I legit shed a tear today for someone I never knew. (OT)

[Norm Peterson]

Thought I'd share this with all of you.

 

This morning, I was rummaging in a box of keepsakes that I saved from my parents' home after they passed, looking for a couple of special things that I had wanted to give my kids as gifts for Christmas this year.

 

While I was looking through some of these old, treasured objects, I came across a newspaper clipping my mother had saved about me, early in my Army career, that had been published in the local paper. And tucked within that folded up newspaper was a postcard to my mother from a person whose name I didn't know.

 

The postcard was marked by the local post office in the small town where she grew up and the date they received it was January 24, 1945, when my mother was a teenager.

 

The postcard was from one Russell D. Lyon.

 

Private Russell D. Lyon, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, US Army.

 

I'd never heard that name before, but I assumed it was someone she knew in high school. And apparently someone special enough that she kept that post card all those decades.

 

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to try to find out whatever became of Pvt Russell D. Lyon, American serviceman. I plugged his name, unit number and service number into a search and a result popped up right away. And, when I saw the search result, my heart ... sank.

 

Private Russell D. Lyon was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge, December 26, 1944, a month before that post card reached my mother's home.

 

US Soldiers marching single-file near St. Vith, Belgium, 1945

 

Russ, this nation owes you a debt of gratitude we can never repay. The best we can do is to honor your memory.

 

If you are the praying kind, please offer a prayer for the repose of the soul of Private Russell D. Lyon, US Army, Infantry.

 

Merry Christmas to all of you and yours.

 

https://www.abmc.gov/print/certificate/397228

[Bugeaters1]

11 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

Thought I'd share this with all of you.

 

This morning, I was rummaging in a box of keepsakes that I saved from my parents' home after they passed, looking for a couple of special things that I had wanted to give my kids as gifts for Christmas this year.

 

While I was looking through some of these old, treasured objects, I came across a newspaper clipping my mother had saved about me, early in my Army career, that had been published in the local paper. And tucked within that folded up newspaper was a postcard to my mother from a person whose name I didn't know.

 

The postcard was marked by the local post office in the small town where she grew up and the date they received it was January 24, 1945, when my mother was a teenager.

 

The postcard was from one Russell D. Lyon.

 

Private Russell D. Lyon, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, US Army.

 

I'd never heard that name before, but I assumed it was someone she knew in high school. And apparently someone special enough that she kept that post card all those decades.

 

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to try to find out whatever became of Pvt Russell D. Lyon, American serviceman. I plugged his name, unit number and service number into a search and a result popped up right away. And, when I saw the search result, my heart ... sank.

 

Private Russell D. Lyon was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge, December 26, 1944, a month before that post card reached my mother's home.

 

US Soldiers marching single-file near St. Vith, Belgium, 1945

 

Russ, this nation owes you a debt of gratitude we can never repay. The best we can do is to honor your memory.

 

If you are the praying kind, please offer a prayer for the repose of the soul of Private Russell D. Lyon, US Army, Infantry.

 

Merry Christmas to all of you and yours.

 

https://www.abmc.gov/print/certificate/397228

That was a brutal time for those men. My grandpa was in the battle of the bugle, He a jeep driver for some officer. I can't imagine today's kids going through that.

[jimmykc]

Thanks, Norm. My dad, who was in the Battle of the Bulge, always liked this classic movie.

[hal9000]

I interviewed a veteran who was in Bastogne during the Bulge.  Incredible story.  He was a supply clerk, but when the battle began, he became a rifleman.  God bless and keep those who are still with us, and rest in peace those who are not.  

[Norm Peterson]

10 hours ago, hal9000 said:

I interviewed a veteran who was in Bastogne during the Bulge.  Incredible story.  He was a supply clerk, but when the battle began, he became a rifleman.  God bless and keep those who are still with us, and rest in peace those who are not.  

 

My father-in-law was a tough, old Nebraska farmer who'd seen a lot of cold nights and days on the farm. But he always said he never experienced cold like he did when he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Coldest he'd ever been. Absolutely miserable conditions. Add to it the fact there were people out in those woods who were looking for you so they could kill you. A lot of young men made the ultimate sacrifice in that battle and in that war and it seems to me the least we, who inherited our freedom from the people who paid for it with their blood, could do is to stand respectfully for our national anthem when it's played, with our hands over our hearts, and remember folks like Russ Lyon who left to serve our country and didn't come home.

[roscoe]

My dad served in WWII but was fortunate\young enough that he missed the early stages. I never asked him about his service but now wish I would have. My nephew had an essay/project in high school (late 90's) in which he interviewed my dad about his service time. I finally got to read the essay this past summer. Very interesting reading as my dad was very close to being sent into battle but Japanese surrender resulted in him serving as security at train station in Japan.

[tcp]

and still they dream of playing soldier as they always have. the bane of the warriors existence. 

 

the one that thinks that glory passed them by or, more accurately, that they passed it by. 

 

what would we do without our childhood stories of green plastic men and good causes? 

 

i'll always love my brothers and sisters who straped it up for reasons more varied than covid strains. 

 

It was often a hard life for many of us. 

 

But I don't think I'll ever rally anything moving for the groupies. 

[AuroranHusker]

Thanks for sharing this, @Norm Peterson. It is a great reminder of the price of freedom.

 

 

[Navin R. Johnson]

My father was in the Navy in WWII.  Took part in the battle of Leyte Gulf to retake the Philippines.  Would have been involved in the attack on Japan had they not dropped the bomb.  You can argue the need to drop the atomic bomb or not, but I'm not sure I would be here today if they didn't.

[Nebrasketballin]

16 hours ago, Navin R. Johnson said:

My father was in the Navy in WWII.  Took part in the battle of Leyte Gulf to retake the Philippines.  Would have been involved in the attack on Japan had they not dropped the bomb.  You can argue the need to drop the atomic bomb or not, but I'm not sure I would be here today if they didn't.

An old-timer I talked to about WWII credits the bomb with saving his life as well. As the years have passed, people have forgotten the Japanese promised to fight until there was no one left.  Dropping the bombs can look cruel in hindsight, but there are likely more Japanese that survived to see 1946 because of it.

[Navin R. Johnson]

Yup.  I believe we gave them a chance to surrender before we dropped it. Don't think we told them we had the bomb though.

[Silverbacked1]

The two most interesting things that are kind of little know facts about the bombing.  We only had two bombs ( I think that is right).  But the one I know for sure was that the last group of solders shooting at the Germans at the end of WWI was lead by Harry S. Truman, and he felt we let the Germans off too easily after WWI.

 

Also my Grandpa never left the states during WWII.  He saw like 5 different bases, but his last base he was like only 5 guys that didn’t go with that base to Omaha Beach.  He hurt his back and he was like 30+ when he was drafted, so he got to stay state side.  At the end of his life he told his pastor “ he always hated what them boys had to do and he wasn’t there.”  Never told us though.