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Episode #517 of Hometown Heroes, airing March 30 – April 1, 2018, marks Easter weekend by hearing what three World War II veterans endured in three different places on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945. Have you ever spent your holiday weekend making a daring patrol across the Rhine River to try to capture a German prisoner? Woken up Easter morning in a prisoner of war camp? Had to pry a burning bullet from your flesh during a beach assault?
Those are the scenarios these veterans found themselves in 73 years ago, and perhaps their experiences will add some perspective to how we view our lives and our liberties this Easter weekend.

Bill Koning, who shared his story on episode #481 of Hometown Heroes in 2017, was an 18-year-old infantryman for whom Easter 1945 proved to be a baptism by fire.

Glenn Schmidt was down to about 92 pounds when he woke up on Easter morning at Stalag IX-B in Bad Orb, Germany, soon realizing that the freedom he had lost would be regained. You can hear Schmidt’s original 2010 interview on episode #122 of Hometown Heroes.

For George Christman, Easter 1945 brought his first combat experience as he landed with Beach Party Team 62 on Okinawa. April 1, 1945 would leave him with two lasting reminders of that day: a scar from an enemy bullet, and one of the first Japanese flags captured on that island. Pull up the complete original 2015 interview with George on episode #375 of Hometown Heroes, and see the flag in the video below.