A Salute To Veterans!

It has been nice to see that there is more appreciation being shown to current and former service men and women lately, since they certainly deserve it. Even the NFL has had a couple weekends surrounding Veteran’s Day with their #SaluteToService promotion. And although I was traveling over the holiday weekend, I wanted to send a Salute out to my step father, George H. Brown, who passed several years ago. George and I were never close, and although I knew he was a WWII and Korean War veteran, I didn’t know much of his history until I read this book about him, that my mom had given me.

George enlisted in the US Army in September 1944, went through basic training, and was sent to German-Belgian border to fight with A company, 1st Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. On March 7, 1945, his unit was one of the first to cross the Rhine River by foreign infantrymen since Napoleon’s army in 1805. The Ludendorff bridge fell 10 days later after the Germans bombed it to stop Allied forces and supplies from flowing into Germany. The Corps of Engineers had started using pontoon bridges by then to keep supplies moving in to help soldiers keep pushing Germans back. The Germans surrendered May 8, 1945.

The older I get, the more I appreciate history, and learning more about it. It was even more interesting since I knew someone that helped make history, but sorry I didn’t know more of that when he was alive. George enlisted as a Private, and retired a Major after 21 years of service. He was awarded multiple awards/medals such as Combat Infantryman Badge for both WWII and Korean Wars, and many more.

I want to thank George, and all the current and former service men and women for protecting this great country, allowing Americans to enjoy the freedoms that we so often take for granted.