Family in the Armed Forces

Ben sent Mom and me an e-mail over the weekend asking what we know about family members who served in the Armed Forces.  We don't have a lot of information, but Mom was able to find some interesting tidbits about Grandpa Paul in a history that Jane put together. From this we know that two of his brothers also served in the Pacific area, because he met them in the Philippines after the war was over but while they were still on active duty. Anyhow, she or I will post that here once she has it pulled together.  She's working from a typed hard copy to get this! 

As for my side of the family, about all we know is that Greatgrandpa Ez served in World War I and became the black sheep of the family for doing so because he was a volunteer. Unfortunately I have no information on where he served. Drat it all for my never talking to him about it. Grandpa Jack was deferred because of health issues.  My Uncle Charlie, Mom's brother, served in World War II.

The only "story" that I have about him from the war is one he shared with me about 40 years ago. It was nearly impossible to ever get him to talk about the war, and this was the only time he did. He was a foot soldier who rose the the magnificent rank of Private First Class. What he told me about took place during the battle of the bulge. My recollection of that is December 1944. He was in a truck convoy that was moving troops from one place to another when the convoy came under fire by German artillery. The Germans were quite good at hitting the target, to say the least. Generally the third round would nail whatever they were going for. The first round came in long, and the convoy began to come to a stop. The idea being to unload the troops and scatter them. Before the vehicles had come to a stop, the second round came in short. Not uncommon for the Germans to be long and then short. The third round would be on target; just about guaranteed. By the time the second round hit, the vehicles had come to a stop and the troops were clamoring out of them. Charlie was toward the cab which made him near the last to get out. From where the first two rounds had landed, he and the others in his truck could tell that it was either their truck or the one behind or in front of them that the Germans had lined up on. Then they heard the sound of the third round being fired. With no where to go for cover before that round would hit, the troops quickly got under the truck. Not a great place if it was your truck being shot at, but the only place for any degree of protection if it was one of the others. They could hear the round coming in and were pretty much saying good-bye to each other when the round hit right next to their truck, rolled under the truck, and did not go off. A dud! At that point they scampered away.

My best friend, Bobby Christian, who I loved like a brother and always thought of as family, was killed during the Vietnam War.  I'm not sure I've ever gotten over that loss.  But I have moved on.