The Long Journey Home

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“Well, there I was. For me, it was a case of Mission Accomplished. I was now part of the “Fighting First”, also known as the “Big Red One”.  I was right where I wanted to be, in the division that was probably the most prestigious and respected division in the army. The campaign was over in August 1943.

The Campaign in Sicily 
Sicily, July 1943
S/SGT Bernard I. Friedenberg

 
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“Intensive training began, preparing us for the invasion of Europe. This training was very impressive indeed. The weather was wet, windy, and unpleasant. The waiting was awful. We knew that many of us would die and others of us would be crippled for the rest of our lives. Here we go. This is it –D-Day! June 6, 1944!”

D- Day Landings
June 6, 1944
S/SGT Bernard I. Friedenberg

 
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“Our mission was called Operation Torch, and Troops were simultaneously to attack Morocco and Algeria. We were a part of the Center Task Force, aimed at Oran, Algeria, which included the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, and the 1st Armored Division – 18,500 troops.“ 

Operation Torch
Oran, Algeria, 
November 8, 1942
S/SGT Bernard I. Friedenberg


 
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“The Battle of the Bulge was the biggest and bloodiest single battle American soldiers ever fought; nearly 81,000 Americans were killed, maimed or captured. There were 1,400 British casualties as well as 100,000 German casualties.  The soldiers often fought in zero- temperatures conditions and driving snow, which prevented them from seeing more than 10 or 20 yards in front of them. “

The Battle of the Bulge
December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945
SGT Bernard I. Friedenberg

 
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“The famed Siegfried line, also called the Westwall, lay ahead of us and was still to be Breached. The Siegfried line, a defense system Stretching more than 390 miles with more than 18,000 bunkers, tunnels, and tank traps.  It was here that a blast blew me through the air and I landed on the ground. Someone came out and dragged me to a shell hole and left me there.”

Aachen, Germany
August 25, 1944
S/SGT Bernard I. Friedenberg

 
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“Sentimental Journey”

Gonna take a Sentimental Journey,
Gonna set my heart at ease.
Gonna make a Sentimental Journey,
to renew old memories........

Never thought my heart would be so yearny,
Why did I decide to roam?
Gotta take that Sentimental Journey,
Sentimental Journey Home.
Sentimental Journey..........

S/SGT Bernard I. Friedenberg