Chapter 1: On the Front Lines: Forever a Soldier (Experiencing War, Veterans History Project, Library of Congress)

Experiencing War (Companion to the New Book -- Forever a Soldier): Stories from the Veterans History Project

The terrains change, the face of the enemy may be different, but so much, ranging from Pearl Harbor to the beaches and trenches of France to the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of the Middle East, has a familiar ring. There are the physical hardships that can't be mitigated by advanced technology. There is the noise, the confusion, the chaos, and the uncertainty of battle, no matter how great the odds are in your favor. And there is the longing for peace, for the calm of a day without bullets or bombs.

Portrait of 2nd Lt. Albert M. Hassenzahl,
age 21 (1942).

ALBERT M. HASSENZAHL

When paratrooper Albert Hassenzahl landed in France in the early morning darkness of June 6, 1944, he wasn't alone. But for a moment, with no one--friend or foe--visible, it did seem that way. He was wounded a short time later and evacuated, but he returned to Europe to participate in the Market Garden operation and the Battle of the Bulge. Hassenzahl recorded his war memories years later, alone in his study, after a younger neighbor's casual remark prompted him to realize the historical importance of what he had experienced.