My Uncle Fred was a combat engineer. He landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day

When I was a small boy I said, “You built bridges, didn’t you?”  He paused.  Smiled and said, “Yea.”

What he really did was demolition.  Blowing up German bunkers.  And blowing up bridges.

He put his boots on in England and took them off three months later in France.  He was left with a lifelong fungus infection on the sole of one foot from wearing soggy boots for three months.

Uncle Fred was pulled away from his squad to recuperate in England. While he was gone most of his squad was killed when a bridge went up prematurely. It haunted him all his life. He felt he could have prevented it.

One time, I think it was Christmas Day, I said,  “Thanks for what you did.”,  to my Uncle Fred Pitcherella and to my Uncle Louie Pilotti. Uncle Louie was a Sergeant in Patton’s Army. He was in the Battle of the Bulge.

My Uncle Louie said, “What do you mean.”

I replied, “If you didn’t go to war, we might all be speaking German.”

 My Uncle Fred had to leave the room.