I love my country, I love the flag. I remember Daddy speaking of how precious the flag was to him on the battlefields of World War 2. Captured by the Nazis in The Battle of the Bulge, my Father was a hero. Though he once said heroes are very close to cowards. He told me he did what he had to do to stay alive.
He marched through France in the bitter cold, and along with his fellow soldiers was packed into train cars so tightly the sick and dying stood with them as they traveled. He was a prisoner of war for nine months at Stalag IX-B, also known as Bad Orb-Wegscheide, a prisoner of war camp located south-east of the town of Bad Orb in Hesse, Germany, on the hill known as Wegscheideküppel.
When Dad returned, he was only 98 pounds, and his life was changed forever. There is so much I wish I would have known, or asked about--only I didn't know he was captured in the Battle of the Bulge, or interred at a Nazi War camp until about 15 years before Daddy flew away to heaven.
He is my hero. He fought for family and country--often the flag flew ahead of him--and he treasured that flag. It was the symbol of home, family, freedom and country.
* LINKING UP: You can put your link in any time between now and next Thursday. Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week!
* BADGE: When you submit a postcard, be sure to put a link back to this page. You can copy and paste the PFF badge, which has the link embedded. Thank you!
* THEMES: You don't have to stick to the theme I choose each Friday. Just put up the postcards you love and tell us why you like them.
Your father was an amazing man to live through all that. Thank you for sharing his story. What a beautiful postcard!
ReplyDelete