Family Stories

        When I think back to all of the family stories that I have heard over the years there are two in particular that stick out to me. Both of my grandfathers played in a roll in WWII. My mother's father was in the Army and my father's father worked as a civilian truck driver on the Alcan highway construction project in Canada.
        Shortly after my grandmother on my mother's side passed away, I remember reading a news article that she had kept about my grandfather shortly after his return from the war. I contacted my mom and she was able to tell me more about the story so I decided to focus on it. My grandfather, Rudolph F. Asendorf was born in DonnyBrook, North Dakota in 1916. During the war he served under the U.S. Army as a tank mechanic in the Third Armored Division. He was also involved in the Battle of the Bulge which was the largest battle of the war on the western front. The article talks of my grandfather returning to his boxing club in St. James, Minnesota. While he was stationed overseas in England and in Germany, he won two division championships and lost his bout for the championship of the Corps. to a former Golden Glove champion .

        This story of my grandfather in WWII means a lot to me as I am always trying to learn more about my families history. It also helps me relate to him as he passed away when I was fairly young. I think it is cool that he was able to achieve such success in his sport while being so busy with his duties as a soldier in a war zone. In the future, this is definitely a story that I will keep passing on through the family. A story like this could be valuable to others if they were interested in learning more about the daily lives of those who fought in WWII. It shows us something that these men did in their spare time while not performing their military duties.