Miska Says Blue Lives Matter

SSgt Robert Jorgensen thanks for the read/share: "Duty honor country" RIP!
The Loss of a Great American : Cpl Anton Dietrich
A few years ago, Miska and I met one of this nation’s great Americans, Cpl Anton Dietrich, a WWII War Hero. Sadly I was informed by his daughter that he passed away, Friday February 16th, 2018 at the St. Albans Veterans Hospital, Queens NY he was 98.

Cpl Anton Dietrich, from Richmond Hills, Queens, was drafted into the Army in 1941 and was assigned to the 39th Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.

He fought in Tunisia, landed in Sicily as well as Normandy, and spent 32 months at Walter Reed Medical Center when a mortar shell tore into his legs, arm and back.

Cpl Dietrich took part in the invasion of North Africa when a German airplane torpedoed his ship and he spent 16 hours stranded before a British boat picked him up.

From there, Cpl Dietrich fought against the Germans at El Guetta and Sedjenane in Tunisia during the North African Campaign and also helped capture cities and take prisoners through Sicily and Norway. He was finally seriously wounded by the mortar shell on July 12, 1944 and taken out of commission.

After all this, Dietrich married his wife Charlotte on June 3, 1945 while he was still in a body cast recovering at Walter Reed.

Because the 9th Infantry Division was an already battle-hardened outfit, with several combat campaigns already under their belts, they did not land on the beaches during D-Day when the invasion of France began early on the morning of June 6, 1944.

Anton and the rest of the 9th Division instead landed on Utah Beach on D-Day four days (June 10th) as part of two U.S. Infantry Divisions now on the beachhead with previous combat experience with orders to fight their way inland. It was during this drive inland several weeks after landing on Utah Beach that the war ended for Anton.

As Anton explained it, "I was hit by a mortar shell which nearly tore my right arm off. I still to this day don't know how but I was able to get up and run about 100 feet to the command post where a buddy of mine, after applying a tourniquet, kicked down a wooden door and used it as a stretcher to transport me to a field medic who saved my life."

A Purple Heart and several surgeries later, medical staff were able to save Anton's arm but the nerve damage was so severe that his right arm remained totally disabled.

He finally left the Army on April 28, 1947 as a Corporal and moved to the same block of 89th Avenue in Richmond Hill where he grew up.
Cpl Anton Dietrich has shown the type of bravery and resilience that every American should aspire to. “His actions in battle are a testament to why he and all of the other heroes that fought during World War II are truly part of the Greatest Generation.”

TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) SGT Philip Roncari SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 Jack Cardwell]] COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] PO1 Tony Holland CPL Dave Hoover A1C Ian Williams SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter

Excellent share Robert, thank you.