The things one finds when going through family memorabilia. From my uncle's WWII keepsakes

[Siwsan]

He fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Needless to say, he didn't talk much about what he experienced, except with my Dad, and then not really that much. When he died, at just 50, my Dad ended up with some of the things his brother brought home. I'd love to know the story behind this.

[Sherman A1]

1. WOW!

That is impressive.

I worked with a guy who was in the Battle of the Bulge as a Medic. He was a great guy and he had some stories of how blasted cold it was and others that were terribly sad.

[Harker]

2. For true service In the police...

I'll look into it.

[grumpyduck]

3. If my high school German

still works, the back of the medal translates to "For true service in the police."

[Harker]

4. Frau Sargent and Herr Hubbard your teachers?

Treue leans to 'true' as in 'loyal.'

Frau Sargent was a Burmese princess. How she wound up teaching at Fairview High in Boulder, CO, I don't know...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inge_Sargent

[grumpyduck]

10. It's been a long time since high school German.

Danke.

[Harker]

11. Gern!

'76 and '77 for me.

You might find the Wikipedia link in my previous post interesting...

Remarkable woman.

[grumpyduck]

13. It was and she was. Thanks for the post.

[Harker]

14. Likewise. n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. My uncle was in the Battle of the Bulge, too, and never talked about it.

We didn't know until many years later that he'd been awarded a Bronze Star with oak leaf clusters. After he died his family collected all his war writings and memorabilia, but that was the first time most of the rest of the family found out about his experiences. I guess the real heroes don't need to brag.

[Siwsan]

7. I have a whole collection of medals from both uncles who served in combat in WWII

My other uncle joined the Navy, right after Pearl Harbor. He was on two ships that were hit - one by a torpedo and one by a Kamikaze. He never fully recovered and also died years before his time.

[safeinOhio]

9. Dad was in the Battle of the Bulge.

His Recon unit got trapped behind the line. He got his company out without a loss. Never heard the really great stories until I drove him to a reunion after he had lost most of his vision. The Greatest Generation is all I can say.

[Paladin]

6. I had an uncle like that.

He saw an enormous amount of combat in WWII Europe---then he came home and kept his mouth shut about it. I always really respected him for that. He made a life-long career out of the Army; he's buried at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.

[ironflange]

8. I too had a silent uncle

He was a navigator in a Lancaster.

My dad, OTOH, spent the war in a training squadron in Ontario, a mechanic, and he was full of stories.

[grumpyduck]

12. A friend of mine's Dad was in the Pacific

during the war as a radioman/gunner in a torpedo bomber. He enlisted at 17 and didn't talk about it either.

However, he left a few things when he passed away, including the trigger handle from an AA gun and his sunglasses.

[malthaussen]

15. Service medal for the police.

Handed out based on the number of years one had been a cop. American troops were notorious looters... uh, I mean "souvenir hunters," of course. There are any number of ways it could have found its way into your Dad's hands.

-- Mal

[Siwsan]

16. I have no doubt it was brought home by my uncle.

The fact that the ribbon was cut probably made it an interesting story.

He was among the many WWII vets who suffered from undiagnosed PTSD, until the day he died at 50 years of age. I can't even begin to imagine (and definitely am glad about that) what he witnessed during that battle. The few 'milder' details my Dad shared with me were bad enough.

[malthaussen]

17. The ribbon may have been sewn to the uniform blouse.

And cut off when it was liberated.

-- Mal