I have updated my first Christmas post for the ten-year anniversary of this blog, My late friend Bill provided the cover image. I share the special bond he had with my husband, their shared experiences of war, and how art served as therapy for Bill. I invite you to reflect on loss and legacy during the holiday season.
The same cover photo depicts a Biblical scene from the Christmas story. Some shepherds tending their flocks were visited by angels.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
And the angel said to them,
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. (Isa. 9:6–7) Photo by Dr. Aletha
Shepherds, Angels, and Two Soldiers
The cover image was on a Christmas card my husband, Raymond, and I received from our dear friends Bill and Greta Hart, whom we met at our church.
Like my husband, Bill was an Army veteran. Raymond served three years, including a tour in Vietnam. Bill was sent to Europe during World War II and was among the men who stormed Normandy on June 6 to liberate France.
Though they served in two very different wars, with different outcomes, Bill and Raymond bonded over their shared experience. They both carried invisible wounds of the mind and heart that others couldn’t see.
Bill was a professional artist, but art was not just his job. It was his therapy, a balm for his pain, a source for the peace he had fought for but did not feel himself.
So he drew this picture of the shepherds hearing the joyful message of peace coming to earth, put it on Christmas cards, and sent the message to his friends.
Both Bill and Greta have passed away after living into their 90s. They remained faithful members of our church. He continued drawing and painting until the day he died. With her sister, Greta taught Bible lessons after school in local elementary schools. With her passing, other women have continued her mission.
Thoughts
Who is missing in your life this holiday season? What thoughts come to your mind as you remember them? What feelings stir in you?
What do you want others to remember about you? What will you do now to make that happen?
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In 1943, as a 20 year old, Bill joined the Army, deployed to England, and prepared for the invasion. What he thought would be a grand adventure turned into a nightmare which he vividly captured in his book.
Many people find using their phones a convenient way to read and meditate on the Bible. And it’s easy to do so with the Dwell Bible App. With Dwell you can listen to and read the Bible and special devotional offerings for Advent, Lent, and throughout the year.
Screenshot of the Advent offerings on the Dwell app
Use these links to share the heart of health wherever you connect.
On June 6, 1944, D-Day marked the Allied invasion of Normandy, leading to the liberation of France and the end of World War II. Bill Hart, a WWII veteran, captured his traumatic experiences through art and memoirs, highlighting his struggles with PTSD and the significant impact of his memories on his life and family.
I learned about D-Day from my late friend Bill Hart, who died in 2014. Bill served in the U.S. Army during World War II , and his unit was part of the force that invaded Normandy.
Bill wrote an illustrated memoir about his military experiences. Through his written and visual account, he left us a firsthand account of an experience that changed his life and changed the world.
In this updated version of a previous post, I share some of Bill’s art and memories of Bill shared by his son Terry (my thanks to Bill’s late wife Greta who graciously gave me permission to share from Terry’s social media post)
He was a true artist and entrepreneur who always enjoyed laughing and meeting new and interesting people. He was wise enough to not limit his conversation to only sports, religion or politics most men comfortably slide into.
But instead, he always talked about real thoughts and feelings as well as the history of his Irish roots.
Bill’s son, Terry Hart
Fighting the war in Europe
As a young 18-year-old, he volunteered into World War II seeking adventure way before he was called to serve.
Terry Hart
In 1943, Bill deployed to England, and prepared for the invasion. What he thought would be a grand adventure turned into a nightmare which he vividly captured in his book.
Several days into the fighting on the beaches at Normandy, he was assigned to pick up and transport the bodies of fallen soldiers. Thereafter, as he worked his way across France and Belgium into Germany, he found himself dodging enemy soldiers, liberating concentration camps, dealing with angry and defeated POWs, and famished, humiliated civilians struggling to survive.
Bill described what he saw and felt this way.
“At night I would think about the poor GI’s family when they got the news of his death. I tried not to think too much about this “dead guy” job. It seemed to go on forever.
For the next month and a half I was really alone, not attached to any outfit. I found my own food, water, gas for the Jeep and slept alone beside the Jeep in an open field. I shaved with cold water in my helmet and used my Jeep mirror to see.
The Germans were always near. I was scared I would be killed or captured. “Who knows where I am? Who would tell my mother if I died?”
In the beginning it had been exciting being alone with the invasion action all around me. But now I have panic attacks and nightmares of the dead bodies waking me as I sleep in the open field alone.
Most GI’s have other soldiers around them to feel safety in numbers. I had no one. I can’t get their dead faces out of my mind. I wait for the bright morning sun to erase the terrible images.”
Fighting and winning war within
in Terry’s words
“He had many adventures to talk about later in his adult life. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area he jokingly said he wanted to be the big fish in a smaller pond and made a tactical decision to move to Tulsa Oklahoma and to start up an ad agency “Ad Inc.” And as fate would have it, meet the love of his life Greta and started a family, and had three sons (Patrick, Tim, and Terrance)
A few years later he renovated a classic 1920’s Spanish style two-story house and built a large Art studio off the side, including a photography darkroom and printing stat camera in the basement.
Many years later he admitted suffering PTSD from his unwanted WWII memories, and found a way to deal with his pain by painting his military experiences “as seen through his own eyes”. And then later wrote and published a book full of illustrations. ”
“Later I forced myself to stop thinking about the “dead guys” experience and eventually forgot it.
62 years later, in 2006, when I applied for compensation for war injury during the Battle of the Bulge, the woman who interviewed me kept telling me I was leaving something out, something from my past.
I finally remembered after much writing about my remembered events in the 1944 and 1945 war period and was diagnosed with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
I believe, the greatest event of the 20th century took place during the June 1944 D-Day Normandy Invasion. I am very proud of being a small part of that great historical event that will always be remembered.”
Quotes and drawings from Bill’s memoir, D-DAY VET REMEMBERS NORMANDY (copyright) used by permission of his wife
Bill Hart, World War II veteran
“As I was starting my own career in Dallas TX, I would make trips home to see him and my mother as often as I could. And would always enjoy laughing together, plus having real man-to-man conversations at his favorite coffee place McDonald’s…haha.
I often think today how lucky I was to have had a father wise enough to save his own life by channeling his PTSD pain into paintings and sketches, (rather than) losing himself from unwelcome suffering.
He often expressed to me that he never feared death, but instead viewed it as yet another adventure. And looked forward to seeing his tough Irish Uncles and Father in heaven along with meeting Jesus.”
Terry Hart posted these memories of his father on the fifth anniversary of his father’s death, the day after Christmas 2014. My husband and I loved Bill and Greta and were honored to attend the graveside ceremony where a military honor attendant presented his family with the flag which draped Bill’s coffin.
Once known as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue”, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, has become the most common post-military service disorder. Although it also occurs in civilians who experience severe trauma, it has been defined, studied, and treated among current and former service members.
PTSD develops after exposure to or experiencing significant traumatic events such as interpersonal violence, death or threat of death, serious accidents, disasters and combat.
There are 4 types of symptoms-
Intrusions, such as flashbacks, nightmares
Avoidance- isolating oneself from people and/or certain situations
Negative mood changes, such as irritability, anger and depression
Hypervigilance- being easily startled, always on edge
PTSD can lead to depression, anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse and suicide.
It is also frequently associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and chronic pain.
The National Center for PTSD (Veterans Administration) is dedicated to research and education on trauma and PTSD, working to assure that the latest research findings help those exposed to trauma. They offer extensive information and resources at this link
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