World War II Vet: "I Was Young"

A couple of years ago at a Veteran's Day event in Hemet, California, I had the opportunity to talk to a 92-year-old World War II veteran. Today I spoke with an 89-year-old World War II veteran. Both said the same thing to me. "It was hell, but I was proud to serve."

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The elder of the two entered the U.S. Marine Corps the day after Pearl Harbor, and fought in the Pacific theater of war "with the Squids." The man I met today served in the U.S. Army, on the battlefields of Europe, from 1944-1945, and served a total of 12 years despite being shot in the tailbone during his time fighting Nazi Germany. Though he was still in the service during the Korean War, he remained stateside during that conflict. "I was young," he said. So very, very young when I went to Europe. It was hell, but I was proud to serve. It was so horrible, I didn't think I was going to make it home alive. They would even put poison in your food at restaurants, hoping to kill American soldiers before they could finish their meal and get back to their post." He described the terror of being shot at by machine guns, the bullets flipping up dust and rocks all around him, as he ran for his next momentary safety of cover. He didn't think he was a good shot, but he fired his weapon carefully, making sure he didn't waste his ammunition, and that he only fired when the odds were best to hit the enemy. "War is a horrible thing," he told me, "but the enemy doesn't care, so we have to fight. We have to fight to be free." He ventured to say that today's politician doesn't understand the resolve, or the deception that is employed, by the enemy. "The enemy has no remorse. They only want you dead. It is you, or them. So, you are supposed to fight. Today, the government wants us to stand in our place with our hands to our side to show the enemy that we are not a threat, giving the enemy a clear and easy shot to kill us. That is how they fight war today. They fight it by not fighting, and then when we are shot at, our President says we should feel guilty for being on the battlefield." His ball cap had a patch on it that read, "U.S. Army Veteran," with Army pins all around the patch. One of the pins stood out. It wasn't an Army pin, but one that was the most important to him on his cap. It was a cross, with the American Flag as a design. "I have one of those," I said. "That is the main reason we are free," he said. "The Blessings of God have always been on this country. Today, I am not so sure."