I toyed with this prompt for a couple days, trying to find an event that wasn't a war or the Great Depression, but in the end, those tend to be what we remember (and what we teach) any time we talk about history. My dad's Uncle Bud served in World War II, and this is part of a profile I wrote for his service.
Rosario Thomas 'Bud' Aloisio
Enlistment Date: 30 Oct. 1942
Discharge Date: 20 Dec. 1945 (division inactivated)
[Above: 104th division insignia]
Bud was part of the 104th Infantry division known as the Timberwolves, so named because the division trained in the northwestern United States. It was also one of the first divisions specifically trained to fight in nighttime conditions, hence the nickname “Nightfighters.” "Nothing in hell must stop the Timberwolves" was their slogan.
The 104th was ordered into active military service in September 1944, saw combat in Belgium, Holland, and Germany under the command of Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen, and returned to the United States on July 3, 1945. 1,119 of its men had been killed in action.
Sources: U.S. Army Center of Military History website and Timberwolves: The Story of the 104th Infantry Division
From Bud’s nephew & godson:
“Your grandma used to tell us this story about Uncle Bud in WWII. He was one of the few GIs who had graduated from high school, and so he was given the job of writing to the parents of the boys who had been killed. He had to send them a little note and he also put any small articles of the soldier's in the envelope. It bothered him terribly. He was a very thoughtful, decent man. You would never know it by his wicked sense of humor.”
From Bud's grand-niece: "There's also the story about how Uncle Bud was writing a letter home and saying he hadn't seen Pete (his brother, also serving at that time). The story goes that Uncle Pete was behind him reading the letter over his shoulder and said, "Well then why don't you look behind you, ya horse's ass."
Sadly, Bud didn't just witness history; he had to write to people about the end of their loved ones' histories.
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