Posted by Thomas Hartsock
on April 30, 2009, 10:50 pm
69.138.45.238
My father, Richard M. Hartsock was a Sargent in the 84th Inf.Div. in WWII. After the war he went to Georgetown University and obtained a JdL, stayed in the reserve and eventually became both a Jag Col.Res. and a Federal Judge. Dad never spoke of his experiences and only mentioned one guy a polish/german corporal from Wisconson as his friend who agreed to be left behind in Russian occupied Germany as a spy after the war.
My Dad, my best friend, passed away on Jan 22, 2008 and is buried a Arlington Cemetary near the cartoonist Bill Mauldin.
Does anyone still alive know of him, or may have known him all those years ago during the bitter cold of the Bulge. Dad spoke german, so was pulled off the line in Feb of 1945 and made into an MP for interogation of prisioners, thats all I know.
Dad was no hero, and claimed that he "just stayed alive" during the war and that the artillery was beyond anyones worst nightmares. He suffered from nightmares all of his life, constantly grinding his teeth so loud that would wake us children rooms away.
Dad also drank, and became alchoholic untill he quit at age 67 and never touched a drop for the last years of his life. He credited AA for that. He was my hero and I'll miss him until the day I pass on. There was so much he never told me, so much I wish he would have told me about his experiences, whenever he tried he would breakdown and weep, his deep voice quivering. Now, that he is gone, I wish I could know more about him.
The things he did tell me were of a comical nature, and one story of shooting at the Russians across a river after they had been taking potshots at Americal soldiers after hostilities ceased.
Also, he told me of "trading" some "hooch" to some Russian soldiers and finding a young Russian female soldier apparently willing (he thought), when he put the moves on her- she practically broke his neck!
Thanks for your time and patience in reading this. I respectfully ask for your feedback.
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