My dad was wounded by shrapnel to his knee, throat and back and suffered from severe trench feet during the 135 day Battle of Monte Casino. He was slung over the back of a donkey for a treacherous three hour ride down a narrow steep mountainous path. He was then sent to an evacuation hospital in North Africa for three months of treatment. He then had to relearn how to walk. He thought he would be sent back to the States but instead was sent back to battle, to the Anzio beachhead. He received his Purple Heart for dragging a wounded soldier he did not know back to safety at Monte Casino. He continues to suffer from his war injuries and from periodic nightmares. After WWII concluded, he joined the Kansas National Guard and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was employed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad for over 40 years.