Go here to read about him. Even the youngest of WWII soldiers are approaching the century mark. All too soon the memories of those who fought the greatest war will be a thing for books, videos and audio recordings, which is a poor substitute for talking to them. Sad, but inevitable. I have been privileged to talk to many WWII veterans, and I regret that young people will not have the opportunity that I did. When they were young World War II veterans had the opportunity to talk to aging Civil War veterans, just as the Civil War veterans when they were young had the opportunity to talk to aging men who had fought in the American Revolution. Much that is important to the survival of a nation was conveyed in such conversations.
Growing up in the shadow of Vietnam, the conventional wisdom was don’t ask veterans about their service. This has clung to me to this day and I find it hard to shake off.
The second hand digested story was that war is never worth it ( like is being posted in a certain small principality this week) I had to be a historian to find the idea that war is an unsavory alternative to a more unsavory tyranny.
My late beloved Dad was a WWII vet, ETO. I had the privilege of accompanying him on the Honor Flight.
He often spoke about a visit to his grammar school by Civil War vets. It made a huge impact on him as a boy.
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