My wife took this pic today at the parade. It's one of our boys from the Sea Cadets. He just went off on his own for a moment. Gave this fine gentleman a 5 dollar bill... nuff said
One hundred years ago today, the guns of war fell silent in Europe. Dec 11, 1918 Dear Grace, Received your letter today and was so surprised to get it, that it was necessary to call the doctor who gave me some smelling salts and I recovered from the shock. I feel rather weak yet, but think I will be alright in the morning. I will in fact answer to this letter at once so don’t be alarmed and not write. I guess Howard is dead, as we haven’t heard from him since he was hit. The last I saw of him was on Aug 11th when he brought me a drink and helped put me in the ambulance. I did not think then it would be the last time I would see him. The shells were bursting all around us then. Grace you or anyone else who hasn’t been under heavy shellfire cannot realize what it is. I have seen one shell kill 16 men and wound some of them fatally 20 or thirty more. I have helped to bury men who were killed at the same time a horse was killed and you couldn’t tell what was horse or what was man. It looks funny to see a man go flying up in the air higher than the trees. They look like an old shirt. Well Grace, on the morning of Nov 11, I was in charge of over 1,000 men and we were having a pretty bloody fight when they ordered us to stop fighting. That was at 8:30 in the morning, but the artillery on both sides continued to fire until 11 o’clock. At about 10 minutes of eleven all the guns on both sides opened up, and there was a little hell there for 10 minutes. When it all ceased and everything was quiet, I was riding down a road on a horse when this happened, and it was the most peculiar sensation I ever had. I rode out on the battlefield there was quite a lot of dead lying on the field and they were carrying the wounded in. These men were murdered because everyone was sure the Armistice would be signed. Still we attacked the enemy. Did Eva feel very badly when she learned that Howard was dead? Poor girl I feel sorry for her. I wish I could come home but it will be quite a while yet as the 28th is in the Army of Occupation. I suppose we will go into Germany. I hope all the people in McKinney Hollin are well. Good Bye Grace, Ernest
Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to the brave men and women, past and present, that suit up and defend our great nation. Here's a shot just before our Cub Scout marched in a parade in honor of America's heroes.
