Week 3: (& remembering the armed forces)

This week, I ordered a year & a half worth of pictures. :) I had gotten so behind and it was something that just needed done. Yet, it takes so much time, so I kept putting it off...until summer. :)

But now, I'm ready to start scrap booking!

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Lately, our family has had a number of opportunities involving those serving in the armed forces.

Last night, we attended a USO-type party (done by a homeschool history class in our area). During the evening, two soldiers (One in Iraq and one in Afghanistan) skyped in! As they described their everyday experiences, I was ashamed of how little I remember to pray for those fighting for America.

Over a month ago, we observed a fallen soldier's funeral. It was very touching. This soldier who gave his life for his country was 21 years old; he went directly from highschool into training. He was 1 year away from coming home and getting married to his highschool sweetheart. The respect shown is not often seen today. It made me proud to live in the USA.

This year, I am studying American history. I have loved history so much this year. (For you other homeschoolers; I do Notgrass History.) It combines History, Bible, Literature and Writing... It is the best history curriculum I have ever done. While studying World War II, I was challenged to talk to a World War II veteran. I had no idea how that was going to happen, because there are very few of them still alive & active! But, God opened the doors in a way I could have never planned and at the fallen soldier's funeral, I met a World War II veteran!

He invited our family to come to the nursing home he lived in. We went to see him about a week later... He gave us some of the documentaries he has done, besides showing us many photographs, paintings and documents he has. It was so neat... I thought it might interest some of you, so I have copy & pasted the paper I wrote after our visit.

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Recently, I had the unique opportunity of meeting with a World War II Veteran. At the age of 17, Gene Cook joined the army; an experience that forever changed his life. His passion regarding the years he spent in service is strong. His skin is weathered and his body is beginning to wear, but his mind is very sharp; he remembers even the smallest details. Over the past 60 years, Gene Cook has done extensive research on this World War, and knows a great deal about it; even the things he did not witness first-hand. Two of the largest battles Mr. Cook was involved in were Normandy and the Battle of Bulge. As I watched him present his photographs, paintings, documents and parachute license, it was obvious that he clearly remembers and relives the events of World War II.

Just a young boy out of school, Gene could not wait to join the army until he was 18, and begged his mother to sign the consent forms. She finally agreed, and at age 17, he set out for Fort Benning and later Camp Mackall for intense training. His personal equipment weighed just slightly less than himself. On June 5, the famous D-Day, Cook began to experience the reality of war. Shock tore his body as he parachuted 275 feet instead of the expected 600 feet. It was just minutes into his first battle, and his ankle was already horribly twisted from the fall. Gene laced his boot as tightly as possible and did not remove it until he returned to England. His rifle doubled as a cane to stabilize his walking. During the extent of the week long battle, a friend of his had a bullet hit his helmet, circle his head and come flying out the back. His friend was struck with shock and they had to work long and hard to remove his helmet. While in Normandy, Gene's unit spent much time facing the Germans head on. His ankle was twisted even further while running from Germans which made it impossible to place any weight on that foot. Only after a whole week of battle, fighting, and death, did help arrive. Gene Cook later stated, “What seemed like a lifetime was only a week; a week of trauma and death.”

Another experience Cook recounted was the battle of Bulge. In Holland, his unit had 75% casualties, and no baths for 72 days. When they arrived in Bastone, they spent many days resting and gathering what little supplies there was before heading onward. At one point on their journey, they were instructed to remove all personal items. This left them with only a pair of pants and a light shirt to keep them warm in weather below freezing and with many inches of snow. As they traveled throughout Bastone hiding in foxholes, they earnestly looked for burlap and straw to stick into their clothes. Often, Gene's unit found themselves lying on the ground; freezing. It was difficult for them to walk, balance or even slightly move in the cold. When Cook passed a dead German wearing lined pants, he did everything he could to get those frozen pants off that frozen man. He succeeded and owes a great deal to those pants. Cook can remember the horrible smell of blood everywhere. At one point, a bullet went right through his pants. He was shoot twice; once in each leg. Throughout this battle the temperature continued to drop and even reached – 40. Gene recalls a time that food was scarce and he enjoyed three lifesavers and a cup of hot water as his dinner. He was thrilled to be offered a meal on Christmas Day. Finally, for the first time in a whole month, all the men in his unit removed their boots. Their socks were completely gone and their feet were swollen and cracked. Everyone had extreme frostbite. Often no trucks would show up, and they had to walk miles in this condition. War is not easy and Gene Cook still lives daily with the memory of its heartache.

Today, Gene Cook wears his World War II metals proudly. Everytime you see him, he has some type of metal or award displayed. On his hat, he wears two purple hearts. He has numerous t-shirts which proclaim what he gave for America. In recent years, Cook has taken up the hobby of painting. In his bedroom, the walls are covered with paintings. Almost everyone of them is of World War II; some of parachuting onto the beach, others of the air force, or just America in general. Mr. Cook is now married and has a little black poodle which he claims keeps him young. For 40 years, he said he refused to not talk about the things he experienced during the war. But now, his entire home is covered in World War II items.

It is so mindboggling to meet someone who was there when history was made. The experiences he has had and the events he has witnessed are part of American history. Little did Gene Cook know when he begged his mother to sign those consent forms the heartache, sacrifice, and trauma ahead. Mr. Cook is daily reminded of those events, and has recorded many of them through his photographs, paintings and documents. We owe much to these honored men who have given so much to stand for what is true.