If my grandfather had been thirty feet upwind, he would have been buried in France with his fellow soldiers, never returned to America and these sentiments would have never been thought or written. Wonder how many never came to exist due to the insanity from 1914-1945.
My grandfather also served in France. He and a buddy got separated from the unit and wandered around a while hungry. Finally found some sort of root cellar in an embankment and some canned tomatoes. He said he never cared for canned tomatoes but was never so happy to have them then right then and always would eat them after that.
He earned a purple heart. Also said his buddy actually got the worst of it. I have the framed commemorative award and the medal that was issued later when they officially awarded that medal after the fact.