“In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.”
~ Herodotus
My 18 year old father, David Clinton Tharp, joined the Army in January 1943 and buried his young 41 year old father, Ibren Tharp in March 1943, just prior to heading off to paratrooper training in Georgia.
Grandpa Ibren (see photo inset) died of a heart attack at age 40, leaving 4 younger children who then went to live with his mother, Dad’s Grandmother Amelia (see photo inset) in Petersburg, Indiana. Grandpa Ibren’s wife, Jennie, my namesake, passed away years earlier at the young age of 33 and a young sister, Edna Mae at age 9. Since Dad had enlisted and was already joined up with the 101st Airborne, there was no one else to care for the young siblings.
Back in the day, when times got tough, the tough got going. This certainly shows through within the Tharp family. During my visit last year to my father’s hometown in Petersburg, I walked among the Tharp family plots and observed such history and yes, even greatness in strength and humility. Great Grandfather James Tharp came over from England in the 1800’s and landed in Kentucky, married and then relocated to Petersburg, Indiana.
Attached is the newspaper article giving my Great Grandmother Amelia notification that our her grandson was seriously wounded in Holland on September 22, 1944. But he would recover and continue his role in the European Theatre as radio communicator in his 4th battle, the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Dad received 4 bronze battle stars, 2 purple hearts, the Bronze Star Medal, two Presidential Unit Citations for D-Day and the Bulge and the Netherlands Orange Lanyard for the Holland Airborne Invasion.
Comes A Soldier’s Whisper is very proud to present and share the collection of Dad’s wartime letters written between 1943-1945 that contain sentiments resonating with our soldiers of today. Please visit our website link below for a book excerpt, review, book video and shared stories.
In order to protect our nation and our freedoms, we must have a strong military, a strong base, and a strong people. We owe this to our forefathers, descendants, ourselves, and to all of those who follow in our footsteps.
God Bless Our Troops!
Comes A Soldier’s Whisper remembering history and our veterans one day at a time.
Jenny Tharp La Sala
Proud daughter of 101st Airborne 502nd PIR veteran
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