Honoring Our Veterans: Sydney Barenbaum

Ed. Note: Memorial Day is a time when Americans commemorate the U.S. soldiers who gave their lives in defense of freedom.

A tradition dating back to the Civil War, Memorial Day honors the sacrifices these brave men and women made for a better nation. Perhaps there's no greater way to honor their memory than by reflecting on their service and recognizing those veterans who live among us.

With a sincere sense of gratitude, Patch would like to say "Thank You," to all the brave men and women who answered the call to serve with a special feature titled 'Honoring Our Veterans,' which will run daily at 5 p.m. during the week leading into Memorial Day 2011.

Today, we salute Sydney Barenbaum.

Name: Sydney Barenbaum

Branch: U.S. Navy – 386th Anti-Aircraft Battalion

Conflict: World War II

Post: Barenbaum would land on Omaha Beach, D-Day Plus One, and then fight all over Europe in a semi-mobile anti-aircraft unit that was attached first to the Third Army and then later to the 9th Air Force.

He defended General Omar Bradley's headquarters at Verdun when the Bulge broke before being assigned to defend the 'ad-hoc' fighter bases of the 9th Air Force, which sprouted up in Germany as the Allies made their way to Berlin.

Reflections: “When the Bulge broke we were in Verdun protecting Omar Bradley's headquarters. We we're pretty lucky because we had an outpost fairly far from HQ. My squad lived separate from everyone else.

Once the officers put us in position, we never really saw them again. So, at night when I was off shift, I'd go into town to enjoy the nightlife and everyone there treated us really very nice. In fact, one day some of the kids we used to treat with candy came by the gun post and invited of us back to their house for supper, where their parents were roasting a suckling pig. It wasn't your typical WWII experience.”