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RE: Keep Right On To The End Of THe Road
So many young people have little interest in history and they often forget those people who we now see as aging people are recent history in person.
My experience with war veterans who had seen action was they rarely talked about it, especially to a civilian. I learned pretty early if someone was being vocal about 'being in the war' to have a look at the medals they wore at more formal times. Most times, the medals would tell the story of someone who had served but in safe spaces.
My dad was in the Italian campaign. He and my uncle were both in the country at the same time.
My uncle was with his unit one night when they were ambushed and almost decimated. He was badly wounded and evacuated to an aid station. I learned recently from him that dad's unit had marched through the area the following day. The bodies hadn't even been picked up.
I can't imagine what it was like for dad to be marching past that spot. Knowing it was Ken's unit and not know if he was passing him.
Dad never talked about it. There were three stories I can recall dad talking about. They all involved what could be seen as divine intervention which gave him the sense that it wasn't yet his time to go.
War veterans related funny events like diving into a whole for cover in the desert up North, seeing a snake at the bottom of the pit and reversing out midair.
Years after my father passed I received all his daily diaries to read through, (now take care of for next generation), letters and some articles he wrote printed in local newspaper. My late oldest brother had documents and medals all in safe keeping.
Dad was in North African and Italian Campaigns, wounded in his buttocks with flying shrapnel, was in field hospital in North Africa for a spell. Had an operation when I was young to remove some pieces which must have been around 15 years later, perhaps it was the snake in the pit story he related!
Yes, we will remember them, now and always!
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