He signed up and kept reporting for duty, but was turned away several times because the Army had lost his paperwork.
In the meantime, he was working in Long Beach as a welder, building warships. Finally, he got tired of waiting.
He sold all of his possessions, including his car. He reported to the Army with the clothes on his back and $5 in his pocket.
"You have to take me now," he said. "I have nowhere else to go and no money to get there if I did."
They took him, and he served in the 3rd Army, 261st Field Artillery Battalion in Europe, including fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.
![Dad in Germany 1945](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2559682607_dd9bc7dd63_m.jpg)
Dad in Germany, 1945 Click to see larger
Here is a poem my dad carried in his wallet along with pictures of the family. It obviously meant something special to him:
Soldiers
I was that which others did not want to be.
I went where others feared to go, and did what others failed to do.
I asked nothing of those who gave nothing,
and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness, should I fail.
I have seen the face of terror, felt the stinging cold of fear, and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moment’s love.
I have cried, pained, and hoped…but most of all I have lived times that others would say were best forgotten.
At least some day I will be able to say that I was proud to be what I was…a soldier.
8 comments:
this stole my breath.
Wow - beautiful post!
my great-grandpa lied about his age to sign up during the first world war. i don't know how to embed a link all fancy-like, but i wrote about him in may.
http://mommymae.com/?p=1167
I love this.
My husband had a good friend he'd visit who was also in the Battle of the Bulge.
Thank God for our veterans.
And those who protect us now.
I keep thinking how wonderful it is that you have these photographs, Sue.
How proud you must be to be that man's daughter. Thanks for sharing that.
Your Dad's a hero. You must be very proud.
wow Bob, I didn't know this about your dad. What a great story. I love it.
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