Camping at home

Well here I am again, just coming back from a camping trip. Nothing like having your house for a tent. By that I mean the power has been out for the past eleven hours. The last time my power was out for any length of time was December 2005. The power was out for four days. Luckily I had some church members near by that had a generator and an extra bed for those cold nights. I learned some lessons from that experience. Obviously, not enough.

The meteorologists have been predicting this snow storm since last week. Unlike most Southerners and South Carolinians especially, I do not immediately run to the Grocery Store every time the weather man or woman says the word "Snow". So far this winter the Meteorologists have predicted "Winter Weather" three times, including this go round. The first time most of the jurisdiction got a lot of snow, mostly were Casey lives, whilst I received nothing. Second time same situation. Third time I get a big snow ball in my face.

On the way home last night Casey called me and let me know that it was in fact snowing in the northern part of the jurisdiction, where we live. By the time I actually got home the snow was sticking to the ground, but not the concrete, so...no worries. By the time I went to bed after midnight there was two and a half inches on the ground, still a no go on the concrete.

Now for you all up North, two and a half inches is a great snow for us. However, unlike the snow up North, this stuff is still wet. When it hits the ground it does not move for anyone. When they congregate together, it makes a mound of Ice that happens to look like snow.

Everyone always makes fun of us because when it snows, everything shuts down. No schools, no business, no government. Even with the South Carolina Department of Transportation plowing and dumping sand like we are at the beach, the roads are still treacherous. Unless you have the skills to drive on solid ice for an extended period of time, you keep yourself at home or walk. My Father could tell you stories about Folks from up North that move to the South and think that they can drive just because it is snowing and subsequently end up in the nearest ditch or in the rear of his Patrol Car.

Also, if you live around trees, expect to have limbs or the whole tree come down. Our trees are not used to the extra weight of the ice. They only get it once maybe twice a year. Once the snow becomes ice the trees start shedding the extra pounds. I usually take a walk to see the sights and to see if the SCDOT has gotten around to clearing the nearest road. It is usually very peaceful and soothing to see everything coated in white. Then, you hear a load crack from up above. Next thing I know I am running and tactical rolling out of the way of icicles and a huge limb.

Anyway, this morning I woke up to this unknown chirping noise that was not my bird. After my brain woke up enough to realize that it was the alarm system letting me know that the power was out. I grabbed my phone and looked at the time. It was 0535 hours...great, nothing like starting my Saturday morning at the same time I start every other day. So, I stumble out of bed, using the phone for a light (where my mag light that I kept for just such instances went I still do not know), to go tell the Alarm to shut up. Once done I called the power company to let them know that I would like their services back. After a few minutes of navigating the automated answering services I get the acknowledgment, "We know the power is out in your area due to a Winter Weather event. At this time we don't know when we will have your services back on." Awesome.

I decided that with the power possibly off for days, I figured I might as well get going.

Priority one: Move Frozen and cold essentials to a cooler. One thing I learned from the 2005 Ice Storm, even if the house is 35 degrees, it does not mean that the Cold box will keep anything. Lets just say that it was a mess.

So, I got the cooler out of the garage after procuring a proper flashlight. I opened the freezer and grabbed the bag of Ice that I now keep for just such occasions and what the Ice make made before it died. I then began moving the essentials to the cooler. I now realize that I need to work on my shopping skills. My cooler only had to hold a pint of Ice Cream, a gallon of Milk, and three packages of lunch meats. At least I did not have to worry about fitting it all in there.

Priority two: Heat. This one was easy, all I had to do was turn on the gas logs and wait for day light.

With nothing better to do, I grabbed a notepad and pen and started taking notes for this entry.

Once the Sun decided to get up, I took a look outside. As usual, at some point during the night the snow turned from snow, to a two inch layer of snow and one inch coating of ice. At least for the time being I would not be needing any more ice for the cooler. However, I figured at some point the snow/ice would melt and I would need ice. So, I grabbed a few extra water bottles and stuck them outside to freeze. So, far they have yet to freeze, even though it has been twenty degrees all day.

I then proceeded to take a walk down the hill and see the sights (and dodge the falling ice and limbs). Nothing like free tactical training. On the way back I took this picture:

With the exercises done I went back home and started reading. A few hours later I had a heart attack when the power came back on and the Alarm clock in the guest bedroom decided to play a random radio station at full volume.

I then called the Power Company to thank them for their speedy response.

Now, I am off for some more tactical exercises and to check on the neighbors.

Semper Fi Deus

Goose

A Combat Engineer's Tale: Give Me Five Years And You Will Not Recognize Germany Again

Bridges. A piece of architecture that most of us hardly even notice...unless of course, your traveling through Charleston, SC and are afraid of heights. I am speaking of the Silas N. Pearman and John P. Grace Memorial Bridges (if you ever went over the Cooper River prior to 2005 you know what I am talking about). You also might take note when one is missing and need to cross a river, railroad tracks, or a big hole in the ground.

You would also take note of the bridges if you ever had to build one quick, fast, and in a hurry, while under intense shelling and sniper fire. My Grandfather has a picture marked of him during one such instance, helping to piece together a Baily bridge over the river Salm in Belgium. The exact place was the town of Vielsalm, Belgium. The date was the morning of January 17, 1945. The Allies had just begun their push into Vielsalm. The first infantryman used boats, any boats, to get across the river. However, to get more men and materials across temporary bridges had to be erected.

Shortly after dawn on the 17th the battle had already begun and the opposite bank of the river already captured. All the Engineers had to do was get the bridges up. My Grandfather said that he was glad that his Lieutenant and Captain, both had an extensive knowledge of how to build bridges. Usually the Bailey bridges were mostly pieced together ahead of time, behind the front line. The work made all the more import, my Grandfather said, as one of the Pontoons ferrying soldiers was hit by an 88 (88mm Anti-Aircraft Gun, often used as an Artillery piece). He said that they never actually came under sniper fire, but every once in a while you would hear the crack of a bullet wizzing over their heads.

As the Germans withdrew back into Germany they destroyed every bridge they left behind. They also destroyed buildings, left dead horses, trucks, tanks and mines in the roadways. Anything to try and slow down the Allied push into Germany. Almost, every river crossing had to be rebuilt before the Allies could forge ahead. My Grandfather recalled working with a British Company when building several bridges over the Maas and her canals in Holland.

Holland presented my Grandfather and the Company with several other new problems that also had to be overcome beside building bridges on the skeletons of the previous bridge. Usually if the Germans had time they would blow up the dikes and dams in order to flood entire areas. Not only would the Combat Engineers have to build the bridges but they would have to repair the dikes and the dams. My Grandfather said that the British crews were top notch when it came to fixing a dam and getting the water back out of a particular area. He said that he personally only had to work on one dam, but he heard about a lot of others.

After Holland came Germany. Everything that the 75th had been through up until this point had been a cake walk compared to what was coming. There would be no more happy civilians to give them shelter in the freezing nights. No more liberations. From here on it was German territory, the mother land, their land, their homes, their families. The Germans would make the Allies pay for every inch of German dirt taken.

The Rhine crossing must have been one of the worst for my Grandfather, because when that page came up he did not say anything, even when I asked him a question. I decided it was time to take a break from memory lane and we went back inside. It was getting dark out on the porch anyway. Upon entering the house my Grandfather went into the kitchen for a glass of water and I received "the Look" from my Grandmother. I know now that my Mother gets "the Look" honestly. I paid my Grandmother no heed and sat down in the TV room.

A few minutes later my Grandfather came in and joined me. I opened the book back up and we continued. He chose to skip right to post-war Europe and his time in Cologne, Germany and Paris, France. Germany would never be the same. Hundreds of years worth of history lost to American and British bombs. Entire Neighborhoods, Cities really, flattened. My Grandfather and the Engineers were tasked with helping to of course get the infrastructure back up. Every once in a while he would also take up guard duty at a gate to temporary American camp in Cologne.

He recounted one time late in the day when he and one of his buddies were standing out at the gate on a busy street. They were down the street from a bakery and it was well past lunch. My Grandfather noticed a man come out of the bakery with a fresh loaf of bread and put it in the basket of his bicycle. The man started peddling feverishly up the hill towards them. As the man got in front of the gate, my Grandfather decided to stop him. Something to the effect of "Stop! You need to be searched!" Yet in German. A simple phrase that my Grandfather picked up.

However, he failed to mention who should stop as he did not point anyone out. Well everyone on the street stopped, small children being walked home by their mothers, construction workers, a dump truck hauling rubble, and several people on bicycles. They all stopped and they all turned and looked at him. Even his buddy. Several seconds went by as he tried to figure out what he needed to do now. The people on the street began to wonder what was going on as the seconds ticked by.

Eventually he pointed to the man that just came from the bakery and motioned him over. He waved everyone else about their business. The man got off his bike and came over as the rest of the street slowly returned to the original pace. The man started asking questions in German. My Grandfather looks around and saw that the street had returned to normal and told the man to move along. The man looked at him questioningly, before my Grandfather told him to move along again. This time the man got back on his bike and started peddling. He also started yelling something in German. My Grandfather could on assume that he was being cursed at. The man continued well out of earshot. My Grandfather and his friend burst out laughing, drawing more looks from the bystanders.

During the war the 75th division had one of the highest casualty rates during their time in the war. They would go from being called "The Diaper Division" due to their complete lack of combat experience, to "The Bulge Busters".

During that time I can only assume that my Grandfather lost many, many friends. Once home he would learn of more losses. He found out that his wife of three years, left him for another man and that she took his house and sold it. He had to move back home with his Mom and Dad. That is until he met my Grandmother a year later. The rest is history.

If I happen to get more stories from my Grandfather I will be sure to recount them here, so that hopefully the memories will not be lost to time.

Also, for clarification, the title quote is from a sign that was hung on a building in Cologne, Germany. The sign proclaims that it is a quote from Hitler, however, I cannot find any evidence that Hitler did or did not say it. Either way, the sign reads true. The Germany left behind after the rule of Hitler was very different, far more different than even Hitler might have wanted.


Semper Fi Deus

Goose

A Combat Engineer's Tale Continued: I didn't know the Thermometer could do that.

Jack Frost has apparently found his way to South Carolina. For the past week it has been hovering around freezing during the day and dipping into the low teens at night (Fahrenheit). For South Carolina this is cold, and for an entire week of it is just down right not natural. However, it does make one take appreciation for the fact that no matter where I am, I can have heat. Casey and I were out conducting Home Visits today in this coldness (again, this is cold for us) and it really brought home one the stories my Grandfather told me.

Back in 1944, in Belgium, the temperatures that I am seeing would have been a God send to the Soldiers. My Grandfather did not know the exact temperature, but he assured me that it was cold. He said that he had never been so cold in his life. To make matters worse it snowed almost constantly. With the cold came an inability to dig proper fighting holes...fox holes, sorry. Marines dig fighting holes, Army digs fox holes. Moving on. However, this did give my Grandfather something to do other than make bridges and plant mines. He and the rest of his platoon systematically checked and repaired any earthworks between the lines. Every once in a while they would help with the "fox holes" if need be.

With the issue of the cold I asked how they stayed warm. He said simply that it was difficult. After a little time to think, he continued. He said that while the were on the front lines, they were not allowed to start or make a fire. Smoking a cigarette was out as well. With no fires they had to bundle up. With the limited supplies in the department of clothing, when ever they had the chance to go to town, they stocked up. Pickings were slim there as well, with the German occupation having ground any type of commerce to a halt and the Allies not conducting themselves much better, lets just say demand exceeded supply.

He then went on to say that it got so cold at night that he could not sleep for shivering, even when the shelling did not keep them awake. To stay alive they huddled together. The odd job did not hurt either. Digging a hole, making earthworks, and planting mines meant moving, which kept you warm, to a point. However, clearing a minefield under sniper fire and shelling would also help to get the blood going.

But usually the only times they would ever actually thaw out was when they were pulled back from the front lines. There they could build a small fire. This was made difficult with the wet tinder and fuel. But, this was easily rectified by prying open a rifle casing or two to get things started. Once or twice, he said, a local would take pity on them and invite them into there home, give them food and lodging for the night. This practice was highly discouraged by the brass, but when your cold, who cares.

Here, I make it seem as if the battle raged in one spot for weeks at a time. But, this was not the case. The battle lines were always moving. For the Allies it was mostly forward, once the 75th and the rest of the reinforcement showed up to the fight.

With this ever changing battle line my Grandfather and his platoon were often called on to fix a tank that slipped into a ditch after having first pulled it out of the road to clear up traffic. Keeping the roadways clear was an ever present hurdle. Sometimes, they were not pulling a Sherman out of the way, but a Panzer or Tiger tank that the Germans had to leave behind. If the Allies advanced quick enough to keep the Germans from flipping those monstrosities, the engineers got lucky. Flipping through the pages of the book I saw a picture of a Tiger Tank upside down.

For those of you that do not know a Tiger tank weighs around 55 tons, only ten tons less than a modern M1A2 Abrams.

I looked closely at the picture to see a crater or some other kind of evidence as to how the feat was accomplished. Seeing none, I turned to my Grandfather. He said sometimes they used explosives, if they were in a hurry. Explosives being expensive and harder to come by at this time for the Germans. But, usually they would use another tank, and pulleys if they had them. I asked if he ever saw it done and he said no. That he only suspected. Because that is how they usually righted the Tigers or dragged them out of the way.

Then came a little picture of a contraption that looked an awful lot like a still. My Grandfather was quick to point out that despite the fact that they would have enjoyed a good swig of shine, water was more important. With that came a rather important job, maintaining, guarding, cooking, and purifying water. Funny how he always side stepped the questions about guarding or where those rifle shells came from.

To be continued...

Semper Fi Deus

Goose