A true story about an extraordinary time in history from the remarkable memory of a boy who was there. Jimmy O'Neil experienced both the Great Depression and the Greatest War ever fought. Written in his own words by his wife, Dorothy, it is the story of an orphan boy who found a family with the men of the 313th, his recollections of some of those men, some who lived and some who died, and how his experiences affected the rest of his life.
It begins with his memories of growing up in a tough Irish Catholic neighborhood in Chicago, St. Joseph 's Home for the Friendless, St. Mary's Training School, and the farms of rural Wisconsin and Iowa; how he joined the Army at the age of 14, and his experiences during World War II.
One of the youngest members of the 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Division, he fought under Field Marshall Montgomery, Commander of the 21st Army Group during the invasion of Normandy; General Bradley, Commander of the First Army; General Patton, Commander of the 3rd Army; General Patch of the 7th Army; and General Simpson of the 9th Army.
Wounded twice, he fought from D-Day plus 8 until the end of the war and describes his experiences during the Battles of Utah Beach, Cherbourg, Bloody Hill, the Forest of Parroy, Launeauville, Embermenil, Rosieres, Strasbourg, Hagenau, Bischwiller, Lauterberg, Soufflenheim and Riepertswiller; the Crossing of the Rhine; the Ruhr Valley Operation; the capture of Alfred Krupp; Kettwig, the last battle of the war; the surrender of Germany; the occupation and the Atom Bomb.
