208302 Staff Sergent William E Haggard DSM.US Army Company H 12th Infantry Regiment from:Kennett, MO, USA My grandfather, William Haggard was a mortar man, he was part of the first wave on D-Day, then fought through France and Belgium. I learned what little I know about his service through research. I saw 'When Trumpets Fade' without knowing my grandfather was involved in the battle that film was about. He was captured in Echternach, Luxembourg. I found out through a letter I found in his house that his squad was in a building basement and the Germans fired three artillery shells into the building and killed some of the men with him and they surrendered because they were out of ammo. They were then taken to Stalag 4B. He said they would be fed potato soup that "looked like one potato and 55 gallons of water". I admire him and all World War 2 veterans because in my mind he was a hero and there were literally millions of men in that war who were like him.
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