Walking Elsenborn Ridge | The foxholes and shell craters still cut into the Ardennes forest

Posted on by Jake Wynn

Last month I walked the ground above Krinkelt and Rocherath in Belgium's Ardennes, where the 99th Division held the line in December 1944. The foxholes are still there. So are the shell craters. And so is the story of a Wilkes-Barre soldier who earned a Bronze Star here — and didn't make it home. Read the full story.

Private James Kaercher – Mortally wounded at the Battle of South Mountain

Posted on by Jake Wynn
James Kaercher's grave at Antietam National Cemetery

At just 18, Private James Kaercher left Pennsylvania’s Coal Region to fight for the Union at the Battle of South Mountain. A Confederate bullet cut short his service, leading to a five-month struggle before his passing. Read his story.