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War is Hell
By Bob Rhoades
We’ve heard that war is hell many times. It’s been hell on earth
for a lot of people since time began and the first argument was had
between two people. Many people don’t stop to think how many
lives are affected and how long they are affected from what happens in
war.
Today is April 6th and 66 years ago today my dad, 1st LT. Eugene F.
Rhoades found out about war being hell. In the Argonne Forest
during the Battle of the Bulge, he paid the extreme price. It was
said that the life expectancy of a forward observer was something like
2 minutes and he proved it. He was buried in Holland. My
first recollection of anything involving him was when I was three or
four and his body was returned to us. I remember waiting at
Zechar Bros. on East Third St. My dad’s coffin arrived on the
morning passenger train at the Pennsylvania RR Station on Washington
Ave. He was given a full military funeral and buried at the
Harris Creek Cemetery near Bradford on the family plot.
Back then there was very little support for families. As I grew
older I learned bits and pieces of his life. I know that he
graduated from Miami University and taught school here in the
county. I believe that his last teaching assignment before going
to the war was at the one room school on 571 and Culbertson Rd. which
is now a residence.
Some of the things that I didn’t know I found out quite by
accident. My Uncle George told me once that he saw my dad the day
before he was killed when he ran into him as a company runner
collecting the mail for his unit. That was cool. When
my grandmother died, his only surviving brother showed me a letter he
received from my dad also written the day before he died. My dad
talked about how they were going to start a dairy farm when they got
home and how good life would be. That was amazing. I
couldn’t believe what I was reading because no one had ever said
anything about that. I would have been a farmer and would have
worked with my dad. Maybe my kids would have done the same things.
War is hell. It really does change lives – forever. The
last time my dad was mentioned in the press was his obituary in the
Daily Advocate. He deserves to be mentioned again and today is as
good a day as any. Thanks dad for what you did and for who you
were. RIP – April 6, 1945 a day that will live in infamy for me
for sure.
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