Wow, so sad. Thank you so much for sharing such personal items. My dad continues to be on the mend. As he was beginning to feel better, his started having problems with his teeth and they had to be pulled so he is in some discomfort at present. I was able to find more of his old photos. There are some pictures of my dad with some of the men in his outfit but I did not ask him yet if any of the men are your Uncle Art.
I am trying to post the photos but I can't seem to remember how I did it last time... can anyone please help?
When you post, simply do so with MORE REPLY OPTIONS, then click the upload button. You can select more than one at a time.
Got it! I'll post these here, then, and they'll be down from the Flickr site soon. Thanks, Marion!
Doug
Oh, this is so heartbreaking. I am reading these with tears in my eyes. His death seems so senseless. To get through the war, only to die this way...
What an incredible story that you shared with us! And to get to see those actual documents was amazing!
Thank you for letting Art come into all of our lives!!!
Jean
I wanted to ask some questions but it seemed inappropriate to do so while so solemnly thinking of Art.
But I was wondering could Art swim? I wonder how big the boat was? And how deep the water? It is easy to get tangled up under something under the water and not have enough time to get out. It is so frightening.
Christoph has so much experience with water, boats, and rescue I wonder what he thinks.
Gosh, what a sad story and that poor family!
Jean
Thanks for the help with uploading Marion... Here are the photos that I found.
Some funny pics there. Looks like they were having a brief respite from the war. God bless 'em!
Hello, Jean, and thanks for reading!
Unfortunately, I don't have the answers to your questions- much of my work lately has been discovery- an appropriate tribute, I hope, to one of the greatest generation. As I learn more, I'll certainly share with the community!
Kind regards,
Doug
Doug,
I spoke with my dad this evening and I showed him the letters and photo of Art which you shared with us. It must have brought back a lot of memories of things which I haven't heard him speak of in years. He told me how bad he still felt about what happened to your Uncle Art. He said that none of the pictures which I recently uploaded here have Art in them. He did say, however, that in the photo where the man on the right is playfully holding the pistol to my dad's head is the man who went out on the boat with your uncle. My dad said that, the way he remembers the incident, it wasn't private DeLoach (as stated in the Army's letter) but private Emile Fedorko who went out with your uncle that day. Private Fedorko (now deceased) is the man on the right in that photo. He said that after it happened, they took your uncle's body and laid it in this large building for the other soldiers to view. He cannot remember if it was a church or what it was. My father and private Fedorko remained friends for quite some years after the war. Please keep in mind that my dad is 93 years old and this happened almost 70 years ago so some of the details and memories may be cloudy. My dad explained to me that he and Art were in the same squad and reiterated how much Art was liked by everyone. He also said that, if you wish, he would write everything down about what he remembers happening that day. I would then transcribe it in an email to you. Please know that if you think that this would be too disturbing and do not want the info, it's okay. If you DO want me to provide this, just send me your email address. My email is -------.