Semper Anticus

Rita Kirchgassner

Description

Each year we lose members of the Greatest Generation, and with them, living, firsthand accounts of World War II. Fortunately, there are written accounts, but they can be difficult to find.In Semper Anticus, author Rita Kirchgassner, with the assistance of Hugh F. Foster III, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel, and Dave Kerr gives readers a day-by-day of account of the 157th Infantrys Service during WWII. Combining morning reports and after-action reports detailing the activity of the 157th Infantry obtained from the National Archives, along with her fathers notes and the accounts of her recent journey to several battle sites, Kirchgassner focuses primarily on the military action of the men of Company C. She also shares what it was like to experience thunderbird weather as part of the 45th Division. Read the details of her fathers miraculous survival after being wounded in battle. The author researched and visited some of the graves of those who did not return to America after the war. Personal photos and Signal Corps photos from World War II enhance the book.Semper Anticus is a glimpse of family history and that of the United States. Learn part of what makes The Greatest Generation great.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Inspiring Voices
• Date de parution: 28 mai 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781462411245
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 14 Mo

Extrait

Semper Anticus
 
 
Rita Kirchgassner
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2015 Rita Kirchgassner.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
All opinions on family and military history are mine unless otherwise noted. Many are speculation based on history. Any errors in transcribing the primary records were not intentional.
Jared Leiker authored the blogs documenting our journey to Europe in 2013. Mark Kirchgassner and Krista Kirchgassner also offered thoughts and memories from the journey.
 
 
Inspiring Voices
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4624-1123-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-1124-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015906673
 
 
Inspiring Voices rev. date: 10/17/2016
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1 Seventy Years Later
Chapter 2 Sicily: The Sword of Damocles
Chapter 3 Italia: Omnes Viae Roman Ducunt (All Roads Lead to Rome)
Chapter 4 Hades
Chapter 5 Roma Pax
Chapter 6 Gaul
Chapter 7 Germania
Epilogue
Appendix Military Biography: LTC Hugh F. Foster III, USA (Ret.)
For John Schweisthal,
lest we forget that without his heroic deed our journey in 2013 would not have come to pass.

John Schweisthal
Preface
2016
THE FIRST PRINTING OF SEMPER ANTICUS was completed in June of 2015. After reviewing the book this past year, I made some additions and corrected spelling errors that were unintentionally missed. Thanks to my brother John and Hugh F. Foster III for their assistance during this time of revision. Hugh provided additional information on the soldiers who served in Company C during World War II.
As you read this book, please know that it is not meant to be an analysis or an intellectual insight to the Forty-Fifth Infantry Division’s role in World War II. It is just a daughter documenting what she discovered during her years of research. I can only hope that all who read about my father’s life experience will be as in awe as I am.
Semper Anticus is transalated as “Always Forward,” and was the motto of the Forty-Fifth Infantry Division. Today, it becomes my motto also. I want to ensure my father’s story always goes forward—to his descendents.
Acknowledgments
T H A NK S GO F I R ST T O MY S A V IOR , Jesus Christ . He has blessed me abundantly throughout my life, especially with family and friends , who have shared in my dream to bring this manuscript to completion .

Kirchgassner Family 1987

Sharon Decker, Kathy A. Klump. (1 st Row)
2 nd Row: Rita Kirchgassner, Kathy Hartman, Sally Wells, Kathy Schmeltzer, Roseann Fuernstein, Bernadette Lewis. (2 nd Row)
Kathy Klump, Rita Klump, Cindy Hilty, Mary Booker, Skip Henlein, Lisa Nobbe and Kristen Hartman. (3 rd Row)

Without their support as I worked through the material, this manuscript would not have come together. Thanks to Floyd Trossman, Essie Adams, the John Schweisthal family, and Phyllis Dealy. Their editorial advice came at a time when I did not know if I could do my part of the project. They offered encouragement when I needed it most, easing my doubts. Thanks also to Zac Wyse for the prayer support and Brooke Livingston, a student at Lawrenceburg High School in Indiana, who helped me type the manuscript. She is a natural collaborator, and without her assistance I would not have met my personal deadline.

“Co - workers and students who assisted me during this project . ”
Left to Right: Steve Johnson, Daniel Backus, Angie Rowlett, Tyler Schwarz, Paul Terle, Shawn Lightner, Adam Oyler, Brooke Livingston, LeAnn Ambs and Bill Snyder.
I am grateful to Anne Seppala Kirchgassner for rechecking the facts from the National Archives in the manuscript. I do not think she knew what her husband, Mark, volunteered her for, but she said yes without hesitation. Robyn Kirchgassner, Rachel Mersmann, and Megan Swales assisted by typing and editing in the homestretch, making this a family affair. Denise Kirchgassner generously shared her artistic talent with the family and did the cartography. Lastly, John Grathwohl for investing in my latest adventure. (Remember Alaska?)
In reading the history of the Forty-Fifth Infantry Division, you will see many locations identified only with numbers. Lt. Col. Hugh F. Foster III, US Army (Ret.), noted one problem: during World War II the US military used a map of France from the 1920s. I didn’t have time to research for something more specific, so I am leaving that task to the next generation of Kirchgassners. Maybe with future advances in technology, they will be able to find the exact coordinates.
Special thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Foster, Dave Kerr, the Lilly Endowment, and Dr. Lise Pommois. All generously assisted with this project.
Any proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Anna Jo Kirchgassner Memorial Fund, which supports many local not-for-profit organizations or charities, All Saints Parish, including the Kitchen Mission.
The Kitchen Mission comprises of a group of volunteers who donate soup, breads and desserts for delivery to those in the surrounding communities who are ill, elderly or just to say hello. (My grandmother, Dorie Nordmeyer, fed anyone who came to her home, especially during the time of the Depression. Grandma always reminded me that any stranger could be an angel of God and not to turn anyone away. Her example and that of my mother, Anna Jo Kirchgassner, who also cooked food for others, primarily the parish priests, are the ones who have inspired me to volunteer my time to the Kitchen Mission.)

Volunteers for Kitchen Mission: Left to right-Tom Peters, Whitey Widolff, Bev Graf, Mary Bittner, Denny Gaynor, Floyd Trossman, Gerri Stutz, Skip Henlein, Theresa and Mark Widolff, Cindy Hornbach, Rita Klump, Amy Graf and Connie Heil.

Dan and Judy Kirchgassner’s family Mark and Krista’s Wedding June 2014
The Yor kville Boys
My dad wa s an Indiana farm boy .
Depression raised, and like his childhood fri ends,
Left the lean ti mes in Yorkv ille
To f ight in a war for oth er people’s fre edom.
From tractors to t an ks,
Fishing boats to ba ttles hips,
They serve d on all fronts with h o nor.
All gave a lot; several gave all.
Ho me from the war
They married, raised famil ies, and lived in F ai th.
They never seemed to replay the war,
but i t left a large scar de ep into their s ouls.
As they fade one by one i nto the su nset,
And th e last Taps is pl ayed,
It begs the same ol d ques tion:
Where have all the good men gone?
-Dan Kirchgas sner
January 13, 2015
Introduction
[M A Y BE I HAVE BEEN dr i v en to research and record family history for the past forty years because I was the only one in my family not named after a relative. My mother would never divulge why I was called Rita Kay , a name not in the family heritage. I guess since I could never point to a family member whose given name I shared , I at least wanted to find out more about my surname . My siblings and I had that much in common .
My brothers and sisters have supported my research over the years, but they will admit that I follow a different trail and probably inherited a rare combination of family genes. Or maybe I am different due to my allergies. My mother told me that as an infant I was raised on goat’s milk, the only substance my body would tolerate without side effects. Even today, I’m still looking for ways to account for who I am.
Sometimes my siblings are not eager to discuss the family lineage with me. As the family story unfolds, maybe you will understand the hesitancy. But family history has helped define who I am today, and I want to entrust this inheritance to my descendants. Then I can be sure that this history will not dissipate and may be expanded upon by the next generation.

Kirchgassner family with John Grathwohl and Rita February 1986 Anne, Dad, Mom, Rita, John, Essie and John. (1 st Row) John, Carmen, Mark, Judy, Dan, Mary and Floyd. (2 nd Row)
My desire to research and write this book, Semper Anticus (“Always Forward,” the motto of the Forty-Fifth Infantry Division), has deep roots. As far back as I can remember, I have loved tales from history. I was always enthralled by stories of Christian martyrs, ancient Greece and Rome, the medieval period, and the patriots of the American Revolution. I could never read enough about the heroes or the heroines, real or mythical, who defied the odds or maybe even the gods to complete a quest for the sole purpose of defending their native lands or upholding family honor.
The stories I most treasure raise questions. For example, I always wonder if I would have been as courageous as Antigone, who felt it was her duty to bury her brother with all rites