Liberator, Veteran, and Friend: The Service of Edward Geiser

My best estimate is that the story will be published in the next month's issue. However that is just an estimate, but we're hoping it will come out then.

 

I have been informed that the story has been published in the new monthly issue of the magazine/newletter! However it is only in print currently and not yet on the website. But I will be able to read it tonight and let you all know more about it later on!

 

Mr. Geiser is a very religious man and has always carried a rosary especially during his days of combat. The magazine/newsletter is a Catholic magazine and emphasizes how he carried his rosary during the war. The article is well written. But my dad was disappointed because Walt made no mention of me or how I contributed to finding the name of the camp. But I feel different. I realize that despite what I did for Mr. Geiser, the story that Walt did is about Mr. Geiser not me. I only played a small part in Mr. Geiser's wonderful life. Some may say that if it wasn't for me this story might not have come about, and in a way that is partially true, but if it wasn't for Mr. Geiser's service to this country I would not have had the chance to be a part of his amazing life. I am not disappointed that I wasn't mentioned in the story because I may have been a small part of his life, but this story belongs to Mr. Geiser.

 

That's absolutely the right attitude, Smiley.

The praise of others is fleeting. The personal satisfaction you receive from doing the right thing will last forever.

 

I will be heading off to college this weekend and before I go I will be putting in a day this week to see Mr. Geiser one more time before I leave.

 

Because I will be heading off to college this weekend, today was the last day I would see Mr. Geiser for a while and I got the chance to spend some time with him.

At approximately 9:45 my dad and I headed down to his room and discovered that he wasn't there. We asked around, but no one knew where he was. Then we went to the chapel. There are two chapels where my dad works, the large chapel which is the main chapel and a smaller chapel. Mr. Geiser likes to go into the smaller chapel before mass and pray the rosary and that was where we found him. When he saw us and recognized us his face lit up and I've never seen such a nice happy smile as Eddie's.

My dad had a meeting to go to and he left me with Eddie. We said hello and talked for a short time and said the rosary for a minute and then we went to the larger chapel and continued to say the rosary. After finishing the rosary, someone began playing the organ and Mr. Geiser started to sing along with the tune. It was nice to hear him singing. Mass started at 10:30 and I sat next to him during the mass.

After mass we went back to the small chapel and talked for some time there. We talked about how quiet it was and that he likes the silence. Then he asked me about where I was going to college and what I would be majoring in, I told him that I would be majoring in history and that I want to teach history. He was fascinated by that and that was when he began opening up some more about his service. He talked a lot about family and how he realized that many Germans were not just fighting to protect their country but also to protect their families.

I mentioned in my thread "The Stories of Edward J. Geiser" that when he was with the occupation force in Germany after the war, he was assigned to oversee the Alder Brewery in Geislingen an der Stiege. He told me that when he was stationed in the brewery a woman came in to protest about something. It was a little hard to understand what he was saying when he was describing what she was protesting about but he told me that he found out that the woman's husband had died in a concentration camp and that her son was a soldier and was killed in action and that she had lost a lot of her family.

He talked more about family and how a chaplin had blessed him and gave him absolution, then he opened up about something that he has never talked to me about before and surprised me. He said that during a battle there were two Germans and he fired one bullet into each one and saw them fall down and die. "They both went to heaven," he said after describing the incident.

We returned to his room and I noticed that on his dresser he kept a a picture of me from my graduation and a note that I had written him a few weeks ago thanking him for sharing his story with me. Next to that was a framed picture was a neat picture of him in his uniform with his 63rd Infantry Division hat and he had that same happy smile on his face. I complimented the picture and he said that the uniform he was wearing was the same uniform that he had worn years ago when he was in the service. Then a doctor who was giving him a routine checkup came in and I excused myself.

Before my dad and I left to head back home I got to say goodbye to him and he said to me, "It was nice seeing you pal." It was a great and very enlightening day today.

 

His remark after he described killing the two German soldiers about how they both went to Heaven was something I really admired. To me it's a testament of how good a man Eddie is. I will be attending Western Kentucky Univeristy.

My first break is October 1-2 which extends into the weekend.

 

Will do Lou

 

One of the last times they played an SEC team this happened:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_mZ7uEGosU

 

I feel like this is long overdue. I never could find the link to this online so I felt it would be better to post a picture of the print article. Again I apologize for this being long overdue.

Cheers :cheers:,
Dave

 

Thanks for post that, Dave. I tried to find a link to the article as well, but came up with zilch. It may only be available through subscription, or perhaps was only included in the local edition.

 

On behalf of Veterans Day, I want to thank this man, Eddie Geiser, for his service and dedication to his country. This man has been a very important figure in my life and I thank him a million times for being that figure. On this day, I wish Mr. Geiser a very special and honorable Veterans Day.

Cheers :cheers:
Dave

 

Aye, indeed, Dave!

 

My hat's off to Mr. Geiser as well. Great photo of him, Dave.