Posted on 09/11/2004 8:20:23 PM PDT by Ol' Sox
My step-dad, Wendall, is dying in the hospital tonight. He has lived a good long life, has suffered much over the last two years and is ready to move on. He's had the opportunity to tell each of us in the family good-bye, knows Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and is as well prepared to pass on as any man I've ever met.
Wendall was a Sergeant in the 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, VII US Corps during WWII. He landed at Normandy on D+2 and wound up at Bad Berka, Germany at the end of the war. He had never spoken of his service until one day about three years ago. While watching a football game together, he suddenly began to talk, and three hours later, had recounted his World War II experience. I got an atlas out and took notes.
He saw combat and built bridges. Carentan, Sedan, Bouillon, Florenville, Verviers, Monschau, Bad Berka, Buchenwald, Berlin. He was stationed close to Malmedy and remembered the dread he felt when he learned about the massacre during the Battle of the Bulge. He entered the Buchenwald concentration camp the day after it was liberated. His unit helped to take the residents of Bad Berka to Buchenwald. Under orders, they turned this area over to the Russians and moved on to Berlin, where I've heard that they entered the city three days before any other American unit.
Tonight, I ask for your prayers for this good man, who served his country with honor, his family with steadfastness and love, and God with a humble and generous spirit.
We know that God knows of, and will welcome, this good man into his loving arms. Our prayers are with your family.
Reunion with our fathers will come. To us it may seem like interminable years; to them, like the blink of an eye. I'd bet my Dad probably already ordered me a drink.
God be with you, Wendall.
TY for your post. It blessed my heart to see that song on my monitor. Now I will sing it for the rest of the night-I can think of no better ear worm.
God bless!
Prayers
Our Father......
And a Hail Mary.
Your in our prayers tonight.
May Jesus be with him and bless and comfort his loved ones.
"Janice Holt Giles (her husband was in the 291st Engineer Battalion) spent 5 years researching and writing this book. When it was finally published in 1970, it was immediately acclaimed as one of the better titles published on the Battle of the Bulge. Now, over 30 years after its initial publication, this superb work still holds up. She accomplishes the impossible here. She manages to convey the closeness of a military unit as well as the fearful atmosphere that shrouded the Ardennes in the early days of the battle. It's like there's something personal happening here." - from a review
I salute your father, and offer my prayers for him.
He'll be in my prayers tonight as will you and your family.
Sorry to hear about your loss. May the Lord bless him and keep him.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Hang in there. He will always be with you in spirit.
Normandy. I'd bet you saw more action in two days than I saw in my entire twenty years as a more recent grunt.
Prayers for a happy journey and a heavenly eternity.
Dear Lord,
we pray for comfort for this family and Your humble servant.
see you on the far side banks of jordan,soldier!
SEMPER FI!
GODSPEED!
God Bless Wendall.
Enter thou into thy rest, American hero, for great has been your service, and great will be your reward. Amen ...
My prayers for such a dignified man, Sox. May God greet him warmly and comfort you in your loss.
PRayers lifted for an ailing soldier. Thank God for men like him - without them, we would not have the world we have today.
Prayer ping
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