Veterans Day

I never served in the military.  Nevertheless, today is Veterans Day and while I've known many veterans I thought I'd take a moment to talk about my favorite service member.  That would be my pop - Howard Gaertner.  Dad has been gone now for more than eight years already but I'm sure he'd appreciate the mention.    

This picture was taken August, 1943 in Milwaukee.  Dad was home on leave following basic training at Camp Butner, North Carolina. That's seventy-five years ago - an eternity by today's standards.  That's my dad's pop on the left - Henry Gaertner.  At the time this photo was snapped dad was all of 19 years of age.  He trained with the 78th 'Lightening' Division and following his arrival in England he was reassigned to the 9th Division. 

Dad landed at Utah Beach as an infantry replacement and served as a machine gunner in a weapons platoon.  He spent four months in combat following the invasion at Normandy - including the battle of the hedgerows, the breakout of the bocage at Saint-Lô, the dash across northern France with Patton's forces and the liberation of Belgium.  He was evacuated to England after being wounded in the Meuse River crossing in September of 1944 and returned to be part of the Army of Occupation.  This turned out to be an exceedingly long deployment and a boatload of experience for a previously skinny depression-era kid who was drafted after graduating high school. 

Following the war dad married, graduated from Marquette University, raised a family and lived a full life into retirement..  He never spoke of the war much until I was twenty-five years of age or thereabouts.  Dad was exceptionally proud of his service in the army but my sense is that combat was a very unpleasant experience.

Raising a toast to all of the veterans out there.  Cheers!