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75th Anniversary of VE Day

My maternal grandfather (RIP) was shot in the knee on his first day during the Battle of the Bulge. Went back to England got stitched up and was back again out there for the final months of the war. He wouldn't talk about the war at all but he did have a few pieces of German memorabilia (helmet and luger I remember) hanging in his basement.

He was a very quiet and private man, and I wonder if it is a result of what he saw while deployed.

My paternal grandfather was also at the battle of the bulge. He lost half his toes to frostbite and never talked about the war. He went to sign up for the military in 1942 and was told he was too small and had bad eyesight so they rejected him. He chose to walk the other direction (towards new signees) when he left the entry room and joined up anyway
 
TownieDeac, thanks for the read. It felt like a Father's Day present on Mothers, Day. I could hear my father's voice as I read that account. My father fought in Europe during WWII. First wave at Omaha Beach. He fought at and in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Followed that with the advance through the Ardenne. The reading you provided was the most detailed account I have read or heard at one time. Dad usually refused to talk about his experiences. Little bits and snippets over the course of many decades. He described the previous three battles as bad luck. "I was in the wrong place, at the wrong time". He maintained that a soldier that saw serious action never talked about it. "Indescribably gruesome. Something you pray you'll forget, not talk about." I did learn this from Dad. Combat soldiers have seen human life at its very worst, often for sustained periods of time. They have had to act and behave in ways that are opposite of everything they believed was good and right. They are changed forever. For many, the medals they received for their action are for the worst memories of their life.

I would feel privileged to read further accounts.
 
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I am older than most of you guys. My grandfather was in the Third Infantry and fought in France in 1918. His unit was the very first American unit to see action in WW1. I’ve been to Chateau Thierry and have seen the monument the French, British, and American governments built in 1930 to commemorate the fallen of the “Great War”, as they referred to it then. I have my grandfather’s dress uniform complete with the battle ribbons, wide brim doughboy helmet, and a belt buckle he took from a German soldier with the Kaiser emblem and the words “Gott mit Uns” (God with Us) on it.

It was so sobering to be at that monument, reading the inscriptions, knowing that those people had no way to know that they were going to do it all over again in nine years.
 
It wasn't until I was in college that I really knew what my did in WWII. As a little kid, the first t-shirt I can remember owning was one that said,"I'm a little tanker, Ft. Knox". I had been told that he taught tank driving and strategy. He did that as a sidelight. His real job was dealing with our chemical weapons which were housed at Ft. Knox. The military was worried that Hitler would bring back chemical attacks if he started losing.

After learning that, it made Goldfinger make more sense. A couple of well placed bombs and our gold cache at Ft. Knox could have been unusable for centuries.
 
Thanks Townie for providing this war experience from your wife's Grandfather. Please convey to him when you talk with him how much it was appreciated by those who took the time to read on this site.
 
I just finished part two and recommend it to all. Townie, this is the best thread I can recall on OGB. Thank your grandfather in law for his account. Thank you for sharing it.
 
Honored to share. Happy so many enjoyed reading it.
 
Just finished up part two - thanks again, Townie. So grateful for all those soldiers endured for us.
 
Excellent account. Just amazing recall and detail. I really appreciate the opportunity to read. Townie, I sent you a private message and hope to hear from you. Thanks!
 
Townie
If you have access to Amazon Prime there is a 74 min. Documentary made in 2016 that you would be interested to see. "Searching for Augusta" is about a bi-racial nurse Augusta Chiwy who worked alongside Renee LeMaire at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Would be worth your time to watch if possible!
 
Thank you for sharing all of these stories. As someone who has served but not in war, I can't imagine the hell that these men/women went through.
 
We laid to rest the man in this original post today at Ft Indiantown Gap VA Memorial with family. The 21 gun salute and Taps, plus some words from family were a wonderful celebration of his life and memory. May he rest in peace.
 
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