Sixty-nine years ago this month, the Battle of the Bulge raged across Europe's Ardennes Forest as the Allies fought in brutal arctic weather to contain Hitler's last great counteroffensive.
One veteran—and one of NYC's oldest homeless men—still battles the elements.As it snows today, I can't help but think about Richard Musto, an 89-year old WWII Battle of the Bulge veteran whom I met serendipitously in the early morning hours of a recent Friday at a McDonald's in New York City.
Lucid and with a voice and personality similar to Burgess Meredith, he turned to me and asked, "Would you like a frankfurter? They are fresh."
I was touched by his kind offer. "I'm OK, thank you," I replied as I wolfed down a Big Mac.
"I think I'm going to donate the extra franks to the VA," Musto said.
Gnats hovered around him, along with a distinct odor, but I sensed a warmth, charm, and sense of dignity.
I also noticed he sported a hat festooned with a US First Army, 6th Armored Division and 2nd Armor Division pin, which said "Hell on Wheels."
"Were you in the 6th Armored Division in WWII?" I inquired.
"No, I was in a field artillery outfit that supported them—37mm anti-tank guns, pea shooters that didn't do shit against German Panzers," he explained. "You know it would take five Shermans to take out a Tiger tank?"
More @ Breitbart
Would be interesting to know "The Rest of the Story".
ReplyDeleteCertainly would.
Delete