211970 Clair Edmond Whitmer United States Army 571 AAAWB from:Wauseon, OH My father Clair Whitmer spoke very little of the war he was in. He mentioned that he survived the Battle of the Bulge and was proud to have been in what he called "The Fightin' 571st". He was an avid historian and poured over books published after the war detailing what happened. Sometimes he would point to a spot on a map and say, "I got very lucky because I was almost here. There were 100% casualties there." or similar comments. He was very grateful that the atom bombs were dropped on Japan because, "I knew that's where I would be sent next and I feared that a bullet awaited me there." During that terrible conflict he befriended or was befriended by, a boxer (dog). They were intensely devoted to each other and he brought the dog home with him.
For the rest of his life he mowed the yard in his army jacket, pleased to be able to still fit into it!
After the war, he was one of the last to be returned, since he was a single man, but he took graduate courses at the Sorbonne in Paris while waiting the trip home. (He was a college graduate when he enlisted. Ohio Northern University "hurried up" the degrees for some undergraduates who were enlisting.)
Following the war he entered law school on the G.I. bill at Western Reserve University, married a professor's daughter, had six children and a successful law practice. He returned to France years later, to tour the D-Day beaches and pay his respects at the U.S. Cemetery there. We have a poignant photo of him midst the graves. He died at 56.
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