I emailed Leah’s brother to ask him about their father’s service in World War II. This is what he sent:
My father and his brother Billy served together in the 1st Army in the ordnance division. They drove trucks from Normandy all the way to Belgium hauling ammunition, guns, etc. He and his brother arrived in Normandy on either D-Day 1 or 2. He told me about seeing all the damaged/destroyed equipment as well as seeing one vehicle in which a dead, burned American still remained. They were billeted in the home of a Belgian family at the end of the war. They were told they would be going to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan and they weren’t keen on hearing that news. He was placed on guard duty one snowy night during the Battle of the Bulge and was very afraid because they had been told of the Germans who were dressing as Americans. He managed to acquire a .45 cal pistol and carried it that night in addition to the .30 cal carbine he had been issued.
That’s about all I know. Wish I had asked a lot more about his experiences.
Leah and Dan’s Uncle Billy still lives in Rome. He’s 91, and is a lot slower than he used to be. He lives alone and continues to drive.
I wonder if Leah’s father and my father’s paths crossed near the Battle of the Bulge. My father was injured during the war after rescuing fellow soldiers from an overturned tank. He was sent to a hospital in Paris to recover. The family folklore has this story about what happened next: When he was supposed to go back to the front lines, he went AWOL for a week in Paris instead. When he did return he was told he would be recommended for a Silver Star for his bravery but also face a court martial, or he could forgo the court martial and get a Purple Heart instead. He chose the Purple Heart, which we still gratefully have.
I wrote the VA and asked for any information they have that might shed light on these events. Unfortunately, a few years ago the VA informed me that my father’s records along with countless others’ were burned in a fire. Now we will never know.