John T. Goegel: Honoring two young American WWII soldiers, frozen in time

To The Daily Sun,

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance; a day when we honor those men and women who fought and died to safeguard the essential principles upon which this country was founded. The Ukrainians’ current fight to preserve their sovereignty in a war of aggression by a totalitarian state is a reminder of a worldwide struggle for freedom more than 75 years ago.

A photo — two young men frozen in a moment of time (August 1943) at Camp George West (Golden, Colorado); two friends crossing paths a distance from their home town of Brooklyn, New York.

Lt. Patrick Joseph Kelly, U.S. Army, followed the war across Europe, serving in France, Belgium and Germany. Tech. Sgt. Morgan Vincent Desmond was a member of the Army's famous 10th Mountain Division.

With the purpose of conducting highly specialized winter warfare missions, the 10th was initially comprised of a distinct subculture of outdoorsmen — world-class skiers and mountaineers — and trained at Camp Hale (20 miles south of Leadville, Colorado). The unit was assigned its first mission in late 1944 when the Allied offensive stalled as the Apennine Mountains of Northern Italy became an impenetrable Axis fortress. Desmond's unit, the 86th Infantry Regiment, sailed for the Italian front on Dec. 11, 1944. The 10th Mountain Division was responsible for the Mount Belvedere area, climbing nearby Riva Ridge during the night of Feb. 18 and attacking on Feb. 20. Sgt. Desmond was killed the first day of attack. Belvedere and the surrounding peaks were cleared after four days of heavy fighting. Sgt Desmond’s was buried at the U.S. Military Cemetery in Castelfiorentino, Italy. Sgt. Desmond’s final resting place is in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery in Schoharie, New York.

A photo — two young men frozen in time. One would return from the war in Europe to live a long and prosperous life; the other would not, having made the ultimate sacrifice.

John T. Goegel

Canterbury