Upon graduating from high school, Fred enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1943. He served in World War II as an infantryman in the 87th Division in Europe. The 87th’s first campaign was the Saar where the untested American troops held their ground against a German night attack. Moving eastward in a convoy, Fred was wounded in the head by a shrapnel fragment. He returned to the front for the Ardennes Campaign, fought hand-to-hand combat in snow 4 feet deep at -30° to -40° defending tank, artillery and infantry attacks, helping stop the Germans from reaching Antwerp in the Battle of the Bulge – the greatest land battle in American history led by General George Patton and a key to victory in Europe. The 87th’s third campaign was Rhineland, the crossing of the Rhyne and Mosel Rivers, where the “Butcher’s Bill” was terribly high, as many Americans gallantly paid with their lives as the horrific price of victory. His final campaign was Central Europe, taking the former German capitol of Weimar and the Buchenwald Death Camp, the site of the murder of millions of innocent victims. Fred’s decorations include a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry, Good Conduct, European Theater w/4 battle stars, and WWII Victory Medals. Fred is 98 and resides in Villa Park.