Hero

Here are a couple of Gaertner dads.        

My grandfather Henry ‘Hank’ on the left and my pop Howard ‘Howie’ on the right.          

This was before my time but it’s a cool old Milwaukee pic with the elm trees framing the street.           

This is from August 1943.  The 19-year-old was home on leave having just completed basic training at Camp Butner, NC.  On his left shoulder is the Lightning insignia of the 78th Division.           

Following his army specialty training he shipped out for England.  On arrival he was reassigned to the 9th Division and landed at Utah Beach as an infantry replacement - a machine gunner in a heavy weapons platoon. Wounded in the liberation of Belgium in September 1944 that was it for his war.

Following recovery in England and a short stint in the army of occupation Howard returned home in 1945 fell in love with Grace Mary and after a number of years I arrived on the scene.        

Little known family factoid - Howie did all of this with permanent heart valve damage as a consequence of a serious bout of childhood rheumatic fever.           

The Gaertners were so damn piss poor they couldn’t afford to purchase a doctor’s letter to exempt their older male child from the draft.            

Let the truth about contagion, service and cowardice soak for a bit.          

Hero           

And Happy Father’s Day dad.