Thread by @Supermansings

Wanna hear a story? On Christmas Eve, 1944, my Paw-Paw was on a ship on the way to fight the Battle of the Bulge. It was torpedoed about 2 mi off the coast of France.He wrote this and read it to is my senior year of HS a few years before he died. It weighed on him. Please read.1/

Dedicated to Men of the 66th Infantry by Frank A. Sample

It was the night before Christmas in Nineteen and Fourty-Four

When twelve hundred soldiers or maybe more were loaded on a ship to go to the fore.

Most of the them 18 19 20 21 all of them their mother’s loving sons 2/

The Army had taught them to fight and carry a gun.

They were going to war to preserve our freedom………

Little they knew they had seen their last sun.

The soldiers were laughing and full of good cheer

For you see it was the holiday time of the year! 3/

Some sang carols and some played games

There were so many I can’t remember all of their names

The night was cold with many stars in the sky

Little did they know that soon they would die 4/

Some were writing letters to their families at home

Telling them of their friends and that they were not alone

Some told their mothers that they were closer than brothers

Then out of the night, there came such a ROAR!

A German submarine had just made a score 5/

One torpedo had found its mark, a gaping large hole in the ship could be seen in the dark

Our officers and “Non-coms” still held us in order

But the ship was sinking or right on the border

Then an order was given “EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF” 6/

It was sorta like book ends falling off of a shelf

All of our thoughts were of staying alive

So we rushed to the rail to try and survive

The water was full of soldiers, some yelling, some crying, and some praying

Some so delusional they didn’t know what they were saying
7/

I jumped from the ship and went deeper and deeper

I thought it was time to meet my keeper

Lungs bursting and exhausted, I said to myself, “Why not die?”

Then it came in a vision of light from the sky
8/

A vision of my mother screaming when told of my death

This vision of my mother seemed to give me a breath

With this new breath of air I started to fight

And thrashed at the water with all of my might

I reached the top of the water and felt REBORN
9/

But the soldiers were still screaming, full of forlorn

French tugs and boats of all kinds were all about

They were pulling us in and pumping us out

To end this true story is should be know

812 were lost 18,19,20, 21
None of which were to experience again family and home
10/

EIGHT HUNDRED SOLDIERS or maybe more

All lost off the coast of a foreign shore

The year now is 1992 and I have three children and six grandchildren and a loving wife

That’s why I say, Thank You God for giving me my second life 11/

I’m filled with sadness at this time of year

And give thanks to my GOD for everyday I am still here.

FOR THOSE YOUNG MEN WHO WERE SHOWN NO GLORY

MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH THEM AS I END THIS STORY 11/

As you can imagine, we all wept with him and for the memories that he had kept inside. I wept again tonight reading it to my kids. Want to read about the mess of a night, check out the following link. But for one man’s resolve, my whole family Tree would have ended that night.

Here is the link. Thanks for reading and honoring his memory. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_L%C3%A…