Arlington Cemetery, Bangor, MI, USA

My husbands father, Donald Hunsberger (picture below), was a Master Sargent during WWII. He lost his left leg just below the knee. I never met him. He died April 30, 1984. Gary, my husband, said there was only one thing his dad told him about the war.  His dad and one other soldier survived a battle. His dad was on the ground, with a tourniquet on his leg and smoking a cigarette, when a German soldier walked by but did not shoot him. It perplexed him.

Donald Hunsberger (left)

Joseph Delemme (no picture) was my great-uncle. He was younger brother to my Gramma Peggy. He was a Sargent in WWII. Uncle Joe only told my Gramma two things about the war. One was that he was leading his men up a hill and could hear people coming up the other side.  They were ready for a battle. When they reached the top, it was a troupe of Allies and all were relieved. The second was that he saw one of the death camps and the pile of bodies. That’s all he ever told her. Gramma said he would not talk about the war. He had such a gentle heart and soul. I can’t imagine how he maintained that after his war experiences. But, thank God  he did. Uncle Joe could give the best bear hugs. He would lift me off the ground even when I was grown. He died in his 60’s.

The truth that these two men would not speak of the war strongly suggests its horror. Even after coming home, they still protected those they loved. The mental and physical toll exacted on adults is catastrophic. Now add children who witness it. In WWII people were treated worse than animals. Those people, those human beings, included children. We must never allow the targeting of a group or groups of peoples as less than another – especially in the USA. This country was built by foreign immigrants at the cost of those already here – the Native Americans. I hope most of us have grown since then and will not allow it on this soil again.

Two perfect songs this Memorial Day weekend: One Tin Soldier and Imagine.