GROWING UP IN A FOXHOLE

War does things to people and few more than the soldiers who fight in them. The author, a fresh-faced kid at 18, was discharged at 20, a man. Although toughened by what he saw, he never lost the humor and determination that motivated him, at 18, to come up with an ingenious way to fool the Army recruiter that he could read without his glasses. From harrowing to hilarious, Richardson's account takes you through the rigors and ribaldry of Basic Training to the battlegrounds where one day you're hiding behind a tree, holding your breath, to avoid some German soldiers close by, and the next day you're rounding up K-rations to give to hungry German children rummaging through the garbage bins. You'll experience with him those painful moments when he saw his buddies killed before his eyes, and you'll feel the poignancy of a bunch of GIs singing "Lili Marlene" along with German soldiers across the Saar River at the end of the fighting.

Stan's stories will have you laughing out loud one minute and struggling to keep it together the next. You'll read about:

-the "mystery" bullet that entered the back of his helmet and came out the front without piercing his head
-GIs in a capsizing boat rescued by German POWs
- cooking a stolen chicken in a helmet, only to be disciplined and in sick bay the whole next day
-singing "Lili Marlene" along with German soldiers across the Saar River
-the death of a beloved squad leader and his right hand man, both killed in front of his eyes

While the author believed deeply in fighting for his country, and remains proud of his service and that of his buddies, he was also able to see the "enemy" as kids like themselves and to acknowledge the absurdities of war.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: Pearl Harbor
CHAPTER 2: Finally, My Turn
CHAPTER 3: Basic Training
CHAPTER 4: From Basic to Battle
CHAPTER 5: Out to Sea
CHAPTER 6: We See some Action
CHAPTER 7: Foul-Ups, Mishaps, and Narrow Escapes
CHAPTER 8: Fighting Village to Village
CHAPTER 9: Sometimes You Suck It Up
CHAPTER 10: The Worst Was Yet to Come
CHAPTER 11: Close to the End
CHAPTER 12: Love and War in Paris
CHAPTER 13: Furlough, Fort Riley and Discharge