The classes of 1942 and 1943 from America’s high schools made up the largest percentage of the 10 million men that served in the American Armed Forces during World War II. Many were drafted, but many more freely enlisted because they felt it their patriotic duty. They did not take this decision lightly. For most it was the most fearsome decision they would ever make. My father, Richard E. Powers, served with the 104th Infantry Regiment as a part of the 26th “Yankee” Infantry Division. They fought as a part of General Patton’s Third US Army. Both Dad and his regiment experienced many firsts while fighting in the European Theater of Operations. These men were citizens one moment and soldiers the next. None were professional soldiers, but they experienced the same privations, fears and terror as their professional comrades. Many displayed courage beyond imagination, but if they survived to talk about their experiences, they rarely did. My dad’s generation was a generation of gentlemen who were very humble. Their sufferings and successes were a means to an end not to be displayed as a badge of honor. Dad was typical of his generation, from his voluntary enlistment to his combat experiences across the European continent. His story is not exceptional in its difference from other soldier’s stories, but is exceptional in its commonality. You will follow Dad from his decision to enlist to his return to the country he loved including the 202 days that the 104th Infantry Regiment spent in combat-one man in ten million.