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WWII vet tells Rotary Club about fighting Battle of the Bulge
YOUNGSTOWN
WWII Veteran
Video
Howard Friend was drafted on D-Day and fought in The Battle of the Bulge. He shared his story today with Rotary of Youngstown.
As he lay in a ditch alone, bleeding from where a piece of shrapnel had torn through his leg, Howard Friend had no way of knowing if help was on the way.
VIDEO: Howard Friend discusses Battle of the Bulge
Shortly after he was drafted into the Army to fight in World War II, the Youngstown native was sent to the front lines to fight in the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive on the Western Front.
“We lost 8,105 American soldiers; 46,000 were wounded; 21,000 were captured at the Battle of the Bulge,” Friend told members of the Rotary Club of Youngstown, where he spoke Wednesday at the group’s Veterans Day meeting at the downtown YMCA. “They took us immediately to the front lines. They needed replacements. We were outnumbered five to one.”
Friend had been fighting in the battle for about three weeks when he was injured. He remembers being in shock but registering the feet of snow around him and day turning to night. Fortunately, a medic arrived and treated his leg.
From there, Friend embarked on a long recovery process. He was in bed for a year.
Finally, 18 months later, he returned home.
He feels fortunate for how things worked out for him. He went on to get married, have three children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He is the recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, and was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame this month.
“I’m probably one of the luckiest guys in the world you know,” Friend, who turns 92 next month, told the club.
“I got 72 extra years,” he said. “I’ve got to be lucky. A lot of guys never made it home.”