My grandad served in the US Army in Australia in 1942-43. He jumped into New Guinea in 1943 and, after his unit won the engagement, he suffered malaria that kept him in bed until late 1944, sparing him from his unit's jump into Normandy and probably ensuring my existence. When he died shortly after I joined the Army he gave me a thin, grey wool blanket that he purchased in Australia in 1943 (as stated on the tag) and I've taken it every time I go TDY or have deployed. I can't decide if I want to have it wrapped around me when I die or if I want to give it to one of my sons. At any rate, he did not talk about the war much but he did mention the desperate straights that the Australian's felt in 1932-43 a couple of times.
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