{"product_id":"surviving-three-shermans-with-the-3rd-armored-division-into-the-battle-of-the-bulge-what-i-didnt-tell-mother-about-my-war-9781636244280","title":"Surviving Three Shermans: With the 3rd Armored Division Into the Battle of the Bulge: What I Didn't Tell Mother about My War","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe memoir of a WWII tank gunner who reflects on his time in the war, and the letters he wrote home.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1943, eighteen-year-old Walter Stitt enlisted in the U.S. Army, ready to serve his country. From his time in basic training at Fort Polk in Louisiana, throughout his time as a tank gunner in the 33rd Armored Regiment, to his post-injury service in England, he wrote home to the family he had left at home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnbeknown to him, his mother carefully numbered and saved the letters, treasuring them until her death. This book brings together the very different two versions of Walter's war: the version that a teenage soldier could reveal to his parents and younger siblings without scaring them or invoking the censor's pen, and the full and often terrifying details of serving as a tank loader and gunner in France and Belgium, remembered so clearly eighty years later. Walter explains the forced omissions and partial truths his teenage self offered to comfort his family while he survived the destruction of three Sherman tanks, the death of three crew members, and two wounds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn in West Virginia, Walter's Appalachian roots and values are apparent through the memories he held dear as a soldier and the values he clung to while fighting in one of the darkest periods of human history. His memoir recounts his experiences of serving during World War II while honoring those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Casemate\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/15\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781636244280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 206","brand":"Walter Boston Stitt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44174099218613,"sku":"9781636244280","price":29.71,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_92bd5a94-2f5a-4f71-8fda-d64f3ad790ca.jpg?v=1716300672","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/surviving-three-shermans-with-the-3rd-armored-division-into-the-battle-of-the-bulge-what-i-didnt-tell-mother-about-my-war-9781636244280","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}