08-05-2009, 04:11 PM
I cannot even begin to imagine how emotional that was for Larry. Just thinking about simply BEING at Anzio would be overwhelming for me - even though my own Dad came home.
Dad left the physical place behind, but never the psychological Anzio.
There were times when he'd appear lost in thought, not hearing anything & I wonder now if there were Anzio sights, sounds, feelings he was remembering. These were things he was unable to share with us - how could he? What words could he use to convey it? You'd have to ask him directly about it, and the most you'd get was a few words like : "Anzio - terrible, terrible!".
Even for those Vets who survived Anzio, I think part of who they'd been before, remained on that beachhead.