“My Father My Hero”
– Written By: Susan –
My dad, Richard G Masser, came from a very tiny remote town in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania. He spoke fluent Pennsylvania Dutch in addition to English.
He worked from a young age and worked as a coal miner prior to enlisting in the Army.
He was a few months shy of being old enough to enlist, so his dad signed for him to join the military in 1942.
He really didn’t talk much at all about his time in the military with anyone. Most of the things that I know about dad’s time in the military came from my mom.
I do know that my dad was an MP and was also chosen to guard President Roosevelt.
One day during the Christmas season, the first lady Eleanor, visited the soldiers and said that she was hosting a tea party and wanted some of the soldiers to volunteer to come to the party. I can’t imagine why soldiers wouldn’t want to go to a tea party! ha-ha
Well not one soldier volunteered, so Eleanor said, I see that no one is choosing to volunteer so I will “volunteer” some of you.
She started pointing at certain soldiers and said “you’re going, and you’re going, etc. until she had several soldiers picked.
My dad was one of the soldiers that was chosen to go to the “tea party.”
It turned out the tea party was actually a dinner in the White House. The table was elegantly set and each soldier was given a menu.
They had Pilsner glasses filled with beer that the butler always kept filled. It was a wonderful evening and when they were done, Eleanor told them that if anyone asks, say it was a tea party, and she winked.
My dad was also asked to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He turned it down and asked to go overseas to fight for our country as most men did during that time.
He was in General Patton’s 3rd army. I know he was in the horrific Battle of the Bulge and helped to liberate Mauthausen concentration camp. The emaciated prisoners in the camp didn’t believe that they were truly free and had to be convinced. The freed prisoners then cried, hugged, kissed and thanked the soldiers for their freedom.
Knowing Pennsylvania Dutch, my dad was asked to interpret at times as the language was very similar to German.
My dad was a good, very hardworking, humble man. He loved my mom, me, and my 5 siblings.
He went home to be with our Lord on 1/16/1982. He was 58 years old.
Proud of my WW ll Veteran Dad,
Susan
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