We Thank Them For Their Service

 

     Last Wednesday was Veteran’s Day in the United States. It is a day when we honor all of those who served in the military, remember those who have died, and show our support to those who still wear the uniform. I have over 1500 names on my family tree and several people served their respective countries during peacetime and wartime. 

     Not all served in the armed forces. My father’s brother, Bernie was an Aeronautical Engineer at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. He worked there through WWII and afterwards contributing to the development of the automatic pilot and involvement in several projects for NASA. My father in law, Jack Carlton was an engineer and worked in the Philadelphia Naval Yards. He was on the team that produced the New Jersey class battleships. 

      My cousins, Devra and Shira grew up in Israel and both of them served their time in the Israeli Army. Shira was a lieutenant in military intelligence and still lives there. Her two oldest children, Yonaton and Shani have also given a couple of years of their lives in service to their country. Yonaton served as a staff sergeant in military intelligence and Shani was a casualties NCO. Israel requires that all children spend time in the armed forces once they graduate from high school. We were in Israel 6 years ago and it wasn’t unusual to see a group of teenagers, both boys and girls, socializing on city streets, in cafes, and on trains with semi automatic rifles strapped to their bodies. Here are pictures of Shira, Yonaton and Shani(far right in the group picture) in their uniforms. 

 

     My mother had two brothers in Canada. Lou and Al Boxi both were in the armed forces but I don’t think either of them saw any active duty. 

     My father’s cousin, Manny Rogoff was a bombardier on a B-24D liberator. His plane was shot down on January 7, 1944 and the crew was forced to bail out. Manny suffered severe burns to his face and was temporarily blinded. The surviving crew were rescued by members of the French underground and evaded capture by the Germans for about 3 months. They were safely returned to England in March. Doctors were able to restore his sight because of the care he received from the French doctors. Manny visited his rescuers several times since the war. Here is a picture that appeared in Parade Magazine that accompanied the story of his experience. 

 

     Dr. Murray Ringold was married to my father’s sister, Helen. He went to war in the Pacific theater of WWII. They were not yet married but their loving relationship blossomed via letters to each other during the time that he was away.

 

     My Uncle Sam was in a courrier group stationed in India during WWII and he routinely flew over the “Hump” to deliver papers, documents, and payroll to our troops in China. 

     Izzy Friedman was my father’s first cousin. Both of them had enlisted in the Army and would meet when they were both on leave. They were together the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked and when informed they had to return to their respective units. Izzy served in the 71st fighter squadron of the Army Air Corps and acted as a medic. He was stationed in North Africa and then Italy during the war. Here is a picture of Izzy and my father on a double date in the Pittsburgh area.

 

     My father’s story is quite incredible. He was in an artillery unit and served as a front man to overlook the target area and call coordinates back to the cannon operators. He was in the 106th division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. His entire division was captured by the German Army in December of 1944. Moe was taken to Bad Orb which was a prisoner of war camp but soon afterward they were marched to Zeigenhain. He suffered beatings at the hands of the German guards, more so than the other prisoners because he was Jewish. He was liberated on March 30th 1945. My father never spoke much about his POW days. He would answer any questions but never started the conversations about it. My cousin Paul sent me this video. I watched and was amazed how these men described their experiences which were exactly the same as my father’s. Here is the link to the video. https://player.vimeo.com/video/198357872 Here is also the telegram his parents received when it was determined that he was a POW along with a picture of him in uniform. 

 

     I don’t have any knowledge of any family members that were killed in action although I’m sure that distant relatives may have perished in earlier conflicts or in skirmishes that did not involve the USA.

     I want to take this opportunity to thank all veterans, alive or dead, and current members of the armed forces in whatever country you live in. Our freedoms and the welfare of all free nations depends on your service.