Pfc. Harrison B. Shauger of Vernon was killed in action in 1968. (Photo provided)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Most of us have had a warm and festive time with family and friends. We have sat beside a fire, opened gifts, had a few days off from work, and enjoyed the safety and security that our nation provides.
During the history of our country, this has not always been the case.
Since the beginning of the United States, there have been those who have sacrificed greatly and who spent time away from home on the lines, the front lines between our way of life and those who had ill will toward us.
These men and women should not be forgotten for the fearful times when they were called to defend our freedom.
One local man whom I had the fortune to interview was Lou Cherepy from Franklin. In World War II, during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, Lou spent Christmas in a muddy and cold pig sty. He and his Army outfit were hunkered down beneath dark gray skies during a fearful major assault by German troops.
His heart was warmed, he said, by imagining the peaceful and tranquil days celebrating Christmas at Immaculate Conception Church in Franklin.
While famous now, there was great secrecy about the plan by Gen. George Washington to cross the frigid Delaware River from the winter encampment in Pennsylvania to surprise the Hessian troops who were engaged in festivities in Trenton during late December 1776.
Despite challenging logistics and a long and harrowing trip, he succeeded and altered the course of the Revolutionary War. Those troops did this while greatly challenged; many lacked proper footwear and clothing to protect them from the cold. Evading the thin ice and pangs of chill, our forebears did their part to make us who we are today.
During the Civil War, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman sent a telegram to President Abraham Lincoln reporting the capture of Savannah, Ga., in December 1864.
Sussex County troops were part of Sherman’s March to the Sea, far from home in a hostile land and many months away from loved ones.
In the remote mountains of North Korea, fighting the Chinese enemy and battling the cold weather, were U.S. Marines, who also had to endure a long march during December 1950. Many Sussex County men and women served on land and sea during this time.
And it was difficult to imagine home in Sussex County for the soldiers in the hot and humid jungles of Vietnam. In December 1968, men prepared Khe Sanh for a lengthy assault by the enemy that was to take place in the coming months.
Poignantly for my generation, too many Sussex County souls were lost in that land across the Pacific Ocean.
We thank those from Sussex County and elsewhere who helped us to have a safe and secure holiday season.
Bill Truran, the Sussex County historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com