War Stories: Glimpses from the Foxhole

My dad told me the story of his life in snippets, often late nights at the kitchen table, over a period of thirty years. I’ve patched his many vignettes together, covering the time he was a teenager growing up during WWII through thirty years in the military, and then ordered these disparate stories into aContinue reading “War Stories: Glimpses from the Foxhole”

Chapter 4: O Sole Mio

My father certainly met a lot of famous people during his career.  At the West Point graduate luncheon in Charleston, he might sit next to “Westy”, Westy being General Westmoreland, the allied commander in Viet Nam.  And he often played handball with that somewhat famous guy who was an instructor at the Naval War CollegeContinue reading “Chapter 4: O Sole Mio”

Chapter 2: Beast Barracks

My father remembers the depression, World War II, and other cataclysmic world events. The major events of his youth were ones that affected everyone. Today we live through wars and disasters vicariously via television, but back then these events were so momentous you could not isolate yourself from them; they were not as distant andContinue reading “Chapter 2: Beast Barracks”

Chapter 1: Hired Killer

A hired killer, a grunt, an infantryman, my father calls himself. After thirty years of military service, he can lay claim to other titles as well: ranger, paratrooper, company commander, battalion commander, and G-something-or-other. Of course, these days he is primarily known as Grandpa, having retired from the Army many years ago. Commemorating his experiencesContinue reading “Chapter 1: Hired Killer”

Table of Contents: War Stories: Glimpses from the Foxhole

This is a memoir of my dad’s life, from the time he was a teenager growing up during WWII through his thirty plus years in the military, including his time in Viet Nam. Prologue Chapter 1: Hired Killer Chapter 2: Beast Barracks Chapter 3: Rambo Chapter 4: O Sole Mio Chapter 5: Winning the WarContinue reading “Table of Contents: War Stories: Glimpses from the Foxhole”