries from shrapnel ricocheting off the assault boat gunnels, Poisson said.

Sgt. Poisson was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the British Military Medal.

Poisson attended reunions with his comrades in the 150th Engineers over 56 years until they were discontinued a couple of years ago. Only one other veteran of the group was left.

Poisson also remembers a German potato field where he and others of his company crawled forward under enemy fire. He described a burned-out German vehicle, and as he passed, he and others noticed a wounded enemy soldier under the truck.

“We looked away, trying not to make eye contact,” Poisson said. No one shot at the wounded man, and he did not make an attempt to shoot at the Americans.

“He could have killed quite a few of us,” Poisson said, noting that the choice on both sides was to avoid more shooting.

“Those were things I would not want anyone to have to go through again,” Poisson said.