My great-grandfather, Charles, grew up in Mound, MN, on a farm during tough times. He helped on the farm and helped his father deliver mail. He put others before himself. At 22-years old, he received a letter (in March of 1943) telling him he had been drafted into the Army.  He was sent to Fort Jackson in South Carolina and then to Europe in 1944.

My great Grandfather, Charles Whittakers job was with the motor pool Headquarters.  Driving vehicles wherever the officers told him to drive, day after day. December 11th of 1944 Germans came through the area surrounding the 106th infantry division that was located in Belgium. Charles was now a part of the Battle of the Bulge.

My great-grandfather on December 16th, during the battle of the bulge, drove an officer back to Vero Stone to set up a motor pool. Halfway through the drive, they came up to a crossroad guarded by military police were directing traffic. They asked where they were going and Charles told them Vero Stone. Military police told them to go away that was not familiar to Charles. Charles had gone the route many times and knew it was not the way. After telling the Military police they would not go that way, they did not make a scene out of it and let them proceed. Turns out the Military Police were Germans dressed as Americans. The way they were directing people to go was to a German camp where they would have been killed.

My great-grandfather, for his time in the army, serving his country, his freedom of speech. His decision making that night saved his life. If he would have followed the directions from the disguised Germans, I would have never been born. The number of people he brought into this world, my family, would not have happened. It's a crazy thought and I can't thank him enough.