Herbert W. Ridyard was born in July 1925 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He lived a very basic life when growing up. There was no bathroom or other fineries in the row home. Discipline was strict with his parents. His mother was a sweet woman from Scotland. She was very frugal. His father grew up in England and became a machinist during World War 1. He met his future wife in Scotland while he was a shipbuilder. Both parents had entered the United States by 1924. Ridyard's father went to work for Bethlehem Steel [Annotator's Note: Bethlehem Steel Corporation] and did shipbuilding piece work during the Great Depression. Although he lost his job in the machine shop, he was given a job as a watchman in the pump house which provided power for the shipyard. He was never laid off during the difficult times of the Depression. He was a very dedicated man who taught his son the principles of honesty. Ridyard was never hungry during the tough times. School was good for Ridyard. He celebrated when his childhood nemesis had a bad time. Ridyard's teacher taught him to pay attention. He made excellent scores on classwork as a result. He was skinny and not good at sports. The neighborhood boys played sports together. Ridyard had a difficult time with sports but joined in and it was fun. There were multi-ethnic and heritage youngsters but arguments never escalated. They were all great friends. As the war escalated in Europe, Ridyard could tell neighbors had no interest in saving Europe as they felt they did in World War 1. His parents had family back in England and were sympathetic when the Battle of Britain occurred. Ridyard's grandfather in England died during those times although not directly from the German bombings. It was a very sad day. [Annotator's Note: Ridyard shows emotion.] Ridyard never saw any of his grandparents in England or Scotland. During the Battle of Britain, it was exciting to hear that the British shot down more German planes than they lost. When Ridyard and his friends watched the newsreels at the movie theater, they booed the Nazis. They disliked the Germans. They knew nothing of the Holocaust but saw Hitler's [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] rise in the 1930s. Ridyard was doing his homework and listening to a sportscast on the radio when the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] was given. It was a shock and very scary. The word was that 10,000 people had died. It was similar to the 9-11 attack [Annotator’s Note: terrorist attack on the United States on 11 September 2001].

Herbert W. Ridyard was in high school when he listened to President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] give his very dramatic speech asking Congress to declare war on the Japanese Empire. The President specified each of the individual attacks on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii], Midway [Annotator's Note: Midway Islands], Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands], and the Philippines. He said America would win the victory "so help me, God." Ridyard was upset that The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: Ridyard is likely referring to the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.] did not include the last portion of his speech. Ridyard felt in December 1941 that all he could do was his job which was to study his last two or three years in high school. He contributed to the war bond and scrap collection efforts. There were practice air raids where the household shades had to be lowered. Rationing began with his Boy Scout troop helping people through the lines to sign up. It made him proud to assist. Prior to America entering the war, Ridyard's older brother Tom had joined the National Guard. He was due to exit the Guard on 8 December 1941. [Annotator's Note: Ridyard chuckles at the irony.] Ridyard's brother, Tom, participated in the invasion of North Africa as a member of an antiaircraft outfit. The weapons he used showed how unprepared the country was to enter the war. The heavy machine gun that Ridyard ultimately would use was built in 1917. The German machine guns were built in 1942. Early news of the war indicated problems with faulty ammunition and torpedoes. The public paid attention to the progress of General MacArthur's [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area] forces in the Philippines. It was a shame when the Allies were cornered and had to give up. When Ridyard was a senior in high school, recruiters came to his school. The Army, Navy and Marines were represented. They each explained their programs. For the Army, it was the Army Specialized Training Program. It involved sending enlistees to college. Ridyard obtained his parents' approval and signed up in May 1943 when he was still 17 years of age.

Herbert W. Ridyard was called up for service on his birthday, 6 July [Annotator's Note: 6 July 1943]. He had previously signed up for the Enlisted Reserve Corps. He was sent to Cumberland [Annotator's Note: New Cumberland Army Depot in Fairview, Pennsylvania] in Pennsylvania for uniforms and shots. He was then sent by train to Camp Hood [Annotator's Note: now Fort Hood], Texas. Dinner in the mess hall included salt tablets. He washed the tablets down with coffee which was terrible. It made him sick. He went to the Red Cross tent and got some soup. Ridyard started basic training with 12 double decker bunks on each side of his barracks. Morning exercises preceded breakfast. The heat was intense but marching with full pack and rifle was what Ridyard needed. He liked Army chow and gained weight. He felt great. The officer on the ten mile marches pushed them but that was not a problem. The 20 mile hikes were tough. He worked through the pain and found out how much stamina he had. It prepared him for the rigors of combat and even postwar life. After four months, he received a pass to Waco, Texas. Obtaining the pass was not without incident with the officer of the day. Ridyard wanted to see girls but the Waco USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations] had too few females for too many males. He decided to go to Sunday school the next day at the Methodist church. Baylor College [Annotator's Note: now Baylor University in Waco, Texas] was nearby and girls attended the religious meeting. He met one and enjoyed her company even though she had to return to her dorm early in the day. Waco had wooden sidewalks just like in the cowboy movies. [Annotator's Note: Ridyard laughs.] After basic training, Ridyard was sent to the University of Florida [Annotator's Note: in Gainesville, Florida] in December [Annotator's Note: December 1943]. Ridyard and his chums thought they had it made. He took standard first year college classes. Physics gave Ridyard problems but he got through it. He loved the cafeteria food which was plentiful. He gained weight again. It was fun until February when a letter from the War Department notified him that the ASTP [Annotator's Note: Army Specialized Training Program] was being shut down. He was shocked to discover that he was to be sent to the infantry.

Herbert W. Ridyard joined the 94th Infantry Division in Mississippi. The division was going on maneuvers in Tennessee following one previous year of training in Kansas. He was trained as part of a group as a result. He joined the 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, Company H [Annotator's Note: 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] which was a heavy weapons company within the 2nd Battalion. There were two platoons of heavy machine guns with four guns each. There was also one platoon of heavy mortars in the heavy weapons company. He was the third man in his machine gun squad. His responsibility was to carry ammunition for the automatic weapon. He carried an M1 carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] for self-protection. The semi-automatic carbine and M1 Garand rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand] were far superior to the German rifles. Ridyard approved of his chain of command and squad members except for one individual. When Ridyard entered Camp McCain [Annotator's Note: near Grenada, Mississippi], he had trepidations. He discovered that the cross-section of troops from all parts of the country resulted in a good group of men. The company leadership was excellent. Ridyard was concerned about his reaction to entering combat. He did not know if he would respond responsibly or be a coward. He never disappointed himself. He was deployed overseas out of Camp Shanks in New York [Annotator's Note: in Orangetown, New York]. He had his first and last beer there. He had trouble walking after consuming it. He departed New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] harbor on the Queen Elizabeth. All 15,000 men in the division were aboard the ship. The ship was built in his mother's hometown in Scotland. During the voyage, he was posted guard to assure that there were no lights visible to submarines. It was refreshing to get on deck. Sometimes, he had duty below deck and that could be boring. Overall, the accommodations were good for him. The ship tacked back and forth, but no submarine could catch it. The vessel reached port in Scotland. Locals greeted the arriving troops. Food was provided as the men traveled by train to south England. It was tragic to see his southern friends become enraged when they saw a black soldier walking with a white girl at one of the stations. No matter, Ridyard still loved his southern fellow soldiers. The squad reached their destination in southern England and billeted in tents. They exercised to stay fit. Ridyard and his buddies managed to get leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. They met some women who were in the RAF, Royal Air Force. It was nice just to walk with them. He also had leave in London [Annotator's Note: London, England] and was accosted by multitudes of prostitutes. One of Ridyard's buddies, negotiated with some of them. That resulted in the police being called. The men hurriedly got back to camp. They prepared to go overseas. He was well trained and ready to do what he could for his country. His buddies helped him face what he had to do. Mail from home and a New Testament in his pocket also helped. The men joked about having that and toilet paper in their pockets and wondering if any of it would stop a bullet. Mail was an important morale booster. Buddies shared food from home. Socks or other clothes from his mother was appreciated. The extra insulation helped a lot in cold weather.

Herbert W. Ridyard landed in France in September 1944. Part of the division [Annotator's Note: 94th Infantry Division] was assigned to Lorient and the other to Saint-Nazaire. There were 60,000 Germans defending the area but the Americans simply surrounded the submarine pens there. The Germans ultimately would destroy the French ports so that supplies for the Allies had to come in via the Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France] beach facilities. The day of his arrival near Lorient [Annotator's Note: Lorient, France], Ridyard spotted a slit trench and retained that protective location in his memory. When German artillery fire came in, he made it for the trench. He prayed to survive the shelling. After it ceased, there was little local damage but from that point on for the next eight months, he lived with fear. It was not debilitating fear but nevertheless fear. It made a better soldier out of him and in the postwar world, he became more assertive than he had ever been. That was all due to his survival of his baptism of fire. After that, Ridyard dug a hole and strengthened it with wood from the first tree he had ever chopped down. He only stayed there briefly.

Herbert W. Ridyard's squad [Annotator's Note: 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] plus another machine gun squad was taken to the front line by the company captain [Annotator's Note: they were besieging German troops near Lorient, France]. The group was traveling in three jeeps when enemy fire was heard. The men dismounted and Ridyard and another man were sent forward to recon. Not finding any enemy troops, they moved out and formed up machine gun positions that enabled crossing fields of fire on their forward perimeter. They unwisely set up pup tents for a night of rest. When enemy rifle fire punched holes in the tents, that was the last time they used them at the front. Ridyard participated in other patrols without contact with the enemy. He did have a run-in with an officer after he threw a grenade to discourage any lurking Germans. His squad came in contact with FFI [Annotator's Note: Forces françaises de l'Intérieur or French Forces of the Interior], Free French troops. They were good men. Thanksgiving came and the men were provided with turkey. Christmas came and they erected a tree with homemade decorations. That was about the time that the news of the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945] was announced. The 94th Division was not immediately thrown into the combat, but it did not take long for that to happen.

Herbert W. Ridyard [Annotator's Note: as a member of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] moved out from Lorient, France and was shipped by rail to Reims, France in response to the German advance in the Ardennes [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. It took five days to get there. They were trucked in the extreme cold with insufficient insulated clothing. The men were freezing and in no mood for kidding around as they passed the military cemetery at Verdun and then saw body bags with frozen dead soldiers in them. His feet froze as it got colder and colder. To relieve yourself, two men would hold a man as he did his business off the moving vehicle's tailgate. The Siegfried Line was reached just below Luxembourg. The Germans built an extra line of defenses there. The villages in the area were full of Germans. There were tank ditches and dragon's teeth defenses set up. The 94th Division was not to be too involved with combat because the focus was north of Luxembourg. This was around 6 January [Annotator's Note: 6 January 1945]. The division was told to only attack with one battalion at a time. The 376th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division was selected to initiate the attack. They met with success. Ridyard's regiment was holding fast. One of his regiment's battalions made a failed attack while his battalion dug defensive positions. His foxhole protected him from the weather. The battle turned out to be a disaster with heavy casualties. General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] told the regiment that there would be more preliminary support for any future attacks. When Ridyard went to an aid station for medication for his diarrhea, he saw wounded Germans prisoners there. He felt hate for them. Ridyard recovered and returned to his outfit. Soon it would be time for Ridyard's battalion to attack.

Herbert W. Ridyard was let off a truck near Nennig [Annotator's Note: Nennig, Germany] and then advanced toward their objective, Sinz [Annotator's Note: Sinz, Germany]. Seeing so many dead German soldiers along the way shocked Ridyard. The men took over German foxholes. They took turns standing watch. He felt very lonesome at that point as he could not see any friendly troops. Command decided to allow one man per squad to return to the rear for a night of rest and food. He lucked out and got an extended 48 hours reprieve to go further back for a shower, delousing and a wonderful meal. There was a USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations] show there. He slept in a cot and wrote some letters. After two days, he returned to his company [Annotator's Note: Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division]. He saw his buddy who he had not seen in a while. The friend felt badly about going into combat to assault Sinz the next day. Two days later, he was missing in action. That was hard on Ridyard. He was assigned to be a guide for a different platoon. He made his way there despite the heavy rain and falling in a hole. When enemy fire landed on the platoon, Ridyard guided them to a safer place where there were protective holes. At this time, Sinz was penetrated by American troops. Other advancing troops were stopped by German artillery. Ridyard was ordered to direct the platoon to a burned-out barn. The February rain melted the snow and revealed mines as he walked along. The rest of the men followed his path. It was lucky that the rain melted that snow otherwise the mines could have caused heavy losses in the platoon. He felt the Holy Spirit was looking out for him. After the war, Ridyard found out his cousin was killed 18 miles away while crossing a river swollen by the rain in a rubber boat. Reaching the barn was good because it provided the force there with four more machine guns.

Herbert W. Ridyard arrived at battalion headquarters prior to the advance on Sinz, Germany and was sent to find a platoon leader. He found nothing but Germans and their "screaming Mimi's" [Annotator's Note: nebelwerfer; German multiple rocket launcher] which was a rocket that made a vibrating noise. [Annotator’s Note: Ridyard imitates the sound of the rockets.] He found the leader even though he was never asked for a password. He reported back to his captain that the platoon was fine. The next day he was ordered to find another platoon. As he left, he observed sporadic incoming German artillery rounds. He advanced taking cover until he reached a house where he thought he would not be observed. Entering the house, he found four dead Germans. The odor was sickening sweet. Ridyard could not stand it. He kept going and eventually found H Company [Annotator's Note: Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] men in a bunker that protected them from tree bursts. That platoon was fine. Ridyard's heavy weapons machine gun squad was up ahead and reported to be alright. He returned back to the captain and battalion HQ [Annotator's Note: headquarters] just as the Germans were about to attack. He was ordered to the line. He went into a house and could see the German position ahead. He saw the enemy troops pouring out of the woods. They were counterattacking a portion of Sinz [Annotator's Note: Sinz, Germany] that a company in Ridyard's regiment had previously captured. American artillery zeroed in on the advance and wiped the enemy out. It took just five minutes for the Germans to be disastrously turned back. Multiple American companies and tank destroyers had attempted to advance into the German held forest but were faced with terrible casualties. G Company [Annotator's Note: Company G, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] had succeeded in getting ahead but they requested withdrawal because of the difficulty in holding their position. Command refused and the company was all killed by enemy armor. It was a sad day because one of Ridyard's friends was a member of that company. Losses were so heavy that it was time for his unit to be relieved. They went to a French camp via truck. When he laid down to sleep, a doctor came in and checked out everyone's feet. The next day, Ridyard was about to accept an assignment as recon sergeant when a medic called out his name. He was moved to the rear and put in a hospital for trench foot, frozen feet. He sent a letter home to ease his parents' concerns about his status. He spent several weeks there and then was sent to a convalescence hospital where his whole squad [Annotator's Note: 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] had previously been admitted. His feet never turned black but he had lost feeling in his big toes. That lasted until a year after the war. Ridyard stayed in the hospital until the doctor gave him an RTD, return to duty, slip. The squad was eventually released although one man unsuccessfully tried to avoid going back to the front. Nevertheless, Ridyard returned to the 94th. It was a long way back to the division via both train and vehicle.

Herbert W. Ridyard joined the 94th Division [Annotator's Note: Ridyard served on a heavy machine gun crew in Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] on the west side of the Rhine River where 400,000 Germans were trapped in the Ruhr. The objective was to prevent those enemy troops from escaping. The division reached Mettmann near Dusseldorf, Germany. They were watching over the Germans as the war came to its end. The Americans were required to search the German homes. What Ridyard remembers finding mostly was propaganda that depicted the superiority of the Germans. It was collected by the Americans along with anything Nazi or any weapons. The Americans collected souvenirs. Ridyard mailed his home. Prisoners of all types formerly held by the Germans were released and roaming the countryside. The local population had to be protected from retaliation. Ridyard guarded the bakery. When VE-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945] came, there was a great celebration. Ridyard did not drink so he had guard duty the next day. He was assigned to watch a butcher shop. A German advanced toward him and greeted him. Ridyard could not bring himself to speak to the man. [Annotator's Note: This had also happened earlier when a German prisoner had spoken to him and all Ridyard could feel was hate for the man.] The next day, Ridyard managed to return the greeting. For him, that ended the war. He will dream of incidents after interviews or speaking engagements, but he has never had serious problems with bad memories or nightmares. Ridyard and the whole battalion were treated for trench mouth. His captain put the company on standardized cleaning of their mess kits. While guarding the bakery, Ridyard observed an officer conversing with a German girl. Fraternization was not allowed. The girl invited Ridyard to visit her. He did and shared a meal with her family. They sang and the two younger sisters gave him the Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] salute by force of habit. Eventually, Ridyard purchased what he thought was silverware from them. It turned out to be stainless after he mailed it home. The 94th was relieved in the area by the British as the location became part of the British Zone of Occupation.

Herbert W. Ridyard performed guard duty at a bakery at Mettmann, Germany after the war. This duty consisted of two boring hours of standing watch. Ridyard avoided talking with Germans unless he was searching their premises. His division [Annotator's Note: 94th Infantry Division] moved on to Czechoslovakia. The Russians, British and Americans had occupation zones in that country. Most of the interaction with the local population occurred during volleyball games. It was tough to beat them. When Ridyard was invited to dine with a Czech family, an older gentleman at the table told him that Stalin [Annotator's Note: Joseph Stalin; General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union] would not be good for the country. The troops had a parade at Pilsen [Annotator's Note: Pilsen or Plzen, Czechoslovakia; now Plzen, Czech Republic]. The local population cheered the Americans. Ridyard saw General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] review his divisions in Czechoslovakia. Most of the men in Ridyard's H Company [Annotator's Note: Company H, 2nd Battalion, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division] had enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] to return home before him. He was left with young replacements, including a totally new captain. The company was guarding a displaced persons camp full of Germans who had inhabited occupied Nazi territory. They were mostly young girls and women. Some of the Americans got quite friendly with them. The new captain admonished the men for fraternization with German women. The new officer caught Ridyard talking to a German girl. He was going to court martial him but that idea passed. Then it was time to go home. He transited through multiple camps on his way home. He moved from the 94th Division to the 80th Infantry Division. It was boring at Le Havre, France waiting to voyage home. He sailed across the Atlantic [Annotator's Note: Atlantic Ocean] on a new Liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship], the Vassar Victory. It was a comfortable ten day voyage.

Herbert W. Ridyard turned down a leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to Marseilles [Annotator's Note: Marseilles, France] to go to England and Scotland so he could visit relatives he had never seen prior to then. Some of the locations had suffered from the German bombing. None of the relatives wanted to talk about the war. They were glad it was over and planned daily visits and entertainment for Ridyard while he was there. Ridyard was not impressed with the soccer game he attended. He enjoyed seeing the relatives and taking photographs with them.

When Herbert W. Ridyard sailed the Atlantic [Annotator's Note: Atlantic Ocean] back to the United States, he never was seasick. He arrived in New York Harbor [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] and saw the Statue of Liberty. It was great. He reached home on 12 January 1946. He met up with a buddy while being discharged. Ridyard never discussed the war with his family. He preferred bowling and tennis with his buddy rather than reviewing his wartime experiences. He obtained a few menial jobs and was a member of the 52-20 Club [Annotator's Note: a government-funded program that paid unemployed veterans 20 dollars per week for 52 weeks] while he searched for employment. That club was where the government provided a transitionary 20 dollars a week for a year for returning veterans. He managed to loan his father 500 dollars to buy a family home. Ridyard did his first woodwork when he built storm windows for that home. On 27 October [Annotator's Note: year not provided], he met his future wife at a high school dance. He met Nancy and fell in love with here at first sight. She helped him dance the night away even though he was not a skilled dancer. They married and, at the time of the interview, had been together for 69 years. Ridyard attended Lehigh University [Annotator's Note: in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania] on the G.I. Bill. Without the G.I. Bill, he could not have afforded college. He carpooled with friends to school. Ridyard graduated with honors in mechanical engineering [Annotator's Note: in 1949].

In 1949, Herbert W. Ridyard took a job with NACA, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which was the forerunner of NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He went to work at the laboratory at Langley Air Force Base near Hampton, Virginia. He learned from the ground up and went to night school and obtained a degree in aeronautical engineering. He was involved in much of the research, design development and evaluation of the aeronautical and space programs through the years. He was excited to work on top secret programs and present his findings to decision makers. He moved back to Pennsylvania to improve his children's education. He went to work for 32 years at General Electric [Annotator's Note: General Electric Company, commonly referred to as G.E.] on the Minuteman III ICBM, or Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, program. He worked in progressively greater areas of responsibility, including management. He became a consultant on radar absorbing materials as he neared retirement. His missile technology was geared to defeat the Soviet Union's sophisticated defense systems. He never felt extremely threatened by the Russians because Reagan [Annotator's Note: Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States] was in the presidency. The United States' technology development was draining the Soviet economic capability to compete. The accuracy of American missile guidance systems was far greater than the anyone. It was necessary to continue development until the Soviet Union ceased its progress. That included highly sophisticated decoy systems to fool the Russian defenses. Ridyard was known as "Mr. Decoy" at G.E. and given a decoy duck. [Annotator's Note: Ridyard laughs.] It was a scary time during the Cold War.

Herbert W. Ridyard benefited from his service and combat all during his later life. It helped him physically, mentally and spiritually. His confidence was higher than he had before enlistment. The G.I. Bill and his education set him up for life. His most memorable time in the war was when he led a platoon down a hill toward Sinz, Germany. The men walked through a minefield that was exposed by rain melting the snow. When he returned to Germany in 2017, he thought he found his foxhole from that combat. He fought because family members were threatened in England by the Germans. Additionally, Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] bonded everyone and motivated each person to do their best. He is proud of his service in the war. Over 400,000 individuals perished in the war for their country. Ridyard and his brothers managed to survive combat. Ridyard lost a cousin in the war. His uncle lost his only son as a result. It was very sad. His uncle had a daughter. Ridyard and his wife, Nancy, attempted to befriend her and her husband. They found information on Ridyard's cousin's death to share with the couple. The cousin died while crossing a river in a rubber boat. Ridyard visited the location and obtained a souvenir while on a Battle of the Bulge tour. The souvenir went to his female cousin who had lost her only brother in that battle. It knitted them closer. Ridyard would discover that the time of his cousin's death was coincidental with the time he crossed the minefield in the melted snow at Sinz. The family visits as a result of their bonding. Ridyard feels that the sacrifices and unity of the country during the war need to be taught to youngsters today. Amazing things happened on the home front as well as the global battlefronts. The two major words to be taught are "unity" and "sacrifice."