David Tharp is pictured here with his comrades & friends at a reunion after the war.

Dad is the tall one in back row second from left. I believe Jim Ott is seated in front. They were very good friends. I remember meeting him at one of the reunions as a child. Mr. Ott spoke fluent German and was the interpreter for German prisoners. Dad’s wartime letters would later reveal that he wrote that their unit “was awarded the Presidential Citation for extraordinary service and heroism in performing their duties on D-Day, June 6, 1944, something to be proud of.” Later that year, the 101st Airborne Division and attached units once again distinguished themselves in combat against powerful and aggressive enemy forces composed of elements of eight German divisions during the period from Dec. 18 to Dec. 27, 1944, by extraordinary heroism and gallantry in defense of the key communications center of Bastogne, Belgium with another Presidential Citation being awarded March 15, 1945. Our father would write home on that same day, “We’ve been awarded another Presidential Citation, which means we can wear a cluster in our ribbon.”

What was it like parachuting behind enemy lines on D-Day June 6, 1944 and Holland September 17, 1944?

What was his life as a paratrooper soldier and radio communicator fighting his way through Carentan, later known as Purple Heart Lane?

What was it like being surrounded by German tanks while protecting Bastogne, Belgium in December 1944?

These are questions readers may want to know, but they will have to read between the lines, as this paratrooper and his comrades were forbidden to speak of their operations or locations.
However, as the war subsided, the rules became somewhat relaxed, and they were able to vent. Dad was later for the first time able to tell how and where he was wounded and express resentment about how well the US was treating the Germans. He had great difficulty showing kindness to the opposition after witnessing the horrors of that war. He was now allowed to open up about how bad the war was. He would write, “I’m amazed at my life and body in tact.” Yes, you will find that his bitterness pushes through the lines of his letters too. After surviving 4 battle campaigns, he counted the days and endured the Army rotation for sending soldiers back home.

The letters in Comes A Soldier’s Whisper are poignant with lots of heart and soul from one of America’s unsung heroes with sentiments that resonate with our veterans and soldiers of today.

God Bless & Support Our Troops!

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