A Note from Charlie
In the spring of 2000 my son Clark, or (Clarke as he prefers), took a philosophical turn and started asking some email questions about my life and particularly about my military service. I started to answer somewhat routinely but as he pursued the subject I began to enjoy reminiscing and in my peck and hunt typing I replied to his questions in some detail.
His siblings expressed some interest and asked some questions also and over a period of weeks I pecked out many long messages. I had no idea that they would result in what you see here.
I am deeply indebted to Clark for the many hours he spent in putting all of this into a website. I learned about it when he presented it to me at our family Christmas gathering. A great Christmas present indeed. At the same time he gave me a book "Before Their Time: A Memoir" by Robert Kotlowitz--which covers the story of another A.S.T.P. soldier who wound up in the 26th Infantry Div. Read it, its real.
Thanks Clark for a wonderful gift..
A Note from Clarke
Charlie's son and author of this website
My father began to commit this story to writing via email to his children in the spring and summer of 2000 - just 57 years after it all happened.
Most children of WWII veterans have little idea of what their parents did 'during the war'. I think this is partially due to what can be unpleasant memories and that these stories may seem somewhat trivial to the those who lived them.
I had almost no idea what my father experienced until he started writing it down.
As a child I thought it was pretty normal to have a dad who had been a soldier. I wanted to know if he got shot, or shot someone else and all the other vivid details to compare them with my neighborhood buddies and what we saw on T.V. and at the movies.
This has been an exciting process. Each email revealed things that helped me better understand my father and deepen the love and respect I feel for him. I have tried to imagine how difficult it must have been to leave home at eighteen and end up somewhere in Europe, to carry the anxiety for two brothers in the service and to have the responsibility to support his mother after his father's untimely death. I also realized how close Dad came to being a name on a white cross in a field in France, and how much we owe the men that do lie beneath them.
During a recent visit I talked dad into loaning me the pictures and mementos that illustrate the story. I have corrected the original informal email text where necessary but what you read here is pretty much how Dad first put it down.
Dad has resisted the temptation to romanticize. His recollections are of an eighteen-year-old soldier, at times with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and at times laughing at the absurdities all around him. In other words a pretty 'average Joe' in extraordinary circumstances.
Thousands of these average Joes share a unique place in the history of our Country and the world. The actions of these men shaped the world we live in today. None of their stories are insignificant, all of them deserve to be told.
If you are a Veteran, or know a veteran don't let a story disappear--tell it Contact Clarke
Shirley Green
1925-1998
Shirley and Charlie Green where high school sweethearts who shared 53 years of marriage and a family of four children. Shirley died in August of 1998 after a long struggle with cancer but lives on in our hearts and in an organization she founded and led for those suffering from Agoraphobia - Agoraphobics Leading Independent Lives or 'ABIL'. You can find out more about Shirley and ABIL at the ABIL website
The Green Family 1997
Back Row(Left to Right)-James Green, Charles "Chuck" Green Jr., Charles Green Sr. (yup that's Charlie), Shirley Green (1925-1998), Clarke Green; Second Row (Left to Right)-Jeff Green (son of Chuck and Leslie), Leslie Green, Deborah Green, Summer Ventis (Debbie's Daughter), Robert Green (son of Chuck and Leslie), Teddi Barclay.
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