Heros Among Us
Woman in the Middle | May 17, 2015I received the notice from our minister at church a few weeks ago that one of our elderly, long time members had passed away. This gentleman was a retired architect in the big city next door and was in his 80s. I was aware of him many years ago, long before I ever joined the same church he belonged to, because my best friend in college house sat for him and his wife.
Many years later when I joined the church I saw him around. He and his wife seemed like nice, interesting people and I talked to them on occasion at coffee hour, but that was the extent of my interaction with them – hanging out in their house while they were on vacation 30 years ago and coffee hour chit-chat in more recent years.
It just so happens that, amazingly, just a week after this gentleman passed away his wife of 66 years passed away as well. A few days ago their children placed a long obituary in the paper honoring both of their parents. I read it, of course. That was when I realized that this gentleman whose house I had admired and who I saw around the church, was a member of what Tom Brokaw called the “greatest generation.”
According to the obituary, he was drafted into the army in 1944. His unit landed at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day, and this gentleman spent the next six months marching through France with Patton’s Third Army. He was captured on Christmas Eve, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. After four months in captivity, he escaped during a march. Having lost 65 pounds, he spent several months recuperating from the ordeal, and was discharged on November 16, 1945.
D-Day…Utah Beach…Patton’s Army…Battle of the Bulge…Prisoner of war…Escape from the Germans…. and I am sure this gentleman thought he was just a regular guy, nothing special. But he was a participant in historical events of unimaginable proportions and a true hero among us. And here I thought he was just a retired architect.
What an amazing life, to be present and take part in so many historical events,
I read that book by Tom Brokaw. I thought it was absolutely fascinating, and here you knew one of the people in the book! 8-0
What a wonderful story and how surprised you must have been to learn about his involvement in World War II.