Topics Page 7

Dog Tags

I am into my family history and enjoy trying to dig up tidbits and events from my families past. To me, it is the stories and events in my families lives that define them and make them who they are.

Recently I contacted the Human Resources department of the Army to try to get as much information as I could about my grandfather Nick, who was in the Army during WWII, and about my other grandfather Emil, who was in the Merchant Marines at the same time.

I was doing all this to document my family history, so I wanted old pictures and dog tag information if at all possible. My goal was to have duplicate sets of their origional dog tags made to put with any pictures I could find of them in their uniforms.

So far I received a few documents from the Merchant Marines with copies of a few certificates Emil had earned before being discharged. But I could not get any dog tag information from them, and the originals are long gone.

However, I was visiting my grandpa Nick the other day and he showed me his set of dog tags from WWII. As I held them and looked them over I remembered stories he told me about the Battle of the Bulge,(officially named the Battle of the Ardennes by the U.S. Army) and it was then that the enormity of his sacrifice hit me.

These are a few fact about that battle:

The battle began on December 16, 1944, one of the coldest, snowiest days "in memory" in the Ardennes Forest, occupying about 80 miles of the German/Belgian border. Casualties from exposure to extreme cold grew as large as the losses from fighting.

At the end of the battle the forces included over a million men, about 560,000 Germans, 640,000 Americans (more than fought at Gettysburg) and 55,800 British.
- 3 German armies, 10 corps, the equivalent of 29 divisions.
- 3 American armies, 6 corps, the equivalent of 31 divisions.
- The equivalent of 3 British divisions as well as contingents of Belgian, Canadian and French troops.
- About 6,000 allied fighters and bombers against 2,400 German aircraft.
- ~100,000 German casualties, killed, wounded or captured [~80,000 captured].
- 81,000 American casualties, including 23,554 captured and 19,000 killed.
- 1,400 British casualties 200 killed.
- 610 German and 730 U.S. tanks lost, 1,000 German aircraft destroyed.

Most of the American casualties occurred within the first three days of battle, when two of the 106th division’s three regiments were forced to surrender. In its entirety, the "Battle of the Bulge" was the most bloody of the comparatively few European battles American Forces experienced in WWII, the 19,000 American dead unsurpassed by any other engagement. For the U.S. Army, the Battle of the Ardennes was a battle incorporating more American troops and engaging more enemy troops than any American conflict prior to WWII.

The Battle ended January 25 1945. That was a total of 40 hell filled days of combat and my grandfather Nick was there. He was involved in one of the bloodiest battles in American history. He did his duty, he fought for our freedom, and he came home alive. His dog tags are a reminder to me that freedom is not at all free.

His dog tags were with him from enlistment, and boot camp. They traveled to Europe and were around Nick's neck as he fought tenaciously for our freedom while the Germans were just as determined to crush our democracy. Those tags saw bloody hand to hand combat, and those tags saw Nicks comrads in arms, his friends, fall in defense of what we normally take for granted, our liberty.

And had he fallen in the line of duty, the tags I held in my hand would have been used to identify him properly so Graves Registration could notify the next of kin that another hero had fallen.

There is so much history involved in those simple pieces of metal. There is so much to be said about the soldier to whom they were issued. And as I looked at those dog tags, I felt proud of the man I call my grandfather. He did so much and yet so few will ever know about his sacrifice, and worse yet there are so many who just do not care what our soldiers have to endure to give them the right to complain.

Bush Is Nuts/ Is Bush The Anti-Christ?

I have two titles for this one because I liked them both equally well and could not decide which fit my ranting the best.

WARNING!!! the contents of this article is entirely MY OPINION. If you voted for Bush or think he is doing a swell job, read no further and get off this page because you will not like what comes at the end of this paragraph.

Okay, I was reading in Yahoo news that Bush was actually condeming The hanging of Saddam Hussein and his two top aides which also included Saddam's half brother. Bush was quoted as saying "The message is that it's a confusing message," the president said. "It basically says to people, 'Look, you conducted a trial and gave Saddam justice that he didn't give to others. But then, when it came to execute him, it looked like it was kind of a revenge killing.' And it sent a mixed signal to the American people and the people around the world, and it just goes to show that this is a government that has still got some maturation to do,"

Maybe part of the mixed signal to the American people would be that Bush has now executed Saddam, we have forced democracy on Iraq, now when are the soldiers coming home? Instead, Bush is going to send even more soldiers to Iraq to die a senseless death.

The President, who lied to the world to install his regime on foreign soil, is now criticizing the way this foreign nation handles it's own affairs. Who put him in charge of any other nation's problems? When was he elected Supreme Leader of the planet?

If a dictator killed my family and was trying to wipe out my way of life, and was trying to eradicate all "my people" like Hussein did with the Kurds, I would whoop it up as well when the madman was executed. Then I would drop to my knees and tearfully thank Christ in Heaven for allowing justice to finally be delivered. Who would not act in a similiar manner?

It is just too bad that we as a nation can not get Bush out of office so we can let Iraq handle it's own affairs and get our troops home where they belong.

As far as Bush being the Anti-Christ well let's see he calimed to ber Christian, but rushed right into the "war on terror" after Sept 11.

A Christian consults Christ on things of that nature. Indeed, A Christian is to acknowledge God in all things to get correct guidance. Bush, it appears, did not do this.

He lied about the weapons of mass destruction and used out dated info and he did it to scare the people of this nation to get support for his invasion.

The sicko even used the Sept 11 attacks as part of his re-election campaign. He vowed to fight and keep this nation safe. But killing is not the act of a Christian. And not listening to the people who put him in office shows that he is determinied to do what HE thinks is best instead of what WE want him to do.

The main reason for the Iraqi invasion was the war on terror, but we never seem to pin down Bin Laden. He, not Hussein was responsible for the attacks on the worls trade center. Where is Bin-Laden? When is he going to be captured?

Bush claims he wants to protect this nation. But invading and overthrowing a country, then FORCING democracy on them will not protect us. Death and lies are never a good way to ensure peace. And it is not the way A Christian should handle problems concerning the fate of two nations.

You make your own mind, and draw your own conclusions. I have. In my OPINION, Bush needs to go.