The Ordinary Extraordinary Solider

The Letters and Journey of WW2 Mechanic SSG George Henderson 80th Infantry Division

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How did George Henderson fit into the big picture of the war? I wanted to answer this question. He was my grandfather, and our family knew very little about his journey in WW2.  When my mother and aunt discovered over 300 letters he wrote to my grandmother during the war I knew the answers to this question were out there to be found.  

Staff Sergeant George Henderson was a mechanic who never shot a bullet at the enemy and yet earned a Bronze Star for doing his job so well he impacted the outcome of the war. George was a member of the 80th Infantry Division. He was a 25 year-old young man from Washington State, recently married, and expecting his first child when he headed to Europe to fight the Nazis.  

George Henderson was an ordinary soldier because there are thousands of others just like him. He was extraordinary, however, because like so many others, he answered the call, worked hard to prepare, was good at his job, stayed committed through adversity, and was a remarkable teammate. He took great pride in being a part of the 80th Infantry Division, a Division that raced through France pushing back the German Army, broke through the Maginot Line, participated in the Battle of Bulge, captured thousands of Germans, liberated concentration camps, and ultimately fired the last shot of World War 2 in Europe. 

More than anything, this is a story of a man whose love of country brought him to war, his pride in his Division inspired him and made him proud to be in Europe under General George Patton, and his love for his wife and his not-yet-born baby which kept him motivated to get home.