This evening, Nov. 10, I have been watching the World War II Battle of the Bulge on the Military Channel. It occurred to me that I should share a bit of the story of my brother Raymond, who was wounded in the battle. He often described to me the misery of suffering from frostbite and trench foot from wet clothes while in a foxhole during the battle. He also had diarrhea, but was afraid of leaving his foxhole for fear of being shot. He was wounded when a tank exploded while he was helping the crew escape. The tank had been hit by cannon fire. I will never forget his description of stumbling on the bodies of dead soldiers while walking back to an aid station through snow in the Ardennes. One dead soldier had his arms frozen in the air. He thought, how cold they must be.
I am including a picture of a Sherman tank I took during the winter in our city park. The photograph always reminds me of my brother and the Battle of the Bulge.