The Ultimate Price of Freedom

On Independence Day, July 4, 1944, the U.S. Army’s 8th Infantry Division landed on Utah Beach nearly a month into the Battle of Normandy.

On Independence Day, July 4, 1944, the U.S. Army’s 8th Infantry Division landed on Utah Beach nearly a month into the Battle of Normandy. By the fall, the Division had driven across France and moved eastward into Luxembourg. They moved into Germany in November, 1944. Clearing Hurtgen later that month, and Brandenburg in early December, the Division pushed on to the Roer River.

Crossing the Roer in February 1945, the 8th Infantry took the city of Duren, Germany on February 25. By March, they had advanced into the Rhineland, and fought their way into the Ruhr region by April. The Division made its final drive across the Elbe River, and by May reached Schwerin when the war in Europe ended. On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division liberated the Neuengamme concentration camp Wöbbelin subcamp.

It’s easy to read the triumphant chronicles of military history and forget about the ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. My grandpa’s oldest brother, Sgt. Robert W. Doran was among the 2,852 soldiers of the 8th Infantry who died in battle. He was killed by small arms fire in Duren, Germany on February 25, 1945. As the rest of the 8th Infantry marched on to central Germany, the body of Sgt. Doran was sent home to Tiffin, Ohio. With two sons still at war, Clifford and Grace Doran buried their oldest son, a few months shy of his 23rd birthday. Also left to mourn his death was Robert’s wife, LaVerne and their 2-year-old son, Robert.