The Shelby Star, Shelby, NC
August 15, 1985

W.T. Ingram, 72, of Boiling Springs, 29th Infantry Division, "The Blue and the Gray":

“On V-E Day, I was 30 miles from the Elbe River. There was a big celebration, a parade. I wasn't scared any more. I was a platoon sergeant in a rifle company. As to what was the roughest part of the war, it was all rough --- from the Normandy hedgerows into Germany. I had a wife and three children, but I thought the service might need me. I never did lose any blood, but I had my helmet shot off and got bullet holes in my jacket. I got a Bronze Star when I eliminated a sniper so the platoon could advance and a Silver Star when I took charge of the platoon after we lost the platoon leader and outflanked the enemy...We got 10 of them. I lost a lot of good friends. It doesn't seem like 40 years ago. I think Germany is a good ally. They were good soldiers. I always though we gave the Russians too much. I hope we don't have another war; I hope young people never find out (what it's like).”

Reprinted with permission from The Shelby Star. Copyright owned by The Shelby Star.

Clipping courtesy Rose Ingram Dothard