For Phil and his company, the endless days and interminable glacial nights featured the normal firefights that came with vigorous patrolling, as well as some of the most bitter give-and-take small engagements the division ever had ever encountered.[1]

The wear and tear on Phil and the frontline men was palpable. 

There were times when they were upright and walking, but they were practically sound asleep. Exhaustion took a dreadful toll as many reached their physical and mental limits.

The unimaginable conditions were so terrible that Phil could only marvel at the resilience of his men.

There were two men to a hole, taking turns watching out for the enemy or catching some z’s. Looking out into the pitch darkness, the men would hear a variety of frightening, nerve-racking sounds.

Alternating two hours on watch with two hours of sleep did not allow much rest.

After a strenuous day of work and patrolling, the men had to resist falling asleep on guard duty because falling asleep on guard duty was one of the most serious offenses in the Army.

One night, while freezing in their foxhole, two of his men were startled by the noise of one of their booby traps exploding. For the rest of the night, they held their weapons at the ready, expecting an attack.

In the morning, however, to their relief, they discovered it had been a false alarm. Two rabbits had triggered the trap, and their dead bodies lay sprawled on the ground, frozen fragments of flesh and fur—which resulted in a warm, wonderful stew for the squad later that day.[1]

~~~~~

[1] Larimore, At First Light, 181-182.

In case you haven’t read or listened to Dad’s book, you can learn more or order it here.

© Copyright WLL, INC. 2025.