Spring 2021 | On Point: The Journal of Army History
“The general public largely sees all World War II veterans through the same ‘Greatest Generation’ lens. Each veteran’s experience during the war was different. Moore goes to great lengths to emphasize that the story of the 10% that served directly in combat is unique and must be told. These men came home changed. America had changed as well, but most Americans did not understand what combat soldiers faced. They had done unspeakable things, not to be heroes, or because they reveled in combat, but because they wanted to survive and return home. Alfred Endres was a changed man who dealt with the horrors of war by keeping quiet until the death of his wife allowed some of his experience to bubble to the surface. We must thank Louise Endres Moore for writing it down.”
~ Captain Jamie McGrath, USN-Ret., Blacksburg, Virginia
“Listen carefully.
War does not feel good
to those who have
given the most.”
We almost didn’t know.
For 57 years, Alfred told his family he had been a barber, chauffeur, and German language translator during World War II within the U.S. Army. But following the death of his wife, Alfred started sharing with his daughter Louise a glimpse into his actual experiences. What began as a weekly napkin-capture of stories during nursing home visits with her dad became a nearly two decade deep dive into his true role in the war as a reluctant front-line machine gunner in Europe 1944-1945.
Intensely researched and thoroughly human, Alfred compiles a lifetime panorama of the experiences, emotions, and character of one infantryman who never wanted a part of the war but accepted it. He returned home, discernibly the gentle Wisconsin farmer he was when he left, to a family unaware of what he had done. And what he had survived.
Colonel Roger Aeschliman
35th Division, retired
“Weeping in reverence and gratitude, you will be touched by the simple statements of true heroism.”
Roberta RussO
35th Infantry Division Association Historian
“With extensive research, a father’s personal experience is lovingly woven into the history of the war in general.”
Rev. Brendan McKeough
Economics Instructor
Retired – St. Norbert College
“[This book’s] descriptions of war allow me to see it, feel it, and taste it. Readers will understand war in a way they never have.”
sara rosenberry
us embassy in luxembOurG
FOREIGN SERVICE, RETIRED
“A priceless reminder of what real patriotism looks like.”
kurt meyer
guest columnist for
wisconsin state journal
“…a daughter’s love for her father, her discovery of a hidden story…”
RAY CRARy
Vietnam-era veteran
“I could not put the book down.”