Piermont Man Incident in Last Sept. 18.
The Journal-News carried a story about T5 John A. Boyan of Piermont, and an incident in which he was involved in France. 
T5 Boyan, and two officers from his medical battalion, a lieutenant colonel and a lieutenant, were engaged in a little reconnaissance, trying to locate a suitable area where a field hospital could be established, friendly villagers warned them that the Nazis were garrisoned In the local community. 
The Yanks started back and found to their horror that they were directly in the path of a vast motorized column.  
 
Surrounded, they had only one recourse, they camouflaged their jeep and hid themselves. For 28 nerve-wracking hours they remained in that wheat field. They captured three Germans who jumped into their hideout to escape Allied aerial attack.
In attempting to escape, they themeelves were captured with their prisoners. 
The Nazi column moved on and fifty Germans were left to guard them. The fast talking American colonel got busy. 
His knowledge of German was excellent. He not only talked the enemy into setting himself and the other two Yanks free, he also persuaded them to remain as prisoners! During a military review in Belgium, on Oct. 12, John A. Boyan was awarded the Certificate of Merit by Major General R. W. Grow of the 6th Armored Division, in recognition of Boyan's "conspicuous merit and outstanding performance of military duty." 
The citation reads as follows. Is Cited for South France CI'L. JOHN A. BOYAN I "In France on Aug. 8th, 1944, when capture appeared imminent, he hid his vehicle under a haystack. He was captured and later escaped but he prevented the enemy from capturing his vehicle."
 
Source:
The Journal News
White Plains, New York
17 Feb 1945, Sat  •  Page 1