It was late April 1944 when Mrs. Irene Winer received a telegram from the War Department informing her that her husband, Pfc. Bernard A. Winer was missing in action in the North African area.
Private Winer was a Reconnaissance Photographer with the 15th Air Force, 831st Bombing Squadron. It would later be determined that on April 20, 1944, head and about 500 others including about 150 members of his squadron, were on The USS Paul Hamilton DD-590 ship laden with munitions bound for Italy via Bizarre, Tunisia, when the convoy was attacked by a squadron of German fighter bombers, 30 miles off the coast of Algeria. The torpedo struck the Hamilton with suffered a tremendous explosion as the cargo detonated. The remnants of the ship sank in 30 seconds with all hands lost.
Pfc. Winer was only 26 and left behind a young wife and baby girl named Vicki whose mother later remarried and brought up Vick with her new married name. Young Vick knew nothing about her natural father or her heritage until she was 14 and discovered her baby book with her legal last name of Winer. After she wrote to her grandmother about the discovery, she was delighted to give Vicki the box of everything including the Purple Heart that her grandmother had kept all those years, including all of his letters sent home. The following is the only letter that was written in Hebrew and later translated to English:
“My Dear Father,
I want to tell you, so that you shouldn’t worry (?) that I am going overseas.
I want to see A.K. when I am in “the land” (Israel) and I don’t want to (fly?).
I will write every week.
I want to thank you and Mama for everything that you have done for my wife and child.
I can’t thank enough.
I hope everyone will be alright and send my regards to everyone.
Your loving son,”
~ Baruch Avraham
We are deeply grateful to Vicki for sharing her story and photographs and invite you to share your family photos &/or stories of those who served, so we may feature and honor them on Comes A Soldier’s Whisper.
Comes A Soldier’s Whisper remembering our history and soldiers one day at a time.
God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.
#FamiliesServeToo #SupportOurTroops #HonorThem
Photos/Story Source: Vicki Winer Hurwitz
